How are we still talking about The Beatles? Here’s why.

[This was my weekly column for GlobalNews.ca. – AC]

When they appeared in the early 1960s, The Beatles quickly became the biggest pop and rock group in the world. Not only did they have great songs — and boy, they had a lot of them — they had charm, a sense of humour, and were fashion-forward.

Between 1963 and their breakup in the spring of 1970, they changed the world of music forever. That breakup was 56 years ago, and yet, The Beatles remain a staple of popular culture.

For a while, though, there was a time when the group was considered passé. The excitement of the ’60s had faded into the past, and it was time to move on. Oh, the band still had their rabid fans, but as hard as it may be to believe today, they’d become largely a take-it-or-leave-it proposition for the general population.

The 1970s may have been a good time to a solo Beatle — all four members had various levels of success on their own, with Macca leading the way with Wings — but as for The Beatles as a group, meh. They slipped into the category of nostalgia as the original Beatlemaniacs grew up and moved on.

Young’uns were more interested in the new crop of bands that included Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Queen, and The Eagles. The Rolling Stones and The Who, two Beatles contemporaries, stayed together and continued to make amazing music and escaped being tossed into the bin. If you came of age musically in the ’70s, as I did, you might remember thinking anyone at school who was a Beatles fan was completely out of touch.

So how did The Beatles end up becoming so revered in subsequent years? Through careful recycling and refreshing.