The Beatles were not an immediate success in the US—their label rejected their first two singles, and the band was mocked on the TV show 'American Bandstand.'

The Beatles' appearance on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' in 1964 launched Beatlemania in the US after the band struggled to break through to American audiences.

The Beatles' labels released almost twice as many of the band's records in the US to capitalize on the band's popularity.

An American Beatles album featured a bizarre, gruesome image of the band as butchers, which was swiftly recalled.

The Beatles loved Motown Records, covering some of the label's songs while honing their skills as a club act in Germany.

The American girl groups of the 1950s and '60s had a profound influence on The Beatles, who frequently paid homage to acts like the Marvelettes and the Ronettes

The Beatles stopped touring in 1966, citing frustration with the era's limited sound systems.

Hear how the Beatles became the most influential band on Earth, with guest Conan O'Brien.

How British youth resurrected overlooked American soul music

Motown released some of the 1960s' biggest soul records and changed the sound of pop music. The label also inspired countless smaller, regional labels that released songs by lesser-known artists that received limited attention. That changed with the rise of British Northern Soul, an underground scene that repurposed these obscure records (including several overlooked Motown releases) for all-night dance parties and, in the process, minted some unexpected American superstars.

Listen to "Yesterday and Today," the 1966 Beatles album only released in the US.

Before becoming a country superstar, Dolly Parton recorded girl group-style singles as a teenager, including one that became a hit outside the US.

The BBC banned the Beatles' song 'A Day in the Life' for 5 years, fearing it encouraged drug use.

After the bitter breakup of the Beatles, John Lennon and Paul McCartney only played music together one more time—at an impromptu studio session in 1974, joined by Stevie Wonder.

The Beatles' song 'Taxman' was inspired by Britain's tax structure.

The Clash's breakthrough hit wasn't listed on ‘London Calling’

“Train in Vain” was a hit in the US, something that hadn’t yet happened for other first-wave punk acts. But the song was added to “London Calling” at the last minute, after the record jackets were already printed, making it one of the more popular “hidden tracks” in popular music.

Paul McCartney announced his departure from the Beatles in a 1970 press release, surprising his bandmates.

Lorne Michaels jokingly offered the Beatles $3K to reunite on 'Saturday Night Live,' which John Lennon and Paul McCartney briefly considered.

The Beatles sued technology company Apple in 1978 to defend naming rights to their record label, Apple Corps.

The Beatles tried to get the rights to make a 'Lord of the Rings' film starring the band members as Gollum, Frodo, Gandalf, and Samwise.

'The Muppet Show' debuted in the UK because it was rejected by every US network.

The cover of 'Abbey Road' was shot in a quiet London neighborhood in 1969

The unassuming setting became one of the most famous attractions in the city and was the cover of the Beatles' last-recorded album. It was shot in the late 1960s, when the Fab Four was the most famous band in the world.

The Beatles once sued Nike

Nike used The Beatles' "Revolution" in an ad, sparking a $15M lawsuit over the song's use. While The Beatles and Nike ultimately reached an agreement, Nike ushered in the modern practice of using hit songs in advertisements, as opposed to jingles or covers.

Explore Abbey Road Studios, the site that invented stereo recording and was the site of most of the Beatles' recordings.

Listen to the Beatles' 'Revolver,' the band's groundbreaking 1966 album.

The Beatles' 'Tomorrow Never Knows,' the final track from 1966's 'Revolver,' used innovative recording methods—including a rudimentary form of sampling—to redefine the sound of popular music.

The Beatles' visit with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi helped inspire Western interest in Eastern spirituality

The Fab Four met with the guru—the creator of Transcendental Meditation—in 1968 in Rishikesh, India. The band's George Harrison and his wife had been interested in Indian culture for several years, but the meeting with Maharishi signified a meeting of Western popular culture with Eastern spirituality that would inspire the rising hippie movement.

Bruce Springsteen was initially so unhappy with his album 'Born to Run' that he threw it in a swimming pool.

Watch Bill Haley bring rock 'n' roll to mainstream America with his first performance on 'The Ed Sullivan Show.'

The Clash's 'London Calling' cover parodied Elvis

The English band used Presley’s 1959 debut album as the template for the cover of its third record, an ambitious double album that explored rockabilly, reggae, ska, R&B, jazz and pop.

Phil Spector's Philles Records was home to several definitive girl group singles

The label, formed by Spector and Lester Sill, released most of Spector's early "wall of sound" recordings, including the Crystals' "Then He Kissed Me" and the Ronettes' "Be My Baby." This 1963 compilation, "Philles Records Presents Today's Hits," collects some of the label's early hits.

Some people believe Paul McCartney died in a car crash in 1966 and was replaced by a lookalike.

1984's 'Born in the USA' was a sensation, due in part to its music videos

The album was Springsteen's most pop-focused, with blaring synths and a pumping backbeat. It was a pop culture sensation, with five singles that reached the top 10, a massive arena tour, and several iconic music videos coinciding with MTV's rise. The record would eventually become one of the best-selling albums of all time.

Bob Dylan wrote and recorded songs that later became hits when they were covered by artists like Jimi Hendrix, Adele, and Guns N' Roses.

The Shirelles' 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow' was the first girl group record to reach No. 1

The 1960 song, composed by husband-and-wife Brill Building occupants Gerry Goffin and Carole King, was more than a little suggestive. The main character wondered if her partner would abandon her after a night of passion, leading to some stations banning the record. But it also propelled the song to the top of the Billboard Hot 100.

The Ramones' debut album went gold 38 years after its release.

Bruce Springsteen's song 'Born to Run' took six months to record, with the singer-songwriter desperately trying to perfect it to save his career.

Before they found fame as solo artists, Rick James and Neil Young both played in a band that was signed to Motown Records.

After Elvis Presley's first hip-shaking 'Ed Sullivan Show' appearance, Frank Sinatra called Presley's music 'a rancid-smelling aphrodisiac.'

Check out a list of the best Beatles songs, from 'Hey Jude' to 'A Day in the Life.'

Brian Wilson originally wrote the Beach Boys' classic 'Don't Worry Baby' for the Ronettes, but the legendary girl group rejected it.

Nirvana's 'Nevermind' brought punk to the mainstream

The Seattle band’s second record, its first on a major label, went to number one four months after it was released in 1991. At one point, it was selling 300,000 copies a week. The band’s lead singer, Kurt Cobain, believed in punk’s countercultural aims and felt deeply conflicted about success.

The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson said 'Be My Baby' is 'the greatest record ever produced.'

An early Sex Pistols show is credited with inspiring other influential acts

When the Sex Pistols first ventured out to a small music hall in Manchester, only 40 people were in attendance. But, like the longtail influence of the first Velvet Underground album, the show's impact was massive: In the crowd that night were members of Buzzcocks, the Smiths, and Joy Division.

The Brill Building was a breeding ground for girl group classics

New York City's Brill Building housed the working offices for over 160 music industry professionals, including some of the country's finest songwriters, such as Neil Diamond, Burt Bacharach, and George Clinton. Below is a 1959 picture of three more Brill Building pros: Carole King, Paul Simon, and Gerry Goffin.

How 'Nevermind' realigned the music industry

Nirvana's breakout album inspired other major labels to hunt for similarly loud, countercultural bands. That led to a fascinating period in popular music that found defiantly anticommercial indie acts like the Melvins, the Butthole Surfers, and Ween (among many, many others) suddenly offered lucrative contracts.

Billie Holiday's label refused to release 'Strange Fruit,' a protest song about lynching, because of fears of negative reactions from southern retailers.

The Buzzcocks' 1975 self-released EP inspired a DIY ethos for punk

Punk sought to dismantle the self-importance of mainstream rock, favoring simple arrangements, short songs, and raw passion over sophistication or expertise. When the Buzzcocks struggled to find a label to release their debut record, “Spiral Scratch,” they took that do-it-yourself approach and applied it to business by releasing it themselves.

'Where Did Our Love Go' was the first of 12 No. 1 singles for the Supremes

Phil Spector's 'wall of sound' revolutionized girl groups—and pop music

The method captured a room of live musicians and transmitted the sound into a basement outfitted with more speakers and microphones. That sound was then sent into the central control room, producing a massive recording that sounded unlike anything else in pop music.

Check out the records stocked in the jukebox at the Stonewall Inn, the bar responsible for modern Pride celebrations.

Both British and American pop art took inspiration from US culture

Pop art emerged in the mid-1950s in Britain and the late 1950s in America. American pop art focused on representational art and was directly inspired by living within American popular culture, using hard edges and distinct forms. Its British sibling, on the other hand, took a more academic approach, viewing American culture from a distance and employing irony and parody.