It really is quite remarkable isn't it?
That how I responded to a person's off-the-cuff remark this past week that she seems to be hearing more Beatles songs while out and about these days.
The soundtrack from the likeable movie, Yesterday, has catapulted no less than four Beatles albums back onto the iTunes Top 100, with Abby Road, the red-and-blue greatest hits albums, and No. 1 all making the leap.
When you look at Abby Road sitting at #19 on the Top 100 list and realize the album will be celebrating its 50th birthday this coming Sept. 26, you have to admit the music “the boys” created has amazing staying power.
The three most downloaded Beatles tunes over at iTunes are the George Harrison-penned Here Comes the Sun, along with two classic Paul McCartney gems, Let It Be and Hey Jude.
And, just to show this isn't all being done by a bunch of aging baby boomers trying to recapture their youth, over at Billboard's Hot Rock Songs chart, no less than five Beatles tracks are in the Top 20!
As of July 13, the Billboard chart had Here Comes the Sun placed at No.9, Let It Be at No. 12, Yesterday at No. 14, Hey Jude at No. 16 and Come Together right behind at No. 17.
The five songs combined for more than 14-million streams in the United States alone, along with a remarkable 9,000 downloads.
The Beatles tunes jumped back upon the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart with a vengeance, with Here Comes the Sun riding the wave of renewed popularity to become the first Beatles Top 10 hit in the chart's 10-year history.
The band's other four tunes on the chart were all poised to break into the Top 10 this week or next.
The Beatles No.1 album celebrated its 375th consecutive week on the Billboard 200 by moving up to No. 43 on the Billboard 200 and all the way up to No. 4 on the Top Rock Albums chart.
Following on the tremendous success of the deluxe editions of Sgt. Pepper's and the White Album, the deluxe edition of Abbey Road is scheduled to be released this coming September.
It is rumoured to contain the new stereo mix of the Abby Road album, as well as two full audio cds of rarities, outtakes, demos and various takes of songs in the recording studio and a Blu-ray disk containing a Dolby Atmos mix, a 5.1-surround mix and a high resolution stereo mix of the Abby Road album.
Something to tempt the pallet of almost any musical taste in its presentation, that's for sure, and all encased in a beautiful 12” by 12” hardcover book.
It's been incredible watching each new generation of music lovers get introduced to the Beatles during the past half-century, and to see how the vast, vast majority of the Beatles' collective works from Rubber Soul to Abby Road, in particular, have stood the test of time and continue to sound fresh and relative to each new generation.
And, the music shows absolutely no signs of slowing down in the face of generations still to come.
Watch for Abby Road this coming September and I'd be willing to bet you'll be glad you did.
And the band plays on...