(Credits: Far Out / Alamy)
Fri 12 September 2025 13:00, UK
How do you know you’ve truly made it as a band? When you can still break records half a century on from when you split up, that’s how. Well, in fairness, The Beatles probably knew that already, but rarely can any other classic artist hit the bullseye of the cultural zeitgeist in the same way as them.
This was displayed back in 2023 when, some 53 years on from The Beatles taking their final bow as a band, they still managed to add two more achievements to their already bumper record book, with the help of their comeback single ‘Now and Then’. Setting standards for the longest gap between number ones, the fastest-selling single of the year, both physically and on vinyl, and their most-streamed song and most-watched music video within the space of a week, it showed Beatlemania was truly still very much alive and well.Â
While ‘Now and Then’ is hardly the defining jewel in the crown of the entire Beatles songbook, it is highly symbolic in the sense of how it brought the Fab Four screaming into the 2020s, as if they had never been away. It had been 54 years since they last topped the charts with ‘The Ballad of John and Yoko’, but with the power of some remastered recordings and technological enhancements, they were back in business once and for all.
However, the power of the comeback song was such that it only continued to add to an unbeatable record precedent, in which the Liverpudlian legends were already one of, if not the most, decorated acts in the history of the UK charts. The fact was that they didn’t really need ‘Now and Then’ to hammer that home any further, but as any rock star knows, it’s always nice to hang up some more shiny artwork on the walls.Â
What UK chart records did The Beatles set?
‘Now and Then’ was really only there to keep topping up the score, as the band had already set the record for the most singles to have ever hit the number one spot, with their total as of that point in 2023 coming to 18. This brought them almost on par with their number of albums to have also topped the charts, which was 15, and, it goes without saying at this point, another record-setter.Â
Within this, the Fabs also placed the bar for the amount of time spent languishing at the top of the charts with both their albums and singles, amassing 176 and 70 weeks for both outputs, respectively. Of course, their best-selling album, Sgt Pepper, also made its way into the history books as a part of this, but none of the decoration or adoration ever meant The Beatles got complacent or felt they were ever truly done.Â
Granted, it took over 50 years and the tragic deaths of two of its members to bring them back together, but Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr know intrinsically when there’s a gem to be found within The Beatles’ previously unheard back archives. ‘Now and Then’ not only showed that there was life in the old dog yet, but it was the ultimate reminder to any artist who may have been getting a little bit big for their boots that the real kings would always rule supreme.
Related Topics