By 1974, The Beatles had been broken up for about four years. That being said, all of the band members’ solo careers were in quite good shape at the time.
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In fact, three members of the Fab Four released singles that topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974. One of the famous musicians scored the last No. 1 solo hit of his career that year, at least to date. Another would release the only solo Hot 100 chart-topper he would enjoy during his life.
[RELATED: What Are Ringo Starr’s 5 Biggest US Hits?]
Here’s a look at the three No. 1 hits scored by former Beatles in 1974:
“You’re Sixteen” – Ringo Starr
In November 1973, Ringo Starr had his first No. 1 solo hit on the Hot 100 with “Photograph.” The tune, which the drummer co-wrote with his ex-Beatles bandmate George Harrison, appeared on Starr’s third solo album, Ringo.
On January 26, 1974, Starr topped the U.S. singles chart for the second and final time with “You’re Sixteen,” another track from the Ringo album. “You’re Sixteen” was a cover of a tune written by the sibling songwriting team of Robert and Richard Sherman. Rockabilly singer Johnny Burnette had a No. 8 hit with the tune back in December 1960.
Starr’s version featured Paul McCartney doing a vocal solo mimicking the sound of a kazoo. Harry Nilsson sang backing vocals on the track, which also features piano by lauded session musician Nicky Hopkins.
Ringo’s rendition of “You’re Sixteen” spent one week at No. 1 on the Hot 100.
“Band On The Run” – Paul McCartney & Wings
McCartney topped the Hot 100 for the third time in his post-Beatles career with the title track of Band On The Run, the third studio album he released with his band Wings.
The song spent a week at No. 1 in June of 1974. At the time Wings recorded “Band On The Run,” the group only featured McCartney; his wife, Linda; and guitarist/singer Denny Laine. Paul played the bulk of the instruments on the track, including bass, acoustic and electric guitars, piano, synthesizer, and drums. McCartney hired studio whiz Tony Visconti to arrange strings for the tune. Visconti enlisted a 60-piece orchestra to play on the track.
Wings recorded “Band On The Run” partly in Lagos, Nigeria, and partly in London. The song features three musical sections, and tells the whimsical story of a jailed rock band that breaks out of their prison. McCartney has said that the song’s theme was inspired by the legal issues many musicians were experiencing at the time because of relatively minor offenses like pot possession.
McCartney’s previous two post-Beatles No. 1 hits were “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey,” released in 1971 as a duo with wife Linda; and the 1973 Wings ballad “My Love.”
Paul has gone on to have many more chart-topping hits, including with Wings, as a solo artist, and for collaborations with Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson.
“Whatever Gets You Thru The Night” – John Lennon
Lennon became the last ex-Beatle to score a No. 1 hit on the Hot 100 when “Whatever Gets You Thru The Night” topped the chart on November 16, 1973. The song was the lead single from Lennon’s fifth solo album, Walls and Bridges.
“Whatever Gets You Thru The Night” features Elton John on harmony vocals, piano, and organ. It also includes a sax solo by frequent Rolling Stones collaborator Bobby Keys.
Elton famously made a bet with Lennon that if “Whatever Gets You Thru The Night” got to No. 1 on the Hot 100, the Beatles legend would have to come up on stage and perform the tune with Elton at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Sure enough, after the song topped the chart, Lennon joined Elton and his band for a few songs at a November 28, 1974, concert at the famous New York City arena.
The performance also included renditions of The Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There” and “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.” This marked Lennon’s first public performance in several years and his last major live performance before his death in December 1980.
After his murder, Lennon scored a second solo No. 1 hit on the Hot 100 with “(Just Like) Starting Over.” The song topped the chart on December 27, 1980, and spent five weeks at No. 1.
(Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images; Photo by David Redfern/Redferns)
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