The Beatles: 7 Lessons on Creativity, Content and Marketing

The Beatles. The most iconic rock band in history. A group that, in just seven years, made a cultural impact the likes of which may never be seen again.

229 original songs. 21 #1 hits on the “Billboard Hot 100”. 25 #1 US albums. 8 Grammy Awards. And on and on.

To achieve that level of creative potency in such a short period is almost unexplainable. Mythological. Impossible to codify or replicate.

I’m a fan.

And it’s why — with great interest — I watched the recent Get Back documentary, revealing hitherto unseen footage of John, Paul, George and Ringo at work.

For eight hours, I was glued to it — so, so enlightening. It reinforced for me the principles (and sometimes lack of principles) that go into creating consistently brilliant content.

And, though we may not all be blessed with the same level of talent as The Fab Four, the documentary shows quite clearly that, in lots of ways, they’re really just like the rest of us.