The Fab Four Fandom

The Beatles waving to their beloved fans (10).

The Fab Four, or what they are more commonly known as, The Beatles, are considered to be one of the most famous bands of all time, but they could not have done it without their fans. From breaking into the band members' homes during Beatlemania, to creating fanfictions about relationships between the band members, fans have and will always play a part in keeping The Beatles relevant.

Beatlemania

Fans happily greet The Beatles (8).

While The Beatles first showed up on the music scene in 1960, it was in 1963 that they really began to rocket off of the ground due to what was known as Beatlemania (2). Teenage girls acted absolutely manic for the young quartet of men that had appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. People once claimed that after The Beatles' plane had landed in New York, the band was surrounded by a "flock of 3,000 ecstatic, screaming fans- many of them teens playing hooky from school" (2). Fans went as far to buy wigs that resembled the famous "mop top" hair style that the Fab Four were known to rock (7). Unfortunately, Beatlemania was not all that it was cracked up to be. Beatles' concerts during this time were notoriously smelly and loud, but not the good kind of loud. It was reported that not only were the fans screaming so loud that the music created by the band were extremely muffled, but the fans were also peeing themselves out of pure excitement, and the stench was smelled across the whole stadium (5). #GROSS! 

Watch Parties

Although The Beatles were musicians, fans are also endeared by their video works. The Fab4 Cafe, located in Liverpool, announced via Instagram that they would be holding a watch party for the Anthology documentary series that was released in November of 2025 (4). It was a place for Beatles fans alike to get to know each other and enjoy the yummy desserts the Beatles themed cafe had to offer. Yet, this is not the first time Beatles' fans enjoyed one another's company while watching the tele. Back in 2020, the official Beatles Facebook page posted, "All aboard for the Yellow Submarine Sing-A-Long YouTube Watch Party!". Many were especially excited over this idea due to the recent Covid-19 shutdowns which were preventing fans from physically connecting. Fan Emily Cooper even shared, "This is, no lie, what I did for my 14th birthday party"(1). She's not alone either, fans have been throwing Beatles themed birthday parties since they have been able (11).

Shipping & Fanfiction

Fanart of "McLennon" (9). 

Fanfiction written about The Beatles can be dated all the way back to the late 1960s and is still around today (3). The most popular pair or "ship" for fans to write about is known as McLennon. McLennon is described as the "slash ship between John Lennon and Paul McCartney from The Beatles Fandom" (6). Many fans even take joy in collecting different versions of what they call "evidence" to support their ideas of the songwriting duo's romantic relationship. YouTuber and podcaster Carley Thorne went as far as to create a one-hour long video-essay on her YouTube channel titled Unpacking McLennon. The post includes the history on McCartney and Lennon's relationships which fans appreciated heavily in the comments. Although McLennon is one of the most famous ships, "fic exists for almost any combination of two, three, or all four Beatles" (3). Fans openly discuss their love for reading and writing these fictions about their favorite band, giving each other ideas and leaving reviews on online platforms like Archive of Our Own and Wattpad. 

Online Connections

Since their start in the 60s, Beatles fans will always have a way to find each other. In the most recent years, fans have been using online forums, social media, and websites to communicate. The Beatles Bible is a website that is loved by many. It consists of fun facts about The Beatles as a band, fun facts about The Beatles as solo artists, and so much more. Within The Beatles Bible website there is a link to a multitude of forums that fans join together in appreciating music. As mentioned before, Beatles fans are known to love fanfictions. There are websites like The Beatles Fanfiction Directory, The Beatles Fanfiction Community, and McLennon Fanfics that were created strictly for sharing different kinds of Beatles fanfictions. Fans leave messages and posts for one another to see and reply to. They are truly safe spaces for fans to be open about their interests and not have to worry about hate.

In The End

Due to their fans, most people can name at least one song by The Beatles, even if they do not realize it is The Beatles. So whether it is turning on the radio, reading a short story, or even watching television, The Beatles fans have probably been there and have done that. This fandom has been around for 60 years and shows no signs of going away, why not give them a try and listen to an album or two? 

Works Cited

1. The Beatles. All Aboard for the Yellow Submarine Sing-A-Long YouTube Watch Party. Facebook, 23 Apr. 2020, https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=235440304347558&rdid=1GbLwcuUGK8qYFxg

2.  Andrews, E. (2025, May 28). When Beatlemania swept the United States. History.com.https://www.history.com/articles/beatlemania-sweeps-the-united-states-50-years-ago

3. The beatles - fanlore. Fanlore. (2025, November 4). https://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Beatles

4. Beatlesstory [@beatlesstory]. "Our Anthology documentary screening is in three days!" Instagram, 23 Nov. 2025, https://www.instagram.com/p/DRZYdntkYB_/?img_index=1

5. Davis, M. (2025, June 26). “we can answer this”: Paul McCartney hilariously responds to “lakes of wee” rumors during beatlemania concerts. American Songwriter. https://americansongwriter.com/we-can-answer-this-paul-mccartney-hilariously-responds-to-lakes-of-wee-rumors-during-beatlemania-concerts/

6. Fandom, Inc. (n.d.). McLennon. Shipping Wiki. https://shipping.fandom.com/wiki/McLennon

7. Menjivar, B. (2023, January 27). What it was really like to be a Beatles fan in the 1960s. Grunge. https://www.grunge.com/245653/what-it-was-really-like-to-be-a-beatles-fan-in-the-1960s/

8. Abriano, D., & Kessler, J. S. (n.d.). The Beatles in June: Shine on. The Fest for Beatles Fans. https://www.thefest.com/tag/the-fest-for-beatles-fans/

9. https://www.deviantart.com/drzoro/art/McLennon-Is-Real-1-627093441

10. Gray, G. (2020, July 9). Beatles concert at Melbourne’s Festival Hall in 1964 to air next week. Tone Deaf. https://tonedeaf.thebrag.com/beatles-concert-melbourne/

11. https://www.etsy.com/market/beatles_themed_party msockid=03371e20d91e6975039a086fd8956899