If you are a Beatles fan, you must come to Liverpool! This British port is the hometown and genesis of the iconic, rock band. It’s a compact, colorful music town from which to discover The Beatles story. The highlight for me was the Magical Mystery Tour, seeing Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields. It was voted as TripAdvisor’s Top 10 Global ‘Best of the Best’ award. Read on and discover why you should visit The Beatles hometown and connect with these vital roots of rock music history.
The Beatles Liverpool Music History
And when the night is
cloudy, there is still a light
that shines on me,
Shine until tomorrow
Let It Be…
The Beatle’s music style, aka Merseybeat (Mersey is the county) arose from the early 60’s in UK, influenced by rock and roll, skiffle (blues, jazz and American Folk) and pop music. Popular artists creating this music gave rise to important bands, such as, Gerry & The Pacemakers, A Flock of Seagulls, Frankie Vaughan and of course, The Beatles.
Mathew Street is the heart and soul of the Liverpool music scene. It’s home to the famous Cavern Club, where The Beatles became discovered and one of Europe’s largest music festivals.
The Beatles Liverpool Music Tour
The Beatles Statue on Waterfront
and Royal Albert Dock
A great way to jumpstart a Beatles-themed day is to see up close The Beatle’s Statue on the waterfront at Pier Head. The incredible bronze monument displays the Fab Four: Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon. The famous Cavern Club donated this statue, standing here since 2015. Don’t miss out on the popular selfie shot, as shown in my first photo!
Originally, the Royal Albert Dock became famous as the first non-combustible warehouse system in the world. In 1846 it opened, being built from cast iron, brick and stone. Here, I went to The Beatles Story Museum and then caught the psychedelic bus for The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour. Overall, the dock is a hub with many tourist attractions:
The Beatles Story Museum
Maritime Museum
International Slavery Museum
Magical Mystery Tour
Liverpool City Sights
The Beatles Story Museum
The Beatles Story Museum is a great way to learn about the roots and story of this revolutionary rock band. Located on the Royal Albert Dock, it’s a massive collection of exhibits, such as, photos, memorabilia and replicas of the Casbah, Abbey Roads Studio and the Cavern Club. I just stayed an hour, feeling edgy to get out and see the real thing. However, on a rainy day or with more time, I gladly would return here.
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Magical Mystery Tour
The Magical Mystery Tour was one of the Beatles albums in the 60’s. Just outside The Beatles Story Museum, I bought tickets for the tourist rendition of Magical Mystery Tour. Impulsively, I signed up, seeing the psychedelic painted bus. Having no idea that soon, I was about to have one of the most upbeat, heartwarming and emotional days of my life.
This 2-hour bus ride takes you to many of the lyrical hotspots immortalized by The Fab Four. When mixing the music, narrations along with visiting these interesting landmarks, it’s a blend of emotions, memories and entertainment.
We stopped and visited locations mentioned in songs, such as, Penny Lane and its Barber Shop and Strawberry Fields. Plus, we stopped at St. Peter’s Cemetery to see the lonely Eleanor Rigby’s grave. Of course, we even visited the former homes of Paul, John, George and Ringo.
Penny Lane and Strawberry Field
We stopped at the legendary Penny Lane sign and drove down the street. Then, we drove by the sights and characters written about by Paul McCartney in this popular song, such as, the Tony Slavin Barber Shop.
Penny Lane there is a barber showing photographs
of every head he’s had the pleasure to know,
and all the people that come and go
stop and say hello…
Another big stop is at Strawberry Fields with its symbolic, red-iron fence and colorful graffiti. It’s heartwarming to learn about the Muse of this song for John Lennon. Evidently, Strawberry Field was an orphanage for girls, managed by the Salvation Army. Abandoned by his parents and raised by an aunt, John related to these orphans and their symbolic strawberry fields forever…
Let me take you down
‘Cause I’m going to Strawberry Fields
Nothing is real
And nothing to get hung about
Strawberry Fields forever
The Fab Four’s Homes – Beatles Liverpool Tour
Our group of fans stopped outside the homes where Paul, John, George and Ringo lived at one time in Liverpool. Also, we learned the stories and significance of their homes and schools. This helps give perspective on the reality that these Rock Stars are real people, who also suffered heartache and loss just like everyone else.
This tour struck a very deep chord for me, bringing up memories connected to The Beatle’s music.
Universally, music has a way of affecting us mortals. It resurfaces forgotten memories from things we experienced while listening to a song or music in the past. For me, tears welled up in my eyes while in the bus with the Beatles music jarring up a memory.
About 15 years before then, I realized for the first time how much I loved the Beatles. I was driving in the backseat of a car with my uncle and now deceased Aunt (2 upbeat Baby Boomers). They blared The Beatle’s CD with song after song, such as…
She loves you, yeah yeah yeah
She loves you, yeah yeah yeah
With a love like that
You know you should be glad
All of us were singing, laughing and so happy on our road trip. Now, whenever I hear the Beatles, it takes me back to that road trip! Such a wonderful memory to cherish and relive on this day in Liverpool. However, it also resurfaced sadness that I missed my aunt who is no longer with us. Music has a way of doing this!
Mathew Street and The Cavern Club
Lastly, we toured inside the famous Cavern Club. This is where the Beatles gained popularity as the house band.
Their band manager, Brian Epstein discovered them here. So, a lot of history took place at The Cavern Club and it was awesome connecting with the past.
Also, Mathew Street Festival is one of the largest music festivals in Europe. It celebrates the birthplace of The Beatles and other local musicians. Overall, it’s a great place to experience the music scene and history.
Enjoy The Beatles Liverpool Music Tour!
If you start early, there’s still time to spend the afternoon and evening just strolling around Liverpool after the Beatle’s tour. It’s a wonderful town for shopping and restaurants as well. However, (re)discovering the Beatles story is a once in a lifetime heartwarming experience, not to be missed in Liverpool. Truly, this was one of the most magical days of my life, where I Let it Be…
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