The Beatles Quiz
From the Cavern Club to the Apple rooftop: 15 questions on the band that changed pop music forever.
Which English city did the Beatles come from?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Liverpool
All four Beatles were born in Liverpool, and the band played nearly 300 lunchtime and evening shows at the city's Cavern Club between 1961 and 1963 before fame carried them to London.
Liverpool's airport was renamed Liverpool John Lennon Airport in 2002, with the motto "Above us only sky" taken from "Imagine".
Which 1967 album shows the band in brightly coloured military-style uniforms on its cover?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Sgt. Pepper
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, released in June 1967, pictured the Beatles in satin band uniforms surrounded by a crowd of cardboard celebrities on a cover designed by Peter Blake and Jann Haworth.
In 1968 it became the first rock album to win the Grammy for Album of the Year.
Which album cover shows the four Beatles walking across a zebra crossing outside their recording studio?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Abbey Road
The Abbey Road cover was shot by photographer Iain Macmillan on August 8, 1969, standing on a stepladder in the road outside EMI Studios while a policeman held up traffic for about ten minutes.
The crossing itself was given protected heritage status by the UK government in 2010, and tourists still queue to recreate the walk.
On which American television show did the Beatles make their famous US debut in February 1964?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Beatles' first live appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964 drew an estimated 73 million viewers, then the largest audience in American television history, and launched Beatlemania in the US.
Two months later the band held all five of the top five positions on the Billboard Hot 100 in the same week, a feat never repeated.
Which Beatle wrote "Something" and "Here Comes the Sun"?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
George Harrison
George Harrison wrote both songs for Abbey Road in 1969, and "Something" became the first Harrison composition issued as a Beatles A-side, reaching No. 1 in the US.
Frank Sinatra called "Something" the greatest love song of the past 50 years, though for years he introduced it as a Lennon and McCartney tune.
Who was the Beatles' manager, the Liverpool record-shop owner who signed them in 1962?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Brian Epstein
Brian Epstein ran the NEMS record shop in Liverpool, saw the band at the Cavern Club in November 1961 and became their manager, putting them in suits and securing their recording contract with Parlophone.
Epstein died of an accidental overdose in August 1967 at just 32, and Lennon later said the band began to fall apart from that moment.
Which producer, often called the "fifth Beatle", worked on almost all of the band's recordings?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
George Martin
George Martin signed the Beatles to Parlophone in 1962 and produced nearly everything they released, adding the string quartet to "Yesterday" and the orchestral climax to "A Day in the Life".
Martin was knighted in 1996 and later produced the Beatles' Love album for the Cirque du Soleil show with his son Giles.
In which German city did the Beatles play long club residencies in the early 1960s?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Hamburg
Between 1960 and 1962 the Beatles played hundreds of hours in Hamburg clubs such as the Indra, the Kaiserkeller and the Star-Club, often performing for six or more hours a night.
Lennon later said, "I was born in Liverpool, but I grew up in Hamburg," crediting the gruelling sets with making them a tight live band.
What was the Beatles' first feature film, released in 1964?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
A Hard Day's Night
A Hard Day's Night, directed by Richard Lester, was released in July 1964 and followed a fictionalised day in the band's life; its title came from one of Ringo's accidental turns of phrase.
The film's mock-documentary style influenced everything from The Monkees to the modern music video, and it was later added to the US National Film Registry.
What was the Beatles' first single, released in the UK in October 1962?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Love Me Do
"Love Me Do" came out on October 5, 1962 and reached No. 17 in the UK, a modest start before "Please Please Me" and "From Me to You" turned the band into chart regulars in 1963.
Session drummer Andy White played on the album version because George Martin was unsure about the newly hired Ringo, who was moved to tambourine.
Which drummer was sacked in August 1962, shortly before Ringo Starr joined the band?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Pete Best
Pete Best drummed for the Beatles through the Hamburg years but was dismissed on August 16, 1962, with Brian Epstein breaking the news; Ringo joined from Rory Storm and the Hurricanes two days later.
Stuart Sutcliffe was the band's early bass player, who left in 1961 to paint in Hamburg and died of a brain haemorrhage the following year.
Which album was the last the Beatles released, in May 1970?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Let It Be
Let It Be was released on May 8, 1970, a month after Paul McCartney announced he was leaving the band, though most of it had been recorded in January 1969, before the Abbey Road sessions.
Phil Spector added orchestras and choirs to the tapes, which so annoyed McCartney that a stripped-back Let It Be... Naked was issued in 2003.
The 2023 single "Now and Then", billed as the last Beatles song, was built from a late 1970s demo by which Beatle?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
John Lennon
John Lennon recorded the demo on a cassette at his New York apartment; Peter Jackson's audio technology finally separated his voice from the piano, letting McCartney and Starr finish the track in 2022.
"Now and Then" topped the UK singles chart 54 years after the band's previous No. 1 and won the Grammy for Best Rock Performance in 2025.
At which venue did the Beatles play their final ticketed concert in August 1966?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Candlestick Park
The Beatles' last paid concert was at Candlestick Park in San Francisco on August 29, 1966, in front of about 25,000 fans; they closed with "Long Tall Sally" and never toured again.
Exhausted by screaming crowds that drowned out the music, the band retreated to the studio and began recording Sgt. Pepper within months.
The Beatles gave their final public performance in January 1969 on the roof of which company's London headquarters?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Apple Corps
On January 30, 1969 the band played an unannounced 42-minute set on the roof of Apple Corps at 3 Savile Row, running through "Get Back" and "Don't Let Me Down" until police asked them to stop.
Lennon signed off with, "I hope we passed the audition," a line that made it onto the Let It Be album.
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All Entertainment quizzes →About the The Beatles Quiz
Four lads from Liverpool played scruffy clubs in Hamburg, got a haircut and a manager, and within three years had 73 million Americans watching them on a Sunday night TV show. The Beatles released 12 studio albums in just seven years, stopped touring in 1966, and were still topping the UK chart in 2023 with a song finished from a 1970s John Lennon demo.
These 15 questions cover the band's story from Pete Best and "Love Me Do" through Sgt. Pepper, Abbey Road and the final rooftop show, with a few deeper cuts on producers, managers and final concerts for the serious collector. If you know your Rubber Soul from your Revolver, this is the quiz for you.
You will find 15 multiple choice questions here, each with four options. Difficulty: Medium. Most people finish in about 6 minutes, and every answer comes with a short explanation and one extra fact worth keeping.
How to play
Read the question and pick one of the four answers. The correct answer is revealed straight away with a short explanation, then press Next question to keep going. At the end you get your score out of 15 and a full review of your round. Play again any time and the questions arrive in a fresh order. There is no timer and no account.
Good to know before you play
Who were the four members of the Beatles?
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Ringo replaced the original drummer Pete Best in August 1962, just before the band's first single.
What was the last Beatles album?
Let It Be, released in May 1970, was the last to come out, though Abbey Road (1969) was the last album the band recorded together.
What is the Beatles' last song?
"Now and Then", released in November 2023. It was built from a late 1970s John Lennon demo and won a Grammy for Best Rock Performance in 2025.
Answer key: all 15 questions with explanations
- Which English city did the Beatles come from?
Liverpool All four Beatles were born in Liverpool, and the band played nearly 300 lunchtime and evening shows at the city's Cavern Club between 1961 and 1963 before fame carried them to London. Liverpool's airport was renamed Liverpool John Lennon Airport in 2002, with the motto "Above us only sky" taken from "Imagine". - Which 1967 album shows the band in brightly coloured military-style uniforms on its cover?
Sgt. Pepper Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, released in June 1967, pictured the Beatles in satin band uniforms surrounded by a crowd of cardboard celebrities on a cover designed by Peter Blake and Jann Haworth. In 1968 it became the first rock album to win the Grammy for Album of the Year. - Which album cover shows the four Beatles walking across a zebra crossing outside their recording studio?
Abbey Road The Abbey Road cover was shot by photographer Iain Macmillan on August 8, 1969, standing on a stepladder in the road outside EMI Studios while a policeman held up traffic for about ten minutes. The crossing itself was given protected heritage status by the UK government in 2010, and tourists still queue to recreate the walk. - On which American television show did the Beatles make their famous US debut in February 1964?
The Ed Sullivan Show The Beatles' first live appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964 drew an estimated 73 million viewers, then the largest audience in American television history, and launched Beatlemania in the US. Two months later the band held all five of the top five positions on the Billboard Hot 100 in the same week, a feat never repeated. - Which Beatle wrote "Something" and "Here Comes the Sun"?
George Harrison George Harrison wrote both songs for Abbey Road in 1969, and "Something" became the first Harrison composition issued as a Beatles A-side, reaching No. 1 in the US. Frank Sinatra called "Something" the greatest love song of the past 50 years, though for years he introduced it as a Lennon and McCartney tune. - Who was the Beatles' manager, the Liverpool record-shop owner who signed them in 1962?
Brian Epstein Brian Epstein ran the NEMS record shop in Liverpool, saw the band at the Cavern Club in November 1961 and became their manager, putting them in suits and securing their recording contract with Parlophone. Epstein died of an accidental overdose in August 1967 at just 32, and Lennon later said the band began to fall apart from that moment. - Which producer, often called the "fifth Beatle", worked on almost all of the band's recordings?
George Martin George Martin signed the Beatles to Parlophone in 1962 and produced nearly everything they released, adding the string quartet to "Yesterday" and the orchestral climax to "A Day in the Life". Martin was knighted in 1996 and later produced the Beatles' Love album for the Cirque du Soleil show with his son Giles. - In which German city did the Beatles play long club residencies in the early 1960s?
Hamburg Between 1960 and 1962 the Beatles played hundreds of hours in Hamburg clubs such as the Indra, the Kaiserkeller and the Star-Club, often performing for six or more hours a night. Lennon later said, "I was born in Liverpool, but I grew up in Hamburg," crediting the gruelling sets with making them a tight live band. - What was the Beatles' first feature film, released in 1964?
A Hard Day's Night A Hard Day's Night, directed by Richard Lester, was released in July 1964 and followed a fictionalised day in the band's life; its title came from one of Ringo's accidental turns of phrase. The film's mock-documentary style influenced everything from The Monkees to the modern music video, and it was later added to the US National Film Registry. - What was the Beatles' first single, released in the UK in October 1962?
Love Me Do "Love Me Do" came out on October 5, 1962 and reached No. 17 in the UK, a modest start before "Please Please Me" and "From Me to You" turned the band into chart regulars in 1963. Session drummer Andy White played on the album version because George Martin was unsure about the newly hired Ringo, who was moved to tambourine. - Which drummer was sacked in August 1962, shortly before Ringo Starr joined the band?
Pete Best Pete Best drummed for the Beatles through the Hamburg years but was dismissed on August 16, 1962, with Brian Epstein breaking the news; Ringo joined from Rory Storm and the Hurricanes two days later. Stuart Sutcliffe was the band's early bass player, who left in 1961 to paint in Hamburg and died of a brain haemorrhage the following year. - Which album was the last the Beatles released, in May 1970?
Let It Be Let It Be was released on May 8, 1970, a month after Paul McCartney announced he was leaving the band, though most of it had been recorded in January 1969, before the Abbey Road sessions. Phil Spector added orchestras and choirs to the tapes, which so annoyed McCartney that a stripped-back Let It Be... Naked was issued in 2003. - The 2023 single "Now and Then", billed as the last Beatles song, was built from a late 1970s demo by which Beatle?
John Lennon John Lennon recorded the demo on a cassette at his New York apartment; Peter Jackson's audio technology finally separated his voice from the piano, letting McCartney and Starr finish the track in 2022. "Now and Then" topped the UK singles chart 54 years after the band's previous No. 1 and won the Grammy for Best Rock Performance in 2025. - At which venue did the Beatles play their final ticketed concert in August 1966?
Candlestick Park The Beatles' last paid concert was at Candlestick Park in San Francisco on August 29, 1966, in front of about 25,000 fans; they closed with "Long Tall Sally" and never toured again. Exhausted by screaming crowds that drowned out the music, the band retreated to the studio and began recording Sgt. Pepper within months. - The Beatles gave their final public performance in January 1969 on the roof of which company's London headquarters?
Apple Corps On January 30, 1969 the band played an unannounced 42-minute set on the roof of Apple Corps at 3 Savile Row, running through "Get Back" and "Don't Let Me Down" until police asked them to stop. Lennon signed off with, "I hope we passed the audition," a line that made it onto the Let It Be album.
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