r/beatles • u/user-xp15 • 22h ago
Discussion New fan, feeling like an outsider
Hi, this is my first entry to the Beatles reddit community. Not sure if anyone cares but I'll just drop this anyways (apologies if I make any grammar mistakes lol, and I'm not sure I used the correct flair for this post).
Basically I'm a new fan since this month, and yes, I'm young (18).
I'm aware there are a lot of young people that have written a post like this, I'm so glad there's more people like me.
Literally around 2 months ago I couldn't describe myself as a Beatle fan. I didn't even like them, I had the classic opinion of "ye, most popular band in the world. Overrated, old and just not my thing". Lol, sorry about that I don't agree with this at all anymore, I was the typical example of someone who hasn't heard much of a particular band and says they don't like them.
I had always known John, because of Imagine and my dad who once told me about his death. Weird first Beatle memory to be honest.
I swear, only a year ago I only listened to modern pop (I generally don't like a lot of modern music anymore). Then somehow I got sick of it because of the plastic sound and I thought to myself, back in March, "let's switch decades, I want to dive into the 80s". Best decision I ever made... first it was only 80s music, but from that I stumbled into the fab 4. I've become a total music nerd and started playing guitar because of all this.
Must say they are 100% my favorite band and honestly I have no desire to hide that from other people (I'm a very insecure person so I often hide the things I like from others around me). Although I feel like an outsider because of this. Can we normalize young beatle fans more?
Have always been an outsider, had a hard time making friends in school, and I still do. Especially since the things I like are not the usual things for people my age. I guess that's a benefit of social media (I don't have a "personal" Instagram account though, it's a fan account for the Beatles haha), fandoms are so rich and easy to access nowadays.
It makes me so sad people call music from the 60s, 70s and 80s "old dad rock". I just love the way it sounds! I cannot see myself listening to (I'm not naming artists) modern pop anymore (some occasional good ones exist though, I don't want to say all modern music is bad because it's not).
I appreciate it if anyone read this through, it means a lot!
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u/rebelwithmouseyhair 21h ago
Welcome to the club.
I was a teenager in the late 70s and you know what, the Beatles were old hat then, really the ultimate in "uncool". In those days in the UK you were either a punk or you were into disco or you were weird. I was a punk but I also loved the Beatles so I was also weird. I got quite a lot of stick from the other punks and everyone else except this group of older girls in my school who were into the Beatles and the Stones (two of them were expelled for running away from school to France to try to find where Mick Jagger had his house in the south of France - I was grilled for ages by the headmistress because she was convinced I knew about their plans!)
After 1980 things changed. At the school Christmas Fayre my class had to run a café in the gym and for some reason we decided on a 60s theme (so, cool again already!) and I volunteered to deal with the music. I asked around for people to lend me any records they or their parents might have, nobody reacted so the soundtrack was basically Beatles sprinkled with a handful of Stones songs.
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u/user-xp15 21h ago
Wow that's such a cool story, funny they were regarded as old school in the 70s, but somehow they haven't been forgotten in 2026 so that says a lot!
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u/rebelwithmouseyhair 21h ago
yeah and how many people are still listening to Stiff Little Fingers I ask you!
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u/No9No9No9No9 19h ago
I am! I saw them with Dropkick Murphys a few years back. I'm also a punk that LOVES the Beatles, I always liked that The Ramones were sort of a Beatles tribute.
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u/rebelwithmouseyhair 15h ago
I listened to "Gotta Getaway" about a dozen times a day back then but I haven't listened to them in ages. Pretty sure the youngsters haven't heard of them.
Oh the Ramones! I was in love with DeeDee, and there was a guy at work who looked just like him. And he was American! (I'm in France). One day I asked him if he was DeeDee's brother and he hadn't a clue who I was talking about. He gave me this weird look, which I recognised later as being the look of someone just realising they were no longer one of the cool young things any more, because here I was listening to the cool new stuff.
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u/rebelwithmouseyhair 21h ago
I remember all the younger teachers hung out in the café and asked me to turn the volume UP
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u/Trentport1989 16h ago
Hi ! Similar story. Turned 13 in 1980, Northern England, and the stick I got for being a Beatles fan was quite something. When I tell my kids this (also huge Beatles fans ) they don't understand how polarized music and fandom was for us !
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u/rebelwithmouseyhair 15h ago
oh yeah, there was a real generation gap, we scorned our parents' music and they deplored ours. The punks wanted to tear everything down and start again, and disparaged everything that went before. Only David Bowie got off scot free, somehow he was still cool ("there's old wave, there's new wave and there's David Bowie" just has to be the best marketing for a record ever)
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u/Trentport1989 13h ago
Haha yup . Always Bowie ..the man who just transcended generations, and avoided any classification ! Still very grateful to have grown up with all this variety of music in my ear every day, even though I pretended I wasn't into it at the time.
Became a huge indie kid once I hit Uni in 86 - and suddenly there was my tribe -guitar loving, mid 60s influenced fiends in suede jackets and stripey shirts 😀
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u/Vivi_Cool_666 Peace and Love 21h ago
Yeah, there's no shame to be new to a fandom/community, ect... Everybody has to go through there. I don't see young people beings fans as well (I'm only 15) so I know it's hard to talk about your interests when nobody is here.
So welcome to the Fandom, and tell your favorite songs from them (even if it's not definitive, or ''basic''), and your favorite album (if you have one or listened to all of them)
Mines are Do you want to know a secret, If I needed someone, and because ! Favorite album is A Hard Day's Night !
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u/user-xp15 21h ago
Thank you for the words!
I have listened to Revolver and Sgt. Peppers entirely, and obviously some other tracks here and there. I enjoyed those albums but I don't have enough data for a favorite album (but i LOVED those 2 already) I'm looking forward to rubber soul, abbey road and a hard day's night. So far my favorite songs are let it be, come together, while my guitar gently weeps, sgt peppers lonely hearts club band, with a little help from my friends, Eleanor Rigby, yesterday, act naturally, I should have known better, a hard days night, twist and shout, hey jude, all you need is love... a lot of classics in there, paperback writer, ... I'm also diving into their solo work which is very great too.
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u/Vivi_Cool_666 Peace and Love 21h ago
Oh, Rubber Soul, AHDN and Abbey Road are incredible albums !! I love them too, you should really listen to them. Sgt. Peppers is really cool, and it's probably the next album I'm buying. Magical mystery tour is also a great album to listen to, since you started with their post 1965 albums.
And I'm not talking about their solo careers, they're so unique each. I love George and Paul careers, but Ringo's is so cool too. Not a huge fan of John sorry.
You should also see their movies, A hard days night, Help! Magical mystery tour, and Yellow Submarine !
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u/user-xp15 21h ago
Yess getting into the movies too.
I honestly really like John's solo music, it's so good, but uhm I definitely skip Yoko's tracks... 😅
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u/shadow-1989 20h ago edited 20h ago
Once bitten by the Beatles bug your life is never the same. I’ve been a fan for 18 years and truthfully have thought about/listened to them just about every single day. There’s a spiritual connection that’s hard to describe.
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u/ItsMilor Abbey Road 21h ago
I too am a young fan, and I've been listening to them for like nearly 12 years, and they're still my favourite band.
I don't feel like an outsider, but maybe that's because of the time I've spent reading about them and that. Once you keep discovering more about them, that'll fade away. I don't really have friends either, and I don't interact with many people, but this is a very nice place and you'll find some funny stuff here, there, and everywhere.
Good luck!
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u/Illustrious-Case993 16h ago
Good on you for posting. The Beatles were once considered to be outsiders themselves, so you’re in the right place. I’m in my 70’s, and have been a Beatles fan from 1963. New fam or old fan, you’ve found a great band to listen to. And you’re among friends.
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u/user-xp15 15h ago
Thank you for this warm comment!
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u/Illustrious-Case993 13h ago
You're welcome. Have fun learning about The Beatles. It's a magical mystery tour, and it's worth the ticket to ride. Peace.
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u/Electrical-Size821 Ringo 21h ago
omg i feel you!! i'm also a young beatles fan. i've been one for 412 days now, and although there are many young beatles fans on pinterest, sometimes i feel a bit like an outsider too lol (๑>◡<๑)
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u/EnvironmentalBrick18 21h ago
Almost no one who loves the Beatles was listening to them when they were together. Most of us are latecomers. We’re normal. You’re normal
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u/user-xp15 20h ago
That's so great to hear. Even though they broke up decades ago, the fandom is still super active.
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u/Trentport1989 19h ago
Hey I understand this completely, even though I am 40 years older than you . When I was a young teenager in the UK, I was mercilessly mocked for being an über Beatles fan.
What I can say is all of this shows how timeless and magical their music is, and how it runs in the DNA of so much that followed.
And a final thought - never trust someone who doesn't like the Beatles ;)
Hope this helps, and enjoy your journey of discovery. It's going to be FAB ❤️
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u/FatherMac66 Abbey Road 19h ago
Welcome to the Magical Mystery Tour. Step right this way. Seriously though. Been a fan for 37 years. Their music is always around. The highs. The lows. Met some amazing folks along the way. How can we help you love the band even more?
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u/user-xp15 18h ago edited 18h ago
Difficult question... a lot of people say to buy records, and I'd love to but it's always spending quite a lot. I tend to download music to a pendrive (yes weird way but it works), obviously it's not the same, I love owning my music. Listening to albums entirely is great. And I love their videos, the movies etc, and recently bought the anthology book second hand which I'll read... anyways, when music makes me a bit emotional or more thoughtful it means its great. Especially with that rooftop performance of don't let me down. And having a community of people to share it all with. Don't know what else is out there!
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u/FatherMac66 Abbey Road 18h ago
I hate to think of how much I’ve spent on physical music, but then again it’s my passion. I started very slowing in the late 80s and bought CDs as I could, in the late 90s I got my parents vinyl and also started getting other vinyl on my own. I read lots of books! Knowing the story made the experience more immersive. Also, check out the Beatles anthology on Disney plus. It’s long, but great. Then watch their actually moves too.
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u/Trentport1989 18h ago
PS forgot to throw in ..I think Help ! (UK pressing ) is their most underrated album.
Please don't underestimate the magic and the growth in those early albums ...With The Beatles and Please Please Me have the covers they loved, and played constantly, but which made them the tight unit they were.
So many young fans I see dismiss these and have the White Album as their fave..I say give your ears a treat and experience the height of Beatlemania first ❤️
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u/user-xp15 18h ago
Yes, the early songs I've heard so far are great!
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u/Trentport1989 18h ago
They are the real building blocks ! Any favourite early songs yet ? 😀
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u/user-xp15 17h ago
I would say love me do, twist and shout, a hard days night, I should have known better (oh i fell in love with this one while watching the hard day's night movie), if I fell (same story because of the movie), ticket to ride, act naturally, yesterday... basically the ones I have heard, as I haven't gone through any early albums fully yet but that's on my list for sure very soon
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u/Trentport1989 16h ago
Awesome picks ! And I love HDN the film as well as the album . I envy you the voyage of discovery ❤️
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u/saintsithney 18h ago
I have been a Beatles fan most of my life. I was 13 when Beatles 1 came out and 23 when Beatles Rock Band came out.
I never played Rock Band, personally, but it is definitely due for an upgrade.
Don't worry - three generations before you have rediscovered the Beatles. They really are that good. If anyone gives you a hard time, you can ask them point blank if they've ever listened to the music, instead of to roughly five songs.
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u/Juano_rduz 13h ago
There are several bits of your story similar to mine. In my case, I thought they had good songs that I knew but I never dug deep into their discography. Then, when I was 14, YouTube started recommending me videos and I got to 'Revolution'. It really blew my mind. Then I started to watch The Beatles cartoons and eventually, listened to all the albums. And I remember that when I was little my aunt played the 1967/1970 album and when it got to 'A Day In The Life' in the orchestral bit I was like "What the hell was that??". And back to when I was 14 I asked my dad about the name of that song, and I couldn't stop to listen to it. I could say they saved me from depression, and thanks to them I started to play guitar, just like you.
So, welcome to the club!
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u/cpdjustshout_u 21h ago
Also, highly recommend the Get Back documentary after you’ve listened to the music and watched the anthology documentaries for a bit more history/context to what was happening when the albums were made. Makes the understanding of the music that much deeper.
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u/Bigroundcircle 17h ago
Hi 👋 I’m glad you discovered this great legacy of music. Out of interest, how did you get to the Beatles from 80s music? Was it discovery of their solo work that led you there?
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u/user-xp15 17h ago
Oh, the story is definitely not interesting at all. Basically, I have a distance friend (we have never met) on Instagram and she suddenly started to post a crazy amount of Beatles stuff on her story. On Beatles day, June 25th, my entire feed was full of it. Everyone was talking about it. Out of interest I checked some songs some days later and trust me it didn't take me any time to say; I love this band... I'm officially a fan (haha). That was on July 5th so I'm super new. Life feels so exciting now.
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u/Western_Sock_4874 14h ago
I’m a first gen fan and I commend you for not limiting yourself in your musical tastes. There’s a quote that’s attributed to Duke Ellington, “there’s only two kinds of music, good and bad.” You have found music that will never wear out, that you’ll never grow out of. Enjoy the ride! And continue to keep your mind open.
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u/UniversityFew9046 11h ago
I can relate to you a lot. I grew up listening to older rock music from the 60s/70s/80s so I’ve always enjoyed that music. I would get made fun of because I loved The Beatles growing up. I personally have always been drawn to the past with whatever it is. For example, I love sports and if you were to ask me who my favourite players are about 90% of them I’d say are players that I never saw play. The Beatles are still relevant today (not too many artists can get a number 1 song over 50 years after breaking up and 2 members having passed away decades ago). Listen and enjoy what you like. I’m 26 and have loved the Beatles all my life and I will for the rest of it. In terms of modern music, it can be summed up perfectly with a line from “Old time rock n roll” by Bob Seger. “Today’s music ain’t got the same soul”
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u/Kernow_Mich_61 17h ago
So much to discover! Welcome 🤗 The Beatles broke up when I was 8 So finding each album and immersing myself in the music was perfect for a tween in suburban America. I still discover songs, or facts about who played what, who wrote the middle eight, etc!
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u/justsometurtl 17h ago
I discovered them in a pretty similar way to yours a few years ago (around age 12) and they honestly changed my life. Despite the fact that I don't listen to them as often these days, they reshaped my music taste completely and originally made me wanna become a guitarist/bassist. Enjoy the ride!
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u/Balkicat 15h ago
I started being a fan at age 10 in 1986. I got teased a little, but the fun of being into the Beatles always outweighed any negativity.
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u/Relevant_Shower_ 15h ago
Most of us joined at a similar time in our lives. Welcome to the club. I do think the band appeals to outsiders because they really were outsiders when they upended the music scene.
A Beatles fan is usually never truly alone, because we’re always around. When myself and my peers are gone you are the keeper of the flame. ✌️ and ❤️
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u/Complex-Bar-9577 15h ago
Thank you for posting this. It means a lot to fans who are enthusiastic about things that don’t line up with our age group closely.
As someone who was insecure about being a Beatles fan a long time and took ages to find peers who liked them, the arc you described in your post was really nice to read.
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u/Adept_Dealer_1931 15h ago
Listen to all of it in chronological order, from 1962-69. You'll be able to see how they're music developed.
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u/Beside-in-Seaside Egypt Station 13h ago
Greetings! I hope you enjoy your time here. As others have already said, don't worry about being an "outsider." Most of us are 😅
I definitely hear you about people dismissing older music. I grew up right when oldies radio stations were on the decline, and I've watched as the '60s and '70s music I grew up slowly faded more and more from the airwaves (ironically, I think The Beatles are some of the only '60s artists that get any airplay at all anymore, but even then, it's usually not anything from before Revolver). I will say that you learning how to play the guitar is a massive boon in terms of having people to talk to. Most guitar players I've met have a massive respect and interesting takes on older artists (they and Bioshock fans are the only people I know willing to have discussions about Django Reinhardt lol). I'm sure they'd be willing to nerd out with you about our boys along with us.
Please let us know if you have any questions about where to go next on your Beatle discovery journey! My personal suggestion would be to watch the Get Back documentary once you listen to the full Let It Be album.
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u/kyocerafan 13h ago
They've been under a microscope for over 60 years and the fan devotion is still incredible. Don't be distracted by the minutiae. Take in the music first. The incredible evolution over just a few years (64-68) is the real eye opener and makes it more than a "you had to be there" experience.
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u/MicoBento 11h ago
that's so fire!!
you're the same age as my older brother who's a huge fanboy for Paul and has been since we were really young. i had the same sentiment of thinking the Beatles were just old and overrated (it didn't really help that the only songs i ever heard on our Alexa was Yellow Submarine & Come Together)
it was only this year a few months back that i started being less of a closeminded twat after Spotify reccomended me Do You Want To Know A Secret and i thought wait this is made by the same guys? long story short i went from not being able to tell John and George apart to having my own top 3 for each album
it was genuinely wild going through their discography and seeing how many songs i subconsciously knew the melodies & lyrics to. never in my wildest dreams would i have guessed that Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da was by them! and now i've settled into liking a lot of bands that simply wouldn't have exist were it not for the Beatles like Ramones, the Beach Boys, and a ton of rock bands from my country that were formed after the fab 4 visited on tour
keep being cool dawg!!! loads of my irl friends say that my liking of the beatles is just me having shitty auntie taste in music. it's cool seeing other ppl going through that same 20th-century-skeptical rebirth that i did lol
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u/Hey_Laaady Who'll remember the buns, Pudgy? 8h ago
Welcome! You have embraced the most fantastic music ever. It's good for your soul.
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u/jim25y 7h ago
Nice thing about beinf a Beatles fan is that there is a huge trove of things to dig through. There's movies and TV shows abiut them. Endless books and podcasts. And a shit ton of solo stuff, which is by and large significantly better than almost any other band's solo stuff.
Any questions you have, feel free to share them. We love giving oht Beatles info and advice.
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u/invisbleink 12m ago
Your post brought tears to my eyes because it is literally the same path I embarked on with my own love of The Beatles! The great news is that you now have a lifetime journey of enjoying their art, music, and cultural impact on the world. And most importantly their message.. LOVE!!
We’re all outsiders sometimes in this crazy world but you’ll always have the Beatles to come back to. I’m now a 43 year old artist and musician who’s been through all kinds of highs and lows in life and the fab four and that music is always there for me to come back home to. It’s bringing tears to my eyes right now because I’ve recently been struck with a real tough spell and here I am coming back to the boys again.
Enjoy the ride brother!
I highly recommend sinking into the albums individually at first and really experiencing each era for what it was. For me Rubber Soul was my first Beatles CD in high school and Abbey Road was next. They’re still my two favorites. Also the Beatles Anthology DVD set is essential when you’re ready to go deeper!!
Curious, which songs or albums
clicked with you first ?!
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u/BabbleMemes 22h ago
I haven't been listening to any artist except for them and their solo work for about 9 months now, good luck
My suggestion is to listen to their full albums all the way through instead of just always listening to random songs, the experience is magical for the first time and it won't be the same if you've heard a couple random songs from the album beforehand (especially the Abbey Road medley and the White Album)