"Bigger Than The Beatles" is a song written by Jeb Stuart Anderson and Steve Dukes, and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist

Joe Diffie Joe Logan Diffie (December 28, 1958 – March 29, 2020) was an American country music singer and songwriter. After working as a demo singer in the mid 1980s, he signed with Epic Records' Nashville division in 1990. Between then and 2004, Diffie ...

. It was released in November 1995 as the lead single from the album, ''

Life's So Funny ''Life's So Funny'' is the sixth studio album by American country music artist Joe Diffie. It was released on December 5, 1995, through Epic Records. It contains the single "Bigger Than the Beatles", Diffie's last Number One single on the ''Bill ...

''. The song reached Number One on the U.S. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot Country Singles & Tracks Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

(now

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

) chart, becoming the fifth and final Number One single of Diffie's career. It also reached number-one on the Canadian ''RPM'' Country Tracks chart.

Content

The song talks about an amateur rocker and his cocktail waitress girlfriend. The narrator talks about how they see each other as stars, since they are in love. It says, "She thinks he looks like Elvis, when he runs his fingers through his jet black hair." The narrator states that the couple has a love "bigger than the Beatles". Meaning that even though they aren't stars, they look like it to each other. The "yeah yeah yeah yeah" background chorus at the end of the song is a reference to The Beatles' "

She Loves You "She Loves You" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and recorded by English rock band the Beatles for release as a single in 1963. The single set and surpassed several sales records in the United Kingdom charts, and set a record i ...

", as well as a reference to "

All You Need is Love "All You Need Is Love" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a non-album single in July 1967. It was written by John Lennon and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The song was Britain's contribution t ...

" in the last line of the bridge, while the title is a pun on John Lennon's controversial " bigger than Jesus" claim.

Critical reception

Alanna Nash Alanna Nash is an American journalist and biographer. Born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1950, Nash holds a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and is the author of several acclaimed books. She is a 1972 graduat ...

of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' gave the song a C-minus rating, with her review calling it a "lighthearted tale of an amateur rocker and his shopgirl squeeze" and "just a lame device to evoke the names of beloved rock heroes."

Music video

The music video was directed by

Deaton-Flanigen Productions Deaton-Flanigen Productions is an American film company based in Nashville, Tennessee. The company was named after the surnames of founders Robert Deaton III and George Flanigen IV. The two have directed multiple music videos, primarily in the field ...

and premiered in late 1995. It depicts the male half of the couple as a karaoke singer in a club, and the female half as a waitress at the same club. The female notices the male singing and eventually goes up and duets with him. Scenes also feature the pair lounging poolside. Diffie is shown in the background singing and playing guitar in both scenes. It was filmed in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

. The video was actually shot in Nashville with Barclay Randall and Linda Sue Simmons, playing the parts of the lounge singer and his waitress love. They had a live bigger than The Beatles. The dead man from the

Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (If I Die) "Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (If I Die)" is a song written by Kerry Kurt Phillips, Howard Perdew and Rick Blaylock, and recorded by American country music singer Joe Diffie. It was released in July 1993 as the second single from his CD ''Honky ...

music video makes a cameo, now lounging on a floating chair in the pool.

Chart history

"Bigger Than the Beatles" debuted at number 58 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of December 2, 1995.

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control 1995 singles 1995 songs Joe Diffie songs Music videos directed by Deaton-Flanigen Productions Epic Records singles Songs about the Beatles