From fashion to hairstyles, to completely turn the music world on its head, their cultural influence can be felt in nearly every corner of the world.
Another area where they have influenced the world is facial hair, particularly their mustaches from their 60s and 70s eras and beyond.
This mustachioed period of The Beatle’s burgeoning career was recently shown in a particularly intimate way through the Disney (Also check out Best Disney Characters With Mustaches) documentary is compiled of previously unseen footage of their ‘Get Back’ tour in this documentary of the same name.
Here we really get to see that The Fab Four really did dress and act exactly like they do on their records, in person.
One result of this documentary is that the world got to see some of the many mustache styles that the Beatles rocked in this period, and has likely sparked a lot of interest in Beatles-styled mustaches, as the mustache becomes the in-vogue facial hair of our current generation.
In this article, we have explored some of the best mustaches styled by The Beatles throughout the years, in the hope that you can learn something from the Fab Four and their upper lip. Keep reading to learn more about The Beatles mustaches, below.
1. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band LP Cover
One of the best Beatles stories about mustaches comes from the now notorious, perhaps generation-defining, cover of their Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band record.
The Fab Four are pictured on the cover each sporting their own mustache. They all have that 70s colonel mustache that drops just below their upper lip, with Ringo, in classic Ringo fashion, being the only one sporting a soul patch.
The mustaches were actually part-accident, part-genius. Sgt Pepper is all about the Beatles escaping the confines of their image as ‘The Beatles’ and being something different, so in many ways, their mustaches help depart from their previous image in some way.
In reality, you may already know about the famed car crash of Paul Mccartney around this time, which inspired the, frankly ludicrous yet popular, conspiracy of ‘Paul is Dead’.
In fact, Paul did indeed have a gnarly scar on his lip as a result of the accident, and in part a botched attempt to sew it up.
As a result of the lip scar, Paul decided to grow his mustache out as a practical solution to cover the scar. The latter scar you can spot in the videos for Paperback Writer and Rain.
Paul later said that when he grew it out it soon caught on with the other band members and they all had mustaches as a result, which was kind of funny for their age as at the time mustaches were a sign of maturity in most men, while they were still between 24-26 (Also check out Best Funny Mustaches).
It’s no surprise even to this present day we now see young males sporting a similar mustache. In classic Beatles fashion Paul made the mustache cool for the younger generations, but basically through an accident.
2. John Lennon’s Rebel Handlebar
This is a really classic handlebar style mustache. A handlebar mustache is often in this upside-down U shape, like the handles of a motorbike, and is often sported by enthusiasts of the latter.
This style of mustache provides Lennon with that misty-eyed rebel look that was so common for him in the late 60s when the photo was taken.
It also shows a departure from his more clean-cut look in the 50s, as all the Beatles were reforming their public image at the time for something a little more hardline, political, but also unique, and these mustaches were part of that.
3. George’s Wizarding Mustache
Of all the Beatles, George sported the mustache the most, and here we see it presented on a relatively young George in 1973.
Again, the mustache here is a sign of the times of course but also shows George departing from his cleaner look.
George’s mustache is almost chivalrous or Arthurian and pairs well with his fashion of the period. With guitar in hand, the mustache gives him that virtuoso, minstrel look that affirms his wizarding skills on the guitar.
4. Ringo’s European Mustache
Ringo is the youngest Beatle so perhaps has it a little worse when it comes to growing facial hair. That didn’t stop Ringo from adhering to the 60s fashion of the time, though, and here we see him with a European style mustache.
The tips are long and a soul patch to pair evokes that Spanish Maestro look that is chivalrous as well as mature.
Being a bit younger, the mustache helps Ringo seem more mature and break away from that view of him as the cheeky drummer.
5. Paul’s Wings
Here’s a particularly unique look from Paul’s WIngs era, when the Beatles broke up. Both the W that Paul fashions with his hands and with his facial hair represent the Capital W of the band’s name.
Paul is trying to move away from the Beatles look but is also embracing 80s fashion with his mullet, so an equally 80s-modified handlebar mustache is a perfect way to announce a new stage of his life, where he doesn’t have to take himself so seriously.
6. John’s Full Hippie Commitment
At some point or another, most of the Fab Four sported this long-haired, full-beard look in the 70s. It was typical of the time as a partly counter-cultural move to separate themselves from the elite to their money and success might tangentially relate them to.
By growing their hair out and going full hippie it shows the boys aren’t too bothered about their wealth but are men of the people.
It’s probably part identity crisis, with most of the boy’s faces being plastered across Britain and America, a drastically different look helps them claw back some uniqueness.
7. Groomed George
Here we see a rare picture of George and his mustache of the period looking particularly groomed.
This is a really effortlessly timeless look from George that could easily have been taken in the modern day.
With long hair that is particularly groomed and a freshly shaved mustache George looks both cool and rugged, willing to be a little different but not afraid to be groomed as well as asserting masculinity.
8. John’s Chevron And Sideburns
The Chevron mustache sported by John in this picture is one that was typical of the 60s and suited John well.
In combination with the sideburns, we see the Beatles pioneering fashion once again.
John is adhering to the fashion of the day but also being a little different with the sideburns, this look would become pretty popular among the Beatles and later the general public they have such sway over.
9. Paul’s Full Beard
This is a look that will be familiar to those who enjoyed the recent ‘Get Back’ documentary where McCartney can be seen sporting this full beard.
The full beard really suits Paul and shows his maturity here, both in his own life and also within the band at the time.
As we see Paul trying to hold the fray together, the full beard gives him that stoic, almost dad-like look which suits his personality.
Final Thoughts
The Beatles influenced style and facial hair trends across the globe, in both the Uk and America and further afield.
Their facial hair shows both the styles and trends of the time but also reflects the personality of the Fab Four.
Often their facial hair can show us the look they are going for at the time, departing from older identities, showing new ones, or just being a little sill and trying something different
Frequently Asked Questions
When Did The Beatles Grow Mustaches?
Prior to 1966 most of The Beatles were clean-shaven. Prior to the 60s they had a much cleaner look as they were marketed across the world, making them pretty palpable for any culture, and putting the spotlight on their youth.
It was when they visited India in the late 60s that most of the Beatles started growing their facial hair.
The mustached men we see on the cover of Sgt. Pepper’s were pretty much the debut mustaches for the Beatles.
As previously stated, having these mustaches helped them set themselves apart from their former clean look, in line with the musical departure from what many expected on the album.
The boundary-pushing mindset that led them to make the album was likely the same thinking that influenced the band’s decision to sport mustaches and their facial hair is generally an interesting insight into their mindset during the period.
