By 1967, The Beatles were at the height of their cultural power, uniting the world with their broadcast performance of “All You Need Is Love” to an estimated 200 million viewers. Among the millions watching was a teenage Peter Gabriel, who had just turned 17. For Gabriel, the event was more than just a global phenomenon — it was proof that music could change the world.
“It was an extraordinary feeling,” Gabriel recalled. “That suddenly, this group that we’d seen from very small beginnings were really holding the flame for the world.”
The Beatles’ cultural and musical revolution inspired Gabriel to consider a future in music himself — a future that would eventually lead to the creation of Genesis and his groundbreaking solo career.
The First Record Peter Gabriel Ever Bought
While Gabriel admired The Beatles’ later, world-changing projects, his favourite Beatles song takes him back to their beginnings. Speaking with ABC about his all-time favourite songs, Gabriel revealed that the first record he ever bought with his own money was With The Beatles (1963).
The track that stood out most was “Please Please Me”.
“‘Please Please Me’ was coming over the radio. I would sit in the back of my parents’ car when we were on these long drives down to the coast,” Gabriel remembered. “And what people forget, I think, is that at the time, it was really rebellious, rough, mischievous and full of life, and irresistible to any young person.”
For Gabriel, the song captured the energy, rebellion, and spirit of a generation.
The Beatles vs. Other Musical Revolutions
By the time of The Beatles’ Our World broadcast in 1967, Gabriel was already forming Genesis with school friends Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, Steve Hackett, and Phil Collins. Inspired by The Beatles’ adventurous spirit, Gabriel wanted to create music that broke barriers.
He later compared The Beatles’ innovation to later movements:
“It was to my mind and my ears, far more of a breakthrough than, say, the Sex Pistols, which was more stylistic, I think, and not really about the music or revolution.”
Lasting Impact
Gabriel and his Genesis bandmates combined seemingly opposite influences — from blues to Bach — into something entirely new, much like The Beatles had done a decade earlier. And for Gabriel, “Please Please Me” remains the spark that first showed him how music could be rebellious, joyful, and transformative.
