The holidays are a time to reunite with loved ones and remember our best times together, and that’s true for family and friends from all walks of life--including your Peloton family. So we thought it fitting that this year, we’d celebrate for the first time at Peloton to the music of a band that has been a part of millions of lives all over the world: The Beatles.
For The Beatles’ earliest fans, Christmas was always a time to celebrate their special connection to the group. While The Beatles were still together, Christmastime meant either a new single or new album was coming, and if you belonged to their fanclub, it meant receiving an exclusive Flexi disc of an intimate studio session where they thanked their fans and really just had fun for several minutes. Recorded from 1963 to 1969, they were the only example of hearing the Beatles without any guardrails and more importantly, as friends. “I was always amazed by their wit and charm along with their ability to improvise, especially with comedy,” says Tony Calandra, Peloton’s Vice President of Global Music Supervision and Programming. “It also dispelled any stereotypes about their persona--for example George was not the quiet Beatle. He had an incredible sense of humor and you were able to gain insight with these recordings.”
From memories of your parents, your first car, to your first kiss, or your first breakup, for many people, there are Beatles songs that immediately bring you back to those special moments in life. “Even today, the influence of the band is almost impossible to measure, because their influence went way beyond music,” says Calandra, who had previously worked with Apple Corps in producing the award winning “The Beatles: Rockband”. “They set trends and inspired multiple generations, and continue to do so because they didn’t play by the rules. They broke down the walls and demonstrated that you can do what had never been done before.”
That’s a feeling we know you’re all familiar with after some time with Peloton, so even if you never imagined doing a steep hill climb to “Love Me Do,” we invite you to make some new memories with Peloton and The Beatles. Peloton’s Artist Series classes have run the gamut of musical genres, from Beyonce to the Grateful Dead to Steve Martin on the banjo, but the thing they all have in common is an immersive class that lets you experience music in a totally different way. “You’re not listening, you’re feeling the music, really,” says Calandra. “You take this experience and combine it with a catalogue that can trigger emotions whether you’re sitting, standing, driving or sleeping and you now have an incredibly unique experience that can only be found in these classes.”
We’ve designed several carefully curated classes for our Members to take part in this journey through The Beatles’ music, with instructors who absolutely love the band and have uniquely crafted their playlists for their respective discipline. Leanne Hainsby and Denis Morton both take you on a musical journey throughout their career in our cycling classes, while Becs Gentry’s run and Ben Alldis’ strength class offers a diverse cross section of music that is really tailored for the class workout. Lastly, a special 2-for-1 60-minute yoga flow really celebrates the personal and introspective nature of the Beatles’ music, from songs that you immediately recognize to some deeper cuts. There’s something for every Peloton fan, and more importantly, every music fan, to celebrate at the holidays and beyond. If you're not yet a Member, you too can celebrate with our latest, greatest Artist Series in cycling, running, strength and yoga classes by downloading the Peloton App here. If you’ve already got your ticket to ride, take a look at the full class schedule and we’ll see you on the leaderboard to round out the year!