On August 8, 1969, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr permanently made traffic a living nightmare on a small street in London. That was the day Iain Macmillan shot the album cover for the Beatles’ Abbey Road, which would be released less than two months later. Since then, the zebra crosswalk has become a must-see tourist destination for Fab Four fanatics, and everything about the cover has been discussed, digested, and even stolen (the Volkswagen Beetle to the left had its license plate “borrowed” by fans multiple times; the car is now in a museum in Germany). Fun fact: the confused-looking American in the background had no idea what was going on, and he didn’t realize he was in one of the most famous photos ever until many months later.
It’s also been parodied many, many times, by everyone from The Simpsons to many sh*tty crust-punk bands that think they’re total originals. Here are some of our favorites.
1986 Chicago Bears
The Simpsons
The Peanuts gang
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Liverpool Dogs
Four Bitchin’ Babes
Sesame Street
United Nations
Lego Beatles
New York City
The Powerpuff Girls
The Zimmers
National Lampoon
Língua De Trapo
The Young Ones
Ren & Stimpy
The Rutles
Paul McCartney
The Simpsons…again
