John Lennon was the primary factor that influenced the popularity and song quality of the Beatles. They were a classic assembly of characters but it was more about the substance of the music and the theme more then the music itself at the time. I like The Rolling Stones Better tbh in terms of sheer hits and discography, but the Beatles are more important then the simple hits they produced. John Lennon died like 2pac did, fighting the industry that wanted to control the tone and themes of the music being made and working against those who agreed with promoting conscious impactful songs to influence positive change. Sounds corny but that is what is boils down to in my opinion.