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The influence of the Beatles on culture and music
Beatles influence on culture
The influence of the Beatles on culture and music
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The Beatles reached such high popularity in the United States due to the fact that unnerving events, such as the assassination of president John F. Kennedy, had shaken the public and created a need for some sort of change in the mood. Therefore, this group of four charismatic young men was the icing on the cake with their uplifting and fun mood. Another factor that lead to their popularity was their unpredictable nature which entertained and marveled their audience. Americans held an interest in British culture, and had exported much of their popular music to England, however, American Beatlemania was a time when they could receive something in return. The Beatles also stood out due to the fact that they performed as a group of four equally contributing members, …show more content…
Without the Beatles, paving the way, leaving such a big impression on Americans, and fueling the fascination for British culture, perhaps it would have been harder for the British invasion to even occur. Beatlemania caused things related to British culture to be a trend, without that important element, there would not really have been such a place for the British invasion. The author talks about how the Beatles were different because up until the end they evolved in new directions, expanding their audience. They were different because they were authentic British musicians, and some of the musicians from the British invasion were American groups that attempted to mimic distinctive aspects of “British style”, whether it be by their outfits, hairstyles, or even a pseudo-English accents. In addition, the Beatles did not stick as close to their roots as other groups did during the British invasion. They experimented so much that at one point their music was essentially
The Beatles were formed in London and consisted of four prime members: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison. When they first came out from Liverpool to America, they gave a clean look toward people by wearing suits and trimmed haircuts. The Rolling Stones, also formed in London later on, also consisted of four prime members in the beginning: Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood, Keith Richards, and Charlie Watts. Throughout their career, they let they hair grow long and wear whatever they wanted including concerts, giving off the “I don’t care” look. The Beatles gave a clean impression, perceived as perfect school boys while The Rolling Stones gave a dirty image to the public and didn’t care about other’s opinion and rebelled against “the man”. As t...
In addition to the 23 albums (counting soundtracks and separate US and UK releases) released during the band's life (1960-1970) there have been more than 150 compilations, recorded interviews and videos issued. Hundreds of books have been written about their personal lives, their music, and their influence on pop culture and rock
The Beatles are an iconic English rock band and are widely regarded as the “foremost and most influential act of the rock era” (Unterberg). Formed in Liverpool in 1960, the Beatles were comprised of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, with Stuart Sutcliffe on bass guitar in January and Pete
The Beatles and the Beach Boys are two of the most recognized, well-known and most popular musical acts of the 1960’s right through to the 1970’s. I will be focusing on the group acts rather than solo performers such as John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison of the Beatles, who took their own stylistic approach to their music after the Beatles’ separation. Each group’s arrangement and use of instruments classify them as part of the overall associated sound and typical subject matter of songs in the 1960’s, yet remain different enough to distinguish between each group’s desired sound.
Folklores are stories that have been through many time periods. Folklore include Legends, Myths, and Fairy Tales. Legends are traditional tales handed down from earlier times and believed to have a historical basis. Myths are ancient stories dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes. Fairy Tales are fantasy tales with legendary being and creators.
Although considered the day Rock ‘n’ Roll was born, many other events in American history have given foundation to this much loved idea. Rock ‘n’ Roll is much more than just music, rather it is the movement which underlines cultural imperialism. Rock had been promoting a culture of comfort and freedom from social constraints as well. Although the style of ‘Rock music’ is easily adaptable into many different sounds, it is still thoroughly identified by its definingly amplified rhythm. The sudden worldwide popularity of rock and roll resulted in an unparalleled social impact. Rock ‘n’ Roll influenced lifestyles, fashion, attitudes, and language in a way few other social developments have equaled. The social impact is so large that rock stars are worshipped worldwide. In its early years, many adults condemned the style of music, placing a stigma on its name, and forbid their children from listening and following its ways. Many considered Rock ‘n’ Roll culture as a bad influence to all people, but as the genre aged and the now not-so-young crowds had matured, Rock was respected and
British rock ‘n’ roll began in the 1950’s and it wasn’t until the 1960’s when The Beatles heightened the start of the British Invasion. The band consisted of eclectic individuals such as John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. The Beatles’ group dynamic was founded on team-based operations as well as two-way innovations such as problem-to-solution and solution-to-problem of team building. However, like every group, internal and external interaction arose creating competition, which lead to both positive and negative conflict.
It seems as though it’s impossible to provide an analogy to a group today that accurately expresses what the Beatles were to their hayday. I guess that the closest thing to the Beatles of 2014 is One Direction, British and super popular, but the Beatles were obviously much bigger and much more influential than any other pop culture icon in recorded history. The question is though, why were the Beatles so popular that they defined a genre and generation of music? Why did they have such a strong influence on pop culture that they still remain popular today? The Beatles have a distinct sound, but they also didn’t stick to this image that seems to be so popular in bands of today. They let their music change with their mood, and the mood of the time they wrote the song in. This, instead of causing them to seem instable and fragmented, made them even more defined. Their songs are different from each other in a way that keeps it exciting. Hearing the same song over and over again from one artist causes their fame to die out quickly, in the same way that no matter how much you like a song, i...
As the guys were just starting to find their sense of direction with their new band they began to blow up. By creating a new style of rock existing with complex chord progression, soft melodies and even, more meaningful lyrics (World Book Online Reference Center) . Songs like, “Let It Be” and “With A Little Help From My Friends” show examples of this. The band’s new direction was so popular that on February 7th, 1964 the Beatles took a plane from London all the way to New York City, according to beatlesbible.com. The need to go to the United States was the great success of their albums. The four went on numerous television shows like The Ed Sullivan show, a late night show like Jimmy Fallon. All great things must come to an end. The Beatles went their separate ways and about 10 years after the split in 1980 John Lennon got shot by Mark David Chapman. Later in 2001 George Harrison died from cancer. The two other members of the band are still alive. Ringo Starr at age 77 and Paul McCartney at age 75. The so called “fifth” Beatles member, Pete Best is still alive also at age 75. The career of the band was very successful making great achievements and leaving forever lasting
Martin, Marvin. The Beatles: The Music Was Never the Same. New York: F. Watts, 1996. Print.
Rock ‘n’ roll and 20th Century Culture According to Philip Ennis, rock ‘n’ roll emerged from the convergence of social transformations which resulted from World War II (Ryan 927). Despite its pop culture origins, rock music is arguably one of the strongest cultural factors to develop in this century. Artists such as Lennon, McCartney and Dylan defined the emotions of a generation and, in the last decade, it as even been acknowledged by members of the establishment which it hoped to change as a major influence in the country. In order to understand how rock went from a sign of rebellion to a cultural icon, it is necessary to understand where it came from.
The British Invasion of 1964 brought America's music - reinvented and revitalized - home, a new generation of rock fans was born. Rock now entered what is now known as its Classic Era.
As a contemporary pop/rock artist, Elton John was the by-product of early artists such as Buddy Holly, The Beatles, Little Richard and Bob Dylan (10). Music within this genre usually exudes a more traditional rock and roll sound but is lyrically developed to be catchy, uplifting and relatable. The “British invasion” refers to the explosion of British cultural influence via pop music --also known as Britpop-- in America in the late 1950s and 60s. The slow declination of rock and roll in America gave Britpop an advantage to success; America was awed by the new British bands delivering a new sound and style, and very quickly integrated it into their culture. (1) Americans jumped on the bandwagon tha...
“So the British invasion was more important as an event, as a mood: than as music” (Bangs, 171). This was the British invasion. I wasn’t just about the music, it was more then that; this is what makes it so unique. It didn’t just happen to effect America by chance, it lifted the spirits and moods of its youth. It isn’t just coincidence that Kennedy was assassinated right before the Beatles famous Ed Sullivan Show performance. The whole country was in a deep depressive doldrum after the assassination, and for good reason. The British invasion was needed by Americans to snap out of this funk, and this was just the thing to do it. (One thing that Americans used to avoid the depressing times was to use illegal drugs, but that will be elaborated on later.) This is what it was all about; sure it was about the music, but it brought more, it brought a way of life across the ocean.
In their initial incarnation as cheerful, wisecracking moptops, the Fab Four revolutionized the sound, style, and attitude of popular music and opened rock and roll’s doors to a tidal wave of British rock acts. Their initial impact would have been enough to establish the Beatles as one of their era’s most influential cultural forces, but they didn’t stop there. Although their initial style was a highly original, irresistibly catchy synthesis of early American rock and roll and R&B, the Beatles spent the rest of the 1960s expanding rock’s stylistic frontiers, consistently staking out new musical territory on each release...