How Did The Beatles Influence Music

The Beatles were more than their music. They influenced the lives of millions of people unlike any musicians before them. They were the first and most popular band in one of the most important music movements in American history, the British Invasion. The year 1964 was the year both the British Invasion and “Beatlemania” came to America and forever changed the landscape of music in the United States by introducing the genre of pop, as it is today. The Beatles changed the rules of music. Many things that are considered normal now were pioneered by the Beatles such as: creating compilation albums, expressing their views on world happenings through the media, musicians in movies, and even mass media advertising. The beatles influenced American culture more than any other musical artist in history (Jacobs, 2004).

Prior to the Beatles’ arrival to the United States in 1964, American society was in a valley of negativity. The following were some of the big headlines the American people had to endure: President John F. Kennedy, one of the most popular presidents ever, was assassinated in November of 1963. President Lyndon B. Johnson was increasing U.S. involvement in Vietnam, which was also creating tax increases, all despite the protests of millions of Americans. Policemen on national television were beating Martin Luther King Jr.’s followers. All of this negative publicity surrounding the American public had the people, especially the youth, needing something to take their mind off of the depression going on all around them. “The Beatles – with their cheeky wit and catchy, upbeat pop songs – proved to be the perfect anecdote for America’s collective depression” (Hoffman).

Luckily for the American public and the music indust...

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...these things alone are what makes them the most influential band in American music history.

They also revolutionized the definition of an album. Prior to the Beatles, albums consisted of hit songs in no particular order. People only listened to the popular songs by artists that were on the radio. There was no concept of compiling songs to create a purpose. The Beatles’ albums were composed and arranged in a certain order to create a common theme, feel, and meaning. The idea of compiling the songs on an album to focus on a cause influenced every artist after them. Today, all artists release albums that have a purpose or a common theme. The Beatles revolutionized the common perception of what an album should be, and every album today models after the Beatles’ albums of the late 1960s. On top of this, the “fab four” changed the normal look of popular bands.