The Beatles Impact Essay

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It’s hard to imagine that the most covered song in pop history started out as a song about scrambled eggs. The writer of this song, Paul McCartney, was a member of a band in the 1960’s called the Beatles. The members were John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and Paul McCartney. Originating in Liverpool, they visited America in February of 1964, 77 days after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, bringing with them outrageous trends, revolutionary music, and strong opinions no one could have foreseen ("The Beatles Arrive in New York"). The Beatles changed the way society viewed fashion, music, and politics during the 1960’s in America.

The Beatles’ style was unignorable from the second they stepped off the plane at JFK airport on February 7, 1964. When America saw their mopped, long hairdos, they couldn’t believe it! Long haircuts were provocative during that time, and only strange people or monks who religiously grew their hair had hairdos like the band. Popular TV shows even made fun of the Beatles by wearing wigs made after the boys’ hair. Soon, though, men were starting to have hair longer than ever before. Some people still thought it was wrong, but when politicians sported hair growing over their ears, the Beatles knew they had caused a revolution in fashion. Later, though, the longer hairdos were no match for the amount of facial hair the Beatles had, and they were at the front lines of the hippie generation (McGasko).

The Beatles seemed to not only lead the American culture in fashion, but made music that is still widely adored today. Some of their songs had meanings directly targeted at America, as well.

More than anything, the Beatles are remembered for being the kings of music at that time and stil...

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...ted the Vietnam War by using his fame to host a bed- in with his wife, and stayed in bed for a full week to help promote peace ("John and Yoko's Montreal Bed-in."). This had never been done before, but much of the Beatles’ accomplishments hadn’t ever been either.

All in all, the Beatles have impacted not only American society, but the entire world’s. It’s obvious that during the 1960’s, America was introduced to new fashion trends, music, and political opinions by this boy band. The Beatles have influenced everything from hairstyles to new ballads, from music videos to using their fame for good. The Beatles’ legacy still lives on today, and hopefully will live on forever. When they arrived in America to 3000 fans waiting at the airport, they brought a distraught America back into rock n’ roll, exceeded expectations, and lifted spirits higher than any band before.

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