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The Beatles: The Sound of a Social Revolution
It was on February 9, 1964, that the Beatles made their American debut
on the Ed Sullivan Show, marking the beginning of a musical and
cultural hysteria the likes of which the world had never seen.
Americans were drawn to "Beatlemania" instantaneously, and would
follow these four boys from Liverpool for years to come. That night in
February, 73 million Americans sat, transfixed, in front of the
television as if the world had just came to a complete standstill. The
influence of the Beatles on American culture, and the definition of
rock music are remarkable. Penny Lane refers to a shopping area in
Liverpool, where John and Paul spent many of their childhood days.
Penny Lane follows a familiar 8 bar chord structure, and tells a story
using verses that alternate with a common refrain. The blend of
instruments that comprise this tune is quite unique; bass, piano,
flute, horns, and drums with no guitar. These instruments flow
together seamlessly, never overpowering each other. While the flute
and the bass usually play straight on the beat, both instruments
occasionally pick up a melody line that mimics McCartney's singing. It
is quite remarkable that the melody is basically only sung, a
testament to the singing talent this group possessed. The vocal
harmony could easily fall into a classical category, and is a sharp
contrast to the untrained, gritty vocal sound of most rock bands of
the time. The beat is kept on the piano, which plays sharp, stinging
chords on beats 1, 2, 3, and 4 throughout the entire song. This is
interesting, especially because there is not a single time when this
chord instrument veers from this form to play a melody line, or
respond to McCartney's vocals or the improvised solos heard from the
trumpet and flute. Another unique attribute of this song is the use of
wind instruments. The flute harmonizes with the bass throughout the
tune, and the horn section plays on the backbeat later in the song,
but especially makes its presence known during the refrain, where the
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...
60's in their songs. Tunes such as Lucy in the Sky with diamonds and I
Culturally, I was taught that bands like the Beatles stole songs and style from African American artists of their time. In response to these accusations, John Lennon wrote, “We didn’t sing our own songs in the early days – they weren’t good enough; the one thing we always did was to make it known that there were black originals, we loved the music and wanted to spread it in any way we could.” In what I learned, he was right, because at the time they couldn’t spread their own music very far. Besides this, my experience with the Beatles before studying abroad was with some of their songs featured in movies and store soundtracks. When I worked at WAWA, I’d love to hear “The Yellow Submarine."
The musical counterculture of the 1960s challenged the traditional cultural values and American and group identities that came from the Jazz era. The new age of Rock was seen as psychedelic as it broke free from previous restraints and “social norms.” The youth were the majority of this movement and they desired to break away from the suburbia lifestyle their parents had set up for them. The musical counterculture shattered the American value of music being separate amongst different races. Thus, the musical revolution of the 1960s challenged traditional American values, which created significant opposition.
During the “Beat Generation” there were three types of members: the wild boys, the hipsters, and the young politicians. They all have their different personalities and actions they use. The wild boys “drink to `come down’ or to `get high,’ not to illustrate anything.”(2) This shows a change in how they drank. They drank for themselves and to calm their feelings and feel better about them, not to show off to anyone. The wild boys’ characteristics make them `beat’ because are living life to the fullest, without any regret of tomorrow. They drink till they can’t drink no more or party till they can’t stand. This causes them to not worry about what will happen or how they are going to live tomorrow; they only care about the present. The hipsters they want to make “a mystique of bop, drugs and the night life, there is no desire to shatter the `square’ society in which he lives, only to elude it.”(3) The hipsters don’t care for society or care what it tells them to do. They go about their ways and do what they want. They don’t want to change the rules or the laws but only to make sure they don’t get swept up in ideas or thoughts that society gives them. The hipsters’ characteristics are `beat’ because they go against what is told to be the proper or correct way. They may get beat down in the beginning and face hard times, but later on they will find new ways of doing things and those will be the new way society sees things. The young politician looks up to “Badditt as a cultural hero.”(3) He goes along with what society has showed him to do. The characteristics of the politician make him beat because he doesn’t do anything for his own; he does what is right to do, and what will get him far in life. When society catches up to him he wil...
The Beatles were first introduced live on the television to Americans on the Ed Sullivan show on February 9, 1964. They became a very popular band in the sixties, and even after the band split, John Lennon still continued to write and play songs that influenced the world and became one of the world's very important histories.
Most things have their beginnings in something small: a word, a breath, or idea; but not music. Music begins with a single vibration. It explodes and carries on, morphing worlds of unrelated personas. It lives rampantly in the mouths of millions of unruly and free-spirited teenagers, like a fever. The rock 'n roll trend that defiantly rose against the conformist ideology of the mid-twentieth century left remnants that commenced the start of a progressing society: a culture that redefined the rules of society and pushed social and moral limits while addressing social concerns.
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.
During the 1960’s, a very famous band came about, they were called The Beatles, they became the best known group in popular music (Ebsco Host). At the beginning of The Beatles career, they were called “The Quarrymen”. “The Quarrymen”, originated at John Lennon’s high school, when he became entertained by rock and roll in the mid-50’s. In 1960, “The Quarrymen” changed their name to “The Silver Beatles”. However, soon after they dropped the “Silver” and became just “The Beatles”.
The sixties and seventies were a time of war, peace and revolution, with “hippies” leading anti-war movements, and protests happening across the nation due to the administration of Richard Nixon and the Vietnam War. John Lennon originally a member of The Beatles, became a star in the anti-war subculture, and a hero to many, not only for his musicianship and the Beatle-mania that was spread across the country but for being a voice of the people. The Beatles were at the time, the voices of their generation and eventually became a product of their generation, with their songs highlighting the issues of the time. Even with the disbanding of The Beatles in 1969, Lennon continued to be a force in the culture, with his wife Yoko Ono and himself taking a prominent role in the media and movement against the war.
The Beatles were a Liverpool, England based rock and roll band consisting of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Richard “Ringo” Starkey. They began as a small skiffle-band called the Quarrymen, and in the early 1960’s, their popularity soared to an unforeseen degree, transforming them into an international phenomenon and permanent rock icons. (BeatlesTributeBand.co.uk) A band that has been known, loved and praised for over half a century; The Beatles pushed and broke American cultural boundaries as they promoted peace and love through their masterful lyrics and powerful music throughout the time of the Vietnam War. Despite being of British Origin, the Beatles greatly affected the thinking, culture and actions of many Americans.
The Beatles have been noted as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, and most persuasive bands of all time. They were both musical and lyrical masterminds whom interpreted their opinions through their music. Of those many opinions their main message they wanted to send was the idea of peace. The Beatles opposed the war in Vietnam and were avid participants in the anti-war movement; by trend setting, not being afraid to speak their mind, and writing songs including: “Give Peace A Chance,” “Revolution,” “All You Need Is Love,” and many more. These songs insinuated and instilled their views on world peace, and back their opinions on the war.
The Beatles are an English rock band who originated in Liverpool, England in 1960. They were a huge success locally even before they began to make records in the United Kingdom. The band was comprised of four members: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. They owe much of their early, quick success to manager Brian Epstein who molded them into a professional act, and producer George Martin who enhanced their musical potential. Early in the 1960’s, their widespread fame in the United Kingdom was first referred to as “Beatlemania”. Eventually, they acquired the nickname “the Fab Four” as Beatlemania grew rapidly in Britain. By 1964, the Fab Four made their way overseas and officially became international pop stars. The Beatles were the leading factor in the “British Invasion” of the United States pop market.
The Beatles set the tone for rock music and for the hippie youth culture in the1960s until the band broke up in 1969. They led a generation of rebellious youth from marijuana to acid to “free sex” to eastern religion to revolution and liberal political/social activism. David Noebel observes: “The Beatles set trends, and their fans followed their lead. They were the vanguard of an entire generation who grew long hair, smoked grass, snorted coke, dropped acid, and lived for rock‘n’ roll. They were the ‘cool’ generation”
The Beatles are known to many as one of the greatest bands of all time. Their music has