Being More Popular Than Jesus

In an age of revolutions, four shaggy-haired men were at the forefront of a cultural and musical movement. The Beatles, consisting of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, were one of the largest influences in the world during the 1960s, and they still are today. Their creativity and innovation has reached people all around the earth through multiple mediums including, but not limited to, their music, behavior, and even their style. Whether people saw The Beatles as musical gods or as a nuisance and a danger to their children, nobody can deny that the Fab Four impacted society in ways contrary to the strict rule of authority. The Beatles taught an entire generation to think for themselves and to do whatever they wanted with their lives. Even after their breakup in 1970, the thoughts and ideas they planted in the minds of the youth have grown, only to influence and inspire the minds of newer generations.

On February 8th, 1964, America was introduced to what would soon be called “the British Invasion.” The Beatles took their first steps on American soil when they disembarked from a plane at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. The next day, they performed live on The Ed Sullivan Show, attracting a television audience of 73 million (nearly half the population of the United States) and forming an enormous mass of screaming, crying girls around them (McGarvey). With a primarily large youth following, the new rock group from Liverpool took the world by storm. The Beatles had a particular aesthetic that was attractive and relatable to the young people who witnessed them performing, and was garnering more and more fans with every record sold.

Out of the craze over this new British rock group, eme...

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