...Understanding the Influence of The Beatles on American Culture To say that The Beatles have had a significant influence on shaping their generation as well as generations to come is an understatement. The combination of their lyrics, vocals and instrumentals were like nothing the world had heard. Sure, there were risk takers like Elvis that daringly shook his hips and made young girls swoon, but even his abrupt promiscuity didn't have the same effect as the phenomenon of Beatlemania. 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. Tragic and unbelievable events were happening almost in a domino-like...
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...| Emerged from Liverpool in the early 1960’s, The Beatles: George Harrison, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, together changed music, culture, lifestyles, clothing style, and political attitudes. They sadistically emerged into the American pop music scene and changed it forever. Their energetic lyrics and funky beats with their grazing controversial long hair had a the youth entranced and influenced for a lifetime. Yet those weren’t the only things that had influenced many people around the world. The Beatles involvement with the politics of peace, and experimentation with hallucinogenic drugs and Indian mysticism brought a new look into meditation and a different view of society in whole. John Lennon, the lead singer of The Beatles, was 17 when he formed his first band called The Black Jacks. The band was made up entirely of classmates from the Quarry Bank Grammar School in Liverpool, and almost immediately after they started, they changed their name to The Quarry Men, to represent their school. They played Skiffle music, which was a mixture of folk, jazz, and blues which was popular in England at the time. In the summer of 1957, The Quarry Men were setting up for a performance in a church hall when another member of the band introduced Lennon to Paul McCartney, He auditioned for the band, after they had finished their set, he was immediately invited to join in October, 1957. By February 1958 Lennon’s style in music started moving increasingly away from skiffle...
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...Catalan MUL1010 Dr. Teresa Mitchell November 1, 2015 The Beatles The Beatles was an English pop/rock band founded in 1961. It was composed of John Lennon (Liverpool, 1940-Nueva York, 1980), Paul McCartney (Liverpool, 1942), George Harrison (Liverpool, 1943) and Ringo Starr (Liverpool, 1940). It is hard to tell the exact date on which the band was created, but it was in the second half of the 1950s decade when John Lennon and his friend Peter Shotton (who left after some time) created a band named the Quarrymen. In 1957, Paul McCartney joined the group, and not long after George Harrison joined as well. The Quarryman started playing in different places in Liverpool, and that is when the bass artist, Stuart Sutcliffe, joined the group. The name of the group changed a lot, from Johnny and the Moon dogs to animal names that were trending at that time. The first tour the band did was to Germany, where they performed in a local bar called Kaiserkeller. However, the tour did not last a lot because George Harrison was expelled from the country because he was not of age. Later, the bass artist Sutcliffe died, leaving the Beatles with its final members, John Lennon, Ringo Star, and Paul McCartney. In 1962, the music producer Brian Epstein heard the band performing at a bar in Liverpool called The Cavern and without hesitating, decided to hire them. After being rejected by numerous recording companies, the Beatles finally got a shot with Parlophone. The owner of the company,...
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...The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. They became the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed act in the history of popular music.[1] Their best-known lineup consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. Rooted in skiffle and 1950s rock and roll, they later utilised several genres, ranging from pop ballads to psychedelic rock, often incorporating classical and other elements in innovative ways. In the early 1960s, their enormous popularity first emerged as "Beatlemania", but as their songwriting grew in sophistication, they came to be perceived by many fans and cultural observers as an embodiment of the ideals shared by the era's sociocultural revolutions. They built their reputation playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg over a three-year period from 1960. Manager Brian Epstein moulded them into a professional act and producer George Martin enhanced their musical potential. They gained popularity in the United Kingdom after their first single, "Love Me Do", became a modest hit in late 1962. They acquired the nickname the "Fab Four" as Beatlemania grew in Britain over the following year, and by early 1964 they had become international stars, leading the "British Invasion" into the United States pop market. From 1965 on, the Beatles produced what many critics consider their finest material, including the innovative and widely influential albums Rubber Soul (1965), Revolver (1966), Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts...
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...Over the course of the Beatles' fame and success, fans, the press, and even band members have discussed the idea of a 'fifth Beatle.' Beatles producer George Martin has expressed traits of a bandmate, while providing his musical expertise for the band. If anyone were to be considered the 'fifth Beatle,' it would be George Martin. From the very start, George Martin was trusted by the Beatles. At their first recording session, Martin and the band playfully bickered after George Harrison said "I don't like your tie." George Martin immediately adapted to the Beatles' sense of humor, which is essential to being part of a band. Martin was also able to gain a certain amount of trust, leading to their acceptance of his contributions to the band...
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...Before the Beatles Before 1955, popular music was a narrow expression of simple, pre-conformed melodies that had existed and created a calm, generally upbeat and sheltered youth. The Beatles came onto the scene in 1964 and slapped the world in the face with a new cult establishing an art form we would later call rock. The Beatles gave their contemporary generation of kids with misspent youths a hold onto something new - the sound was previously unheard and it enraptured the listener and made them really hear the music. The impressionable teenyboppers of the 60’s were addicted to the most outrageous and controversial thing to hit the shelves, a British, long-haired revolution that would “love to turn us on”. The real stronghold beginning of the Beatles started in Liverpool on October 9, 1940 at 7:00 a.m. while the city was under heavy bombing by the Nazis and a tiny John Winston Lennon was born in a hospital on Oxford Street. Julia and Alfred Lennon gave birth to the soon-to-be prodigy only to divorce before he turned three, leaving him in the care of his Aunt Mimi. He first attended Dovedale Primary School where signs of his creative genius showed early on. After graduating from there, John started at Quarry Bank Grammar School, but soon switched to art school, but soon quit. There he met his first wife, Cynthia and Stuart Sutcliff. Although Sutcliff had very little good musical ability he bought a bass guitar and joined The Quarrymen (a pre-Beatle, Lennon creation). Next came...
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...I love the Beatles! I really love the Beatles. They are so great. I love listening to the all the time. My children also love listening to them. I can’t tell but I think that they might have been on drugs there for a few years while writing their songs. Lucy in the sky of diamonds seems like some crazy stuff was happening back stage!! Here is a small article I found on the beetles. Hope that you enjoy. “The Beatles also had seven other songs peppering the Hot 100 chart (there were a whopping 12 Beatles songs on that week’s Hot 100). That same week, The Beatles also held the top two spots on Billboard’s albums chart with Meet The Beatles! and Introducing…The Beatles. These U.S. chart records have never been broken!” “February 7th, 1964. The Beatles arrive in New York. Paul: "There were millions of kids at the airport, which nobody had expected. We heard about it in mid-air. There were journalists on the plane, and the pilot had rang ahead and said, 'Tell the boys there's a big crowd waiting for them.' We thought, 'Wow! God, we really have made it.' " Today marks the 50th anniversary of The Beatles' US debut. On this date in 1964, The Beatles flew together across the Atlantic for the first time, in hopes of cracking the USA - something no British band had yet managed to do. By the time the third and last of their first Beatles Ed Sullivan broadcasts aired - a little more than two weeks after their arrival - the band would be back home, having made broadcasting history and their...
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...Can you feel the emptiness when someone's gone? The Beatles wrote about missing someone in the song “Yesterday.” The Beatles music is categorized as baroque pop, which brings in the elements of rock. Although a lot of people see music as a gateway to fame, some use it as a way to remember someone they are missing. As shown in their music, The Beatles have had many experiences with losing someone close to them. The Beatles started out as friends, they had fired the original drummer Pete Best and hired Ringo Starr. They lived in Liverpool England and soon moved to London in 1963. The Beatles were one of the most notorious rock bands in history. An interesting fact about the group was that their concerts were said to smell like urine due to over excited girls. They were said to have a certain charm that drove young teenage girls crazy. The song “Yesterday” is a perfect example of how music can be used as an emotional healer. This song states “ yesterday, love was such an easy game to play” (Yesterday) which implies that he had the love of his life and...
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...The Brand Change of “The Beatles” Summary This topic is written on the brand change of The Beatles. A brand encompasses the bands genre, image, music, public perception and many other aspects which will be explored in this paper. It begins with the early days of The Beatles starting out as a new pop/rock band and the promising career of four young musicians. It then moves on to their more serious music approach and international branding. The band then transfers to their drug and hallucinogens brand. Shortly after it focuses on the public perception of the brand as they broke up and started their separate careers. Finally it will explain how the brand is known in the present age. Then the paper will move into some of the concepts discussed in the readings which include the genres and subgenres the band created. The end of the paper will move into a critical argument about how the brand of The Beatles has drastically changed over the years. Throughout The Beatles life their image, public persona and genre have all changed from their early pop/rock brand to one of the most influential rock bands in the world. Introduction The Beatles were an English rock band that consisted of four musicians. The first musician John Lennon was the main singer/song writer of the band. The second musician Paul McCartney was also a singer/song writer and played many different instruments. The next musician, George Harrison was the lead guitarist. The final musician Ringo Starr was the drummer...
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...The studio techniques of the Beatles: how four lads from Liverpool and a radio producer from the BBC changed sound recording forever. The Beatle’s music has been recognized as influential and innovative in many ways, none more so than their innovations and experiments in the studio and with sound recording with help of George Martin. This essay will discuss the studio techniques of the Beatles and how they changed the course of sound recording forever. The Beatles started to experiment in their recording techniques as early as 1964, having achieved incredible commercial, financial and critical success by this stage they were then essentially given free range in the recording studio, this gave them the unique opportunity for experimentation. With the help of George Martin that’s exactly what they did. Prior to the nineteen sixties and the Beatle’s experiments in the studio, sound recording was not a fully refined art that is there were none of the widely used seemingly natural conventions we are familiar with today. A good example of this is the 1966 song Taxman where drums are all panned to left; this might seem like nothing out of the ordinary now but in that time were defining the nature of sound recording. Much of the Beatle’s enthusiasm and desire to create new sound-scapes stemmed from their recreational drug use in particular trying to re-create sonically and lyrically their experiences of the drug LSD. This of course had to do with changing social order, the emergence...
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...are so many exceptions to this description that it is practically useless. Other major rock-music styles include rock and roll, the first genre of the music; and rhythm-and-blues music (R&B), influenced mainly by black American musicians. Each of these major genres encompasses a variety of substyles, such as heavy metal, punk, alternative, and grunge. While innovations in rock music have often occurred in regional centers such as New York City; Kingston, Jamaica; and Liverpool, England, the influence of rock music is now felt worldwide. Popular Rock Groups The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. They became the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed act in the history of popular music.The group's best-known lineup consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. Rooted in skiffle and 1950s rock and roll, the Beatles later utilized several genres, ranging from pop ballads to psychedelic rock,...
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...History of The Beatles: An Annotated Bibliography "Beatles Bible." The Beatles Bible. N.p., 2008. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. The Beatles Bible brings up many aspects of the band that may have been hidden to the general public. While The Beatles are well known for their fantastic music over the decade in which they ruled the rock n’ roll world, few people truly know about what happened behind the scenes of these rock gods. The Beatles Bible has detailed accounts of how songs were developed as well as an entire “journal” of Beatles drug usage and how these drugs might have affected their music production. With detailed and dated accounts of interviews with the band their closest companions it is possible to trace back to the time of song creation in order to truly understand the meanings behind these timeless songs. Dock, Albert. "The Beatles Story, Liverpool." The Beatles Story, Liverpool. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. On The Beatles Story homepage there is an interactive timeline with a detailed events schedule, which is just a mere glimpse into the hectic life that The Beatles lived. This webpage allows the reader to understand the lives of the band members outside of the band. As each member of the band progressed in their own way their music changed and understanding how and why The Beatles music varied throughout the course of their existence is a key factor in uncovering their path from garage band in Liverpool to international music icons. Kozinn, Allan. "Details...
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...Rolling Stones And The Beatles By: Greg Johnston The history of rock and roll music has had many influential and popular bands. Back in the early days when rock and roll music was searching for an identity, along came two unique bands that would change the face of rock and roll music. The Rolling Stones and The Beatles had a uniqueness that was not found in other bands at the time, by fusing blues and rock music into a new sound. With their contrasting style of music and each band having a huge following, they changed the landscape of the music industry forever. And that started the debate of which one was a better band, but this is not a debate on which band was better, but a discussion on their influence, similarities and their differences. The Rolling Stones when they first started, in an effort to set them apart they were marketed as a wilder and crazier band, with a raunchy and rebellious appearance. Compared to The Beatles and their boy next door image. The Rolling Stones influenced music by covering obscure blues songs and by acting as a bridge connecting the pop youth of the day with blues music developing a different style of rhythm and blues music. The Beatles had such an impact on popular music that they set a new standard, and gave a new popularity to rock and roll music while also giving a new sound to the music industry. Both of these iconic rock and roll bands originated in England in the 1960’s. First came The Beatles in 1960,” Early incarnations...
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...“Happiness is a Warm Gun” is a song by the Beatles, featured on the LP (Long Play) record The Beatles (also known as the White Album) which was released on the 22nd of November 1968. It’s not exactly clear who it was written by, many sources credit John Lennon and Paul McCartney together, while other sources state it was written by John Lennon alone. The complexity of the song ensured a lot of time in the recording studio. They spent two days in studio recording a total of 70 takes with such instruments as organ, piano, tambourine and bass in support. Form Instead of following a traditional song format, such as a verse – chorus – bridge, the song is organised into four distinctive parts, each with its own genre, subject matter, tempo, metre, and chord progression (Connolly, 2013). First Part: “She’s Not a Girl Who Misses Much...” 0:00-0:44 Part One beings with around 14 seconds of finger picking in 4/4 time and a rather somber sounding vocal line. There is a sudden increase in intensity and transposition by drum crescendo into fuzz guitar and continued drumming creating a psychedelic rock feel. This second part is trickier to decipher, it sounds like a bar of 4/4, followed by a bar of 2/4, back to five bars of 4/4 then perhaps a bar of 5/4. The lyrics continue, using surreal imagery with such lines as “..a soap impression of his wife which he ate..”. The finger picking pattern in the first 14 seconds was quite popular with the Beatles at that time. It features in other songs...
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...Max Ames AP US History Ms. Rizzo June 4, 2010 The Beatles: How Four British Lads Shaped America A musical group of four young British Liverpool natives arrived in the United States in the 1960s to begin their long career of shaping American culture; they were the Beatles. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, like the many predecessors before them who had come from Britain such as Thomas Paine and Andrew Carnegie, became an integral part of the history of the United States, even though they were not true American-born citizens. Beginning with their momentous arrival in the United States in 1964, the Beatles greatly influenced American culture in the 1960s, and left an enduring legacy. The Beatles’ appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, controversy with Christianity in 1966, precedents and influences in music, impact and development of the album as an art form, creation of a variety of movies, and influences in the counterculture as well as the pop culture helped to make American culture what it is today. On February 7, 1964, the Beatles landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, where a crowd of thousands of fans and reporters were waiting. There was such pandemonium, chaos, and screaming that, “One policeman who has worked at the airport for ten years said: ‘I think the world has gone mad.’” Two days after their frenzied arrival, the Beatles made a famous appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. “The broadcast broke all viewing records...
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