As one of the most influential groups of the twentieth century, The Beatles from Liverpool, England took the world with great musicianship that revolutionized the direction of popular music throughout the last 50 years. With their extreme talent and team work, The Beatles wrote and composed all their records themselves, and the “Beatlemania” spread in the speed of sound all across the world, from the US in the west to China in the east. In the book Fifty years adrift, author Derek Taylor describes his own impression of a Beatles concert saying “I have never seen anything like it, nor heard any noise to approximate the ceaseless, frantic, hysterical scream which met the Beatles when they took the stage after what seemed a hundred years of earlier acts. All very good, all marking time, because no one had come for anything other than the Beatles” (Taylor).
With their music, which came to be the start of the rock n’ roll era, The Beatles reined the throne of music for over 15 years, and the music is still today played on radio stations all over the world. Both their mutual- and individual compositions have influenced many people around the world. With the voices of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the drumbeats of Ringo Starr and the phenomenal guitar solos from George Harrison, The Beatles influenced society with new music, fashion and lifestyle during the 60s and 70s. Still today with the technological progress of our society, The Beatles influence great musicians and leaders in our society.”’
The Beatles didn’t only make numerous kinds of songs; they also had an appeal and style that were completely new to society. However, they had trouble convincing the music business that what they were doing was something unique. In January 1962, in the early stages of their successful career, both Decca Records and EMI rejected The Beatles. Ron White, the General Manager of EMI explained there already were bands like The Beatles and said, “it would not be advisable for us to sign any further contract of this nature,” (quoted in Spitz 290). Despite their rejection, The Beatles went on by getting a contract with Parlophone, where the successful record producer George Martin took The Beatles under his wings. George Martin, who now has the title “Sir,” was called “the Fifth Beatle” after his extraordinary job with the Beatles on their original albums.
Together with their own inspiration and beliefs, The Beatles created new types of lifestyles that came to be a big part of other people’s lives. George Harrison introduced the Indian Hare Krishna and its eastern philosophy for the band, and among many of the last Beatles songs, the Indian instrument Sitar can be heard. The many influences that the band brought into their music gave people a broader perception of many instruments and musical cultures beyond the known and popular music at that time. Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney and George Harrison all influenced people and bands after them with their individual work after the breakup. Their music is still very valuable and influenced by artists, and in an interview, Oasis member Noel Gallagher stated; “It’s beyond an obsession. It’s an ideal for living. I don’t even know how to justify it to myself. With every song that I write, I compare it to The Beatles” (quoted in BBC News).
John Lennon influenced society on a more cultural level in contrast to Harrison, McCartney and Starr. The music he created was very inspirational and his message was clear. With his belief of world peace, Lennon – together with his wife Yoko Ono – created a new way of living. In his song Imagine, John Lennon writes about the way he believe the world should look like; “Imagine there’s no countries, it isn’t hard to do. Nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too. Imagine all the people, living life in peace” (Imagine). John Lennon became a symbol for peace, and many people became influenced by his work and thoughts. In 1969, John Lennon together with Yoko Ono created the “Bed-In” in Montreal and Amsterdam which was a two week long non-violence protest against war. They wanted to promote peace and influence people to make the world a better place.
In the film Bed Peace, John Lennon describes that we have to cherish peace on earth, and that all people should be a part of the Bed-In themselves through staying in bed as a part of the protest. Lennon continued with explaining that we have to keep selling peace until we only have two products left, War and Peace. John Lennon influenced many people to join in his and Ono’s “Bed-In,” and in the movie, there were over 20.000 people standing outside the building singing, according to a journalist present at the Bed-In in Montreal. (Bed Peace) Not only did he gather people to stand up for their own beliefs as well as his, but he also gave the hippie movement a person to look up to for inspiration and to continue their cause. After his tragic death in December 1980, Lennon continued to influence society with his music and belief.
In many people’s opinion, Lennon died as a martyr. After his death, people were shocked, and all hope of a Beatles reunion was destroyed. However, John Lennon’s death gave the Beatles music an even bigger and more historic place in history, and all of the band members became glorified as even bigger legends than they already were.
With their boy band haircuts and energy on stage, The Beatles gave rock music a new face and became the symbol for the new modern rock n’ roll music. Even though performers like Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley had already made the kind of music The Beatles made, The Beatles came from the middle-class. People found inspiration in their music and wanted to be a part of the whole “Beatlemania.” To see characteristics in successful musicians and entertainers that came from circumstances that were similar to ones own life was something special, and that is one reason to why The Beatles influenced so many people in every corner of the world. They created something unique and powerful that people just enjoyed. With their style, together with their musical talent and approach on stage, The Beatles was like a packet. People would get everything in one, and many saw this as something to look up to and imitate. In the book The Beatles – The Biography, author Bob Spitz describes the Beatlemania as something that became a regular broadcast from the mass media. The news wrote about girls that fainted at concerts, fans that camped outside box offices to get tickets and crowds that jostled with police. The Beatles were the biggest and most interesting that you could read about. It wasn’t only in the smaller, more entertaining newspapers you could read about them. The bigger papers like The Guardian, The Daily Mail and the BBC radio were all standing in line to get an interview with the Beatles (429).
The Beatles also became global brands and influenced fashion especially in the US and the UK. People started to dress and cut their hair like “the Fab Four,” as they were called in England. The famous hairstyle of The Beatles was one of their main characteristics, and the many fans that proudly stood in line for hours to get a glint of the boys from Liverpool often could be seen with the same haircut. The Beatle haircut quickly spread across the Atlantic, and Lowell Toy Manufacturing Corporation in New York City was even given the license of making the official Beatles Wig (Vanghele). The Beatles was a symbol for change and a new way of thinking in the United States, both music- and lifestyle wise. Just as reporter Hella Pick of the Guardian wrote in 1964 in her article Beatle hysteria hits US, the Beatles music was played everywhere. Not only did the youth of the time love the new British rock, the majority of the older generations at the time also adored them. The music was played at numerous radio stations, in grocery stores and at hairdressers. Even correspondents stood and worked to the Beatle rhythm (Pick). People didn’t only want to style their hair like The Beatles, people also wanted to dress like them. From the beginning of The Beatles performing career, they always wore suits. A black suit, white shirt and black tie were what became to be associated with the band in the 60’s. The dress code influenced many people, and made The Beatles the eye-catching band that worked themselves up from the basement pub The Cavern Club in Liverpool to the biggest stages all around the world.
The Beatles lived most of their lives very isolated and private. They were being followed by the mass media everywhere even to the extent that they couldn´t walk around the streets of London. The Beatles had sold over 2.6 million singles in two and a half weeks in the US, and they were only growing bigger. When arriving in New York the first time they were travelling to the US for an appearance at the Ed Sullivan Show, the Beatles didn’t have a clue of what was waiting them. According to Spitz, thousands of screaming and cheering fans had gathered at the John F. Kennedy International Airport to welcome The Beatles to America. Even the most famous radio deejays were broadcasting live from the airport. (459). The Beatles had grown to a world wide known band in less than a year, and in a time of technological progress, it was now possible to influence people without having fans even seeing them. Through radio, a band could now reach out to millions of people in only a matter of hours, and without the technology, The Beatles wouldn’t have grown as big and famous in that short amount of time. Paul McCartney stated following in an interview from the same day. “We had heard that our records were selling well in America, but it wasn’t until we stepped off the plane that we understood what was going on. Seeing thousands of kids there to meet us made us realize just how popular we were there” (quoted in Spitz 460).
The Beatles toured through America many times, and they were making bigger headlines and the ”Beatles brand” was worth millions. In 1965, they were heading back to the US for a countrywide tour, which would include the first outdoor stadium concert ever. Since their first visit, The Beatles had toured the world and also been releasing albums such as “With The Beatles,” “Beatles for Sale,” and “A Hard Day’s Night.” On August 13th 1965, The Beatles took the stage of Shea Stadium in New York in front of 55,600 people in what was to become one of the big highlights of the Beatle-era. By arriving in a helicopter from Manhattan, the Beatles took the stage while the entire stadium shook because of the noise from the crowd.
In the documentary film The Beatles at the Shea Stadium, policemen can be seen covering their ears because of the extremely high level of noise from the crowd. Later, all four Beatles members agreed that they couldn’t hear what they were signing, or the sound of their instruments. John Lennon, who watched the replay of the concert on the television years later, recalls that it was ridiculous, and that he and George [Harrison] didn’t even bother to play the full chords (Spitz 578).
The Shea Stadium concert became one of the biggest and most watched concerts the Beatles ever played, and will always be remembered as the first outdoor stadium concert in history.
According to many people, among them myself, The Beatles isn´t the best band throughout time, because there are many aspects that have to be included. But when it comes to appeal, number of fans, and their influence on society, The Beatles are in top. The band that changed an entire world, and influenced people to go their own way will forever be remembered in the history books. With the great technology in today’s society, their music can continue to influence people to not only create music, but to find happiness, inspiration and motivation. On June 3rd, 2010, Paul McCartney received, what is the highest award for popular music, the Gershwin Prize at The White House. In his speech, President Barack Obama said; “The Beatles weren’t the first rockstars. They’d be the first to say that others open that door for them. But they blew the walls down for everybody else. In a few short years they’d change the way that we listen to music, thought about music, and performed music forever. They helped to lay the soundtrack for an entire generation. An era of endless possibility and of great change” (The White House).
The Beatles made a big footprint in the history of music, and their music will always be around in our society. With their inspiring musical talent and fashionable clothes, The Beatles took the stages of the world with great confidence and an attitude that gave many people the courage to start making music themselves. Joe Cocker and Jimi Hendrix have both done successful covers of songs by The Beatles, and still today, bands like U2 and Oasis have been making covers of Beatles tracks.
The Beatles made something unique, something that no one in the world had done. Still today, The Beatles will forever be remembered for revolutionizing the modern music, fashion, and their amazing journey from the small-unknown basement in Liverpool, to one of the most beloved band throughout history.
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