The Beatles.

The Modern Beatles
Every American who appreciates music must admit that The Beatles were one of the most influential rock bands to ever surface (Glassman par. 1). Yet, the impact that the Beatles had on modern music cannot be underestimated. In fact, without the Beatles, modern culture would not exist as it currently does (Glassman par. 2). The Beatles transformed pop-culture and morphed American’s ideas about music. Despite the fact that “Beatle-mania” lasted only a few years, those years determined the textbook definition of a truly successful band until this day. The Beatles spent a total of 1,278 weeks on the top charts (“Facts and Feats” par. 1). They had twenty number one singles, which topped Elvis Presley’s previous record of seventeen, and still hold the record today (“The Beatles-1” par. 6). They were also recently the idea behind a musical about a British artist who comes to America entitled “Across the Universe”. In 2006, George Harrison and Ringo Starr approved the release of their most recent album “Love”, which was a compilation of previous songs cut and combined into a psychedelic experience for listeners. They were voted number one Greatest Artist of All Time by Rolling Stone magazine in 2004 (par. 3). The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame said that; “For such feats of sales and airplay alone, the Beatles can unassailably be regarded as the top group in rock and roll history. Yet, their significance as a band extends beyond numbers… (par. 6).” All of these statistics do not even begin to explain who the Beatles were, and how they changed the world of music.
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr first bonded together in August of 1962 in England. The chemistry was unspeakable; by October of ‘62 the Beatles had entered the top 20 with their first single “Love Me Do”. Beatle-mania in the UK followed quickly. Within a year they had 4 consecutive chart topping singles. On February 7th, 1964 the Beatles landed in America. America had recently witnessed the death of a beloved president, and was watching as the early baby-boomers began to grow up. The Beatles walked in to a country in need of support and guidance. While it is true that the Beatles had impeccable timing, timing is by far not the most important factor (Brethour).
The Beatles transformed rock music. Elvis created rock and roll, or at least he created rock in the 1950’s definition of the word. The Beatles took rock and turned it into music for the masses (“The Beatles-2” Par. 1). They did this by not just using the old sounds of rock. They combined multiple genres. They mixed and created the early sounds of American and British rock and pop, with folk, and psychedelic (“The Beatles-2” par. 2). “They were the first group to use the recording studio as a writing tool, building up complex song arrangements by multi-tracking - and importing orchestral textures and avant-garde effects under the guidance of producer George Martin (Glassman par. 6).” The Beatles were also the first major band to write all their own music. John Lennon and Paul McCartney were an unstoppable writing team. Lennon and McCartney understood music better than most people, and they also wrote it better than most people. Most artists prior to the Beatles did not compose their own songs, and therefore the songs never had the perfect flow that the Beatles had. The beginning of the Beatles’ compositions saw a career end for many paid composers who had little playing talent. Their lyrics spoke to the people, while moving with the flow of the music (The Beatles-1 par. 1).
Their lyrics were not only smooth, but also inspiring. The Beatles were the first group to sing about real social issues that impacted the current world. The song “Revolution” is a song about peace and throwing out the idea of destruction and war. The song “Eleanor Rigby” talks about the misery of living a life of solitude. They wrote these songs when communist China was a big problem, the cold war was still taking place, and things in Vietnam were heating up. The 1960’s were a time of freedom, expression, love, and power of the people. No band could preach those words better than the Beatles. They were a marker for pacifist, a gathering point for all who wanted change (“Songfacts”). Part of the movement of change that the Beatles led was evident not just through their lyrics, but also their looks and actions. Despite the fact that it doesn’t seem like a big deal now, the Beatles shaggy hair and collarless suits, were very controversial at the time. Parents saw it as a corruption of values and moral. Teens saw it as a new way of expressing freedom. The Beatles sang songs about love, drugs, and expression. Parents and authorities saw this as havoc reeking and socially ruining, while teens saw it as the future (Glassman).
The Beatles were also the first group to write using the idea of a conceptual album. A conceptual album is an album where all of the songs follow a theme and have a deliberate sequence that should give the listener a specifically desired experience from listening to the album. As Brethour stated, “Each album had its own nooks and crannies. The order of the songs gave shape to the experience that the listener was to undertake (par. 1).” This new idea of a concept album gave readers a whole new feeling from listening to an album. They felt as if they were experiencing a story or living a musical, rather than simply listening to an album. People suddenly felt involved in the music.
At this point it’s obvious that the Beatles had a large social impact at the time. It’s obvious that they began a new form of rock because of that; the Beatles set the tone for every influential band to come. Huge artist such as Elton John, Pink Floyd, The Who, Billy Joel, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Lynard Skynard, Queen, R.E.M., The Bee Gees, Rick Springfield, Phish, Nirvana, and Michael Jackson among others, have all stated that the Beatles were a big influence on them. Most fans of the current rock group “Hellogoodbye” don’t realize that their favorite band was named after the bands favorite Beatles song (Unterberger). Despite the fact that Don McLean resented the Beatles, he was also influenced by them. In his hit song, “American Pie”, he mentions “Helter Skelter”, and many listeners believe that the Beatles are “the devil” that McLean refers to (“Meaning of 70’s Lyrics” par. 26). The fact that the Beatles influenced this artist says that the Beatles changed our culture.
As a matter of fact, over 80 well known artists have made reference to the Beatles in one or more of their songs. Also, over 76 well known movies; and 82 popular television shows make reference to the Beatles (Starshyne). The hit TV shows “The Simpson’s” and “Saturday Night Live” include at least several references to the Beatles every season (Topping par. 26). The age-old popular children’s show “Sesame Street” even features the Beatles (Starshyne). Starshyne says that, “In the late 70's, the Sesame Street Beetles were a regular skit on the show. It had 4 mop top beetles singing Beatle-type songs such as ‘Letter B’ and ‘Hey Food’ (par. 68).” Even four well known plays, including “Hair”, reference the group. Artists consistently reference the Beatles for album artwork. There are over fifty album covers that make an obvious reference to the Beatles (Starshyne). Despite the fact that Charles Manson was very creepy, he was influenced largely by the Beatles. He believed that the Beatles were speaking to him through their music and that they, along with the Book of Revelation, were pushing him to kill. Charles Manson was obviously more than a little bit crazy (Unterberger).
The Beatles changed the world of today. They affected almost every major artist from their time to the present time. The have influenced tons of movies, music, TV shows, plays, and books. The Beatles altered the way other musicians write music. Had it not been for the Beatles, writers might still be writing in a late 1950’s style, and paying other people to write their music. The influence of the Beatles cannot be underestimated, neither can their popularity (“The Beatles-2). In the controversial, yet sadly true words of John Lennon “We're more popular than Jesus now (Topping par. 26).”