Olu Ajayi
Justin Lorentzen
COMM 384
28 April 2022
Term Essay: The Beatles John Lennon. Paul McCartney. George Harrison. Ringo Starr. Four names that require little introduction. The Beatles are, without a doubt, the most iconic and influential musical group of all time. Despite being active for less than a decade their cultural impact cannot be overstated and they have no point of comparison. All British musicians that succeeded them, from Elton John to PinkPanthress owe them a great deal for the rise of British popular music. David Bowie is quoted as saying “[t]hey gave the British the illusion that they meant something again” (Wardle). This is largely due to the fact that Beatlemania propelled British popular music onto a global stage,
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Part of what had made The Beatles so popular is that their music was constantly ahead of the curve. LSD amplified their seeming cultural prescience as “they [were able to] pick up on certain special ideas before most of their immediate competitors, when these ideas were still at an elite stage of development” (MacDonald). Each of the band members described psychedelics expanding their mind and reinvigorating their creativity with Lennon proclaiming “I was suddenly struck by great visions when I first took acid. But you’ve got to be looking for it before you can possibly find it. Perhaps I was looking without realizing it. Perhaps I would have found it anyway. It would have just taken longer” (Taysom). Lennon’s framing of LSD as a life-enriching experience was exemplified in their music. The Beatles began experimenting not only with their lyrics, but also with their production, using tape loops, backwards recording, and electronic effects. Their ability to predict coming trends and their openness to change brought on by hallucinogens influenced their musical contemporaries, paving the way for progressive rock and other more experimental genres. LSD aided The Beatles in establishing themselves as musical pioneers: when they did something new, others …show more content…
In a now infamous interview, Paul McCartney, ironically the last member of the band to try the drug, admitted to dropping acid. The British media crucified him for it and the group’s previously clean cut image was tarnished. This shift in their cultural perception is likely a part of the reason they’ve been able to stand the test of time as a group. Controversy is a necessary component of celebrity life and it adds to the mystique of the band. Being associated with the free-love hippie culture of the 60s gave the band a youthful edge that has aged quite
Underground research on LSD and microdosing Schirp first became interested in the “potential of microdosing psychedelics” after reading about James Fadiman, a psychologist and researcher at Sofia University in Palo Alto, California, and his life’s work. His book The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide, Fadiman (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051OHLVG/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0051OHLVG&linkCode=as2&tag=offsitoftimfe-20&linkId=ZL6UJRE4OXOTM57B) addressed in details the practice and came to the conclusion that “micro-dosing turns out to be a totally different world.” Since research with LSD remains banned, Fadiman relied on a group of volunteers who would send him details of their doses and daily routines by email. Study participants functioned normally in their work and relationships, Fadiman said, but with increased focus, emotional clarity, and
In that article, the reader gets to understand how blues and jazz impacted the rock’n’roll world and created the type of music the Beatles would become famous for producing. This article would talk about the upbringing of rock’n’roll music to the United Kingdom by the way of people brining back records from the United States on trips. This was similar to the Beatles going on tour in Hamburg then coming back to Liverpool with better unheard of rock’n’roll music. People would leave for the United States and come back with this music people in the UK were not exposed to thus giving the UK population exposure through imported music. I believe that the article on Paul McCartney’s upbringing is the least like this article because it just tells the story of Paul McCartney and the creation of the band from his point of view.
A major tour event of the internationally famous British band, the Beatles, sparked an increase of live performances for mass audiences, beginning in 1960 Australia. The rise of “Beatlemania” began the invasion of British music amongst Australian culture and inspired eager artists within Australia to perform live such as the Easy Beats and the Bee Gees. The popularity of British music expanded largely as ‘This ‘British invasion’ caused a sudden and dramatic shift in Australian music (Powerhouse, 2018).’ This source was acquired from the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, therefore proving its reliability as a highly educational source with credibility to be academically trustworthy. The purpose of the source is to inform the audience of the influential introduction British music provided to Australian pop culture.
The Beatles were probably the most important trendsetters of the 1960s in Britain and for many people, the sixties mean the Beatles and vice versa (Hecl 36). The Beatles dominated pop music and become a part of the world’s cultural history (Hecl 5). They were not just a musical band but a cultural phenomenon as their music and their representations of musical artists had an immense impact on youth culture which they worked to capture the spirit of the sixties (Hecl 37). For this, the Beatles became a major symbol of cultural transformation and undoubtedly the leaders of the 1960s youth culture (Charness 10, Corry 1). As much as music is the reflections of the listeners and society, pop music both influenced and reflected the youth culture.
“branded by music journalists and critics alike as a critical resurgence of British... or more specifically., ' English ', popular music that rekindled the spirit of the mid-1960s 'British ' invasion of the US by groups such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, the Who and the small faces. Indeed, a number of these groups, notably the Beatles, the Kinks and the Small faces were frequently cited as key influences by leading Britpop artists such as Blur and Oasis.” (Bennett & Stratton, 2010) Characteristics of the British invasion influenced ‘Britpop’, a subgenre of rock and pop music that originated in the United Kingdom emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s that created a period of increased pride in the culture of the United Kingdom throughout most of the 1990s nicknamed ‘Cool Britannia’ For instance, the Union Jack once again became a prominent symbol of the movement for fashion, props and for other uses to brand the British origins of these artists. Noel Gallagher of the indie band Oasis would be commonly seen playing a Union Jack painted Epiphone Sheraton for live performances.
The Beatles’ songwriting became more introspective and their music more sophisticated between Beatles VI and Rubber Soul. Influence from other artists in the music industry, the exhausting pressures of global fame, and the Beatles’ introduction to drugs influenced a change in their music during the “middle period” of the careers. While Beatles VI and Rubber Soul are vastly different from one another, both albums were released in 1965 and are considered a part of the Beatles’ “middle period.” During this period, the Beatles music began to shift from the sound of their earlier albums. Meeting artists like Bob Dylan was highly influential to the Beatles, and their music reflected this influence as they began recording more folk-inspired music
Throughout their era and the decades that followed, The Beatles had a tremendous impact on the music industry. Numerous artists working in a variety of genres, particularly African American popular music, have been tremendously influenced by them. I shall examine, in detail, four Beatles songs, one by each band member, and the ability to observe how they influenced African American popular music in this essay, paying particular attention to the music and lyrics of each song in detail. As well as, how it affected the culture of the music.
The Beatles influenced everyday life as well as music, allowing them to be one of the most influential music groups on record. Through music the Fab Four were political activists who lead young people to be involved, became the faces of what fashion was supposed to be, and inspired musicians worldwide. The night The Beatles stepped onto “The Ed Sullivan Show” is the night music changed
It all started in Liverpool in 1960 when four men came together to create the iconic band, The Beatles. The English rock band members consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They were able to create timeless music that still continues to influence artists even years after the end of the group’s time. Not only did they surpassed every limit that was reached before them, they left a mark on the music industry that most artist can only hope they achieve. They changed the way music itself was created and the way it was presented to people listening all over the world.
In a time as turbulent as 1968, it is no surprise that the Beatles had commentary to offer on the issues of this era. While some of these songs have obvious political messages, others are not as easy to catch. The White Album, which Ian Inglis states has been designated as pop music’s “first post-modern album,” utilizes parody and satire, and goes against the rules the Beatles followed and even created for themselves on previous albums (pg. 120). Some of these songs sounded insincere to listeners at the time because they spoke about politics indirectly and through highly satirical and ironic means; however, the Beatles showed once again that they were far ahead of other artists, tapping into a new style of songwriting and freeing themselves from the hyper-analyzation and criticism of their
With regards to their contributions to musical artistry, drugs have allowed many artists to move past the conventions of Western musical theory, and thus build arrangements and other approaches far outside the mainstream. With artists like the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix using drugs in such a fashion, it is thus clear that the use of illicit drugs has contributed significantly to enhancing some elements of creativity amongst musicians. Moreover, and with fans also making use of drugs so as to heighten their enjoyment of this music, it very much appears that drug use in rock n’
“In a country in which popular culture is extremely important, there’s nobody more important than The Beatles.” Steven Stark, a friend of The Beatles once said. The Beatles are not only the biggest band of their time, they are one of the biggest bands of all times. The Beatles did not just sing to sing, they sang to give hope to a generation, they set some of the highest standards in popular culture, they changed music forever, and they still manage to affect our generation today.
A musical composition allows an artist to express their thoughts, troubles, and hopes through melodies and lyrics. An artist’s choice of rhythm, vocals, tone, lyrics, etc., makes an impact on how it is perceived by the listener, both in the message conveyed and the feelings expressed. Different genres of music are characterized by the different messages they tell and the styles they use. Two iconic bands of the mid to late 1900s, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, had a major impact on the music industry as a whole. The way they integrated diverse sounds to compile brilliant masterpieces, the ardent feelings their lyrics produced, as well as their unique choices in the way they dressed, made them a quintessential part of music history.
Moreover, “ The Beatles” made a breakthrough in deferent regions such as music, film, literature, art, and fashion. Even after their career ended The Beatles made a big influence on the lifestyle and culture of several generations. The words of their songs and images passed on influential ideas of love, peace, and imagination and helped in breaking walls in the thoughts of the people, therefore making a big impact on music and human history . (internal preview) Now that we have a brief intro about who "The Beatles" are lets move on to more details.
They referred to a drug called LSD in one of their songs and it became widely popular. It was a legal drug at they did it often and wrote about it. A quote from one when they were referring to the drug was “turning off your mind” in their song “Tomorrow Never Knows”. “The Beatles appearance with the with the “moptop” hair set them aside from the other bands”(biography.com). “Every record was a shock when it came out” (Simon&Schuster).