There are so many bands and artists trying to make it big anymore, and that is becoming a more difficult challenge every minute. Constantly we have celebrities born overnight from a YouTube video or a TV show audition. Before we had HD televisions around every corner and the latest bands blasting through our car radios, bands still had to work hard to stand out and be heard. The Beatles did such a great job at his, and Bill McGarvey seems to agree with me, the author of After the Invasion, an article on The Beatles.
Upon doing some research on the Beatles, I have grown fascinated by how big of an impact they made on cultures. McGarvey writes," When 73 million Americas (essentially half the population) tuned into the Ed Sullivan Show on Feb.9th, 1964, a generational Big Bang occurred". This shows how many people were interested in The Beatles for their music and what they had to say. The Beatles were photographed at conferences, concerts, on television and on the radio. They had records flying off the shelves and into the homes of Americans. The fact that nearly half the population tuned in to watch them on the television is a wake-up call for just how influential this group had become. They knew it too. John Lennon has been quoted saying that "The Beatles are more popular than Jesus", and McGarvey admits that this claim did not seem far fetched. As changes were happening in churches and the economy, The Beatles were there to act as a guide for their followers. Tom Petty said "...The Beatles were the North Star for me and my generation". They literally guided listeners through the changes around them.
The Beatles were a guide because of how strong of a fan base they had." It was a time in which a new generation would question long-held assumptions and beliefs and reassess the value of established institutions" (McGarvey). Their fans looked up to the group and all that they had to say. This makes their song "Revolution" stand out even more because it was more than just a powerful song, it was a politically powerful song. With the war going on, lots of young adults struggled to find where they fit into the mesh and how they felt about the changes happening. Revolution was written by John Lennon and reflect his lack of confidence of where he stands on the issue of war, but also gives some direction stating what he feels strongly for and against.
McGarvey focuses on how The Beatles impacted society and the world around them. He makes it clear that a large portion of Americans were tuning in and respecting the movement. "The Beatles were not simply messengers announcing the arrival of this new generation; they were the embodiment of the message itself". He found this group to be so inspiring to the people invested in their music. He also notes that The Beatles reached out to different musical genres to keep an interesting spin on every song. McGarvey also faces the realization that music today would not be the same if it had not been for the Beatles influence on pop culture. This greatly emphasizes his focus, that The Beatles widely impacted society then, and now.
Sources:
McGarvey, B. (2014). After the invasion: the Beatles' Revolution. America, (10). 29.
Very nice work here!
ReplyDeleteThe article you cite focuses on the cultural revolution that was spearheaded by the Beatles. Lennon's comment about being "more popular than Jesus" (even though, as you point out, it was pretty true at the time) was not well-received by a public that was already fearful of how the 60s counter-culture was already impacting American society.
The Beatles went through a transition - just as many other musical groups do - as the public changed. Songs like this one were part of the transition away from pop songs (She loves you, yeah yeah yeah...) and toward music that was more socially conscious. They were definitely one of the first bands to recognize the broader power of their popularity; they became pioneers in movies, merchandising, etc.
Great work here... keep going. I might suggest moving away from the "wave" of their popularity and more toward the specifics and the dynamic of this particular artifact. Good stuff!