...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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...Literature review with annotated bibliography | Assessment No#: | Assessment 1 | Due Date: | Week 6,5pm Friday, 17th October 2014 | Many people have accredited Brian Epstein for The Beatles worldwide success, yet it seems that he has been overlooked as an inductee into the ‘Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Non-Performer Area’ for over 29 years. This review will focus on 3 major things Epstein did to help the Beatles success which emerge repeatedly throughout the literature reviewed. These are: His absolute belief in the band, his vision for the bands’ image, and the Beatles musicality. This paper will primarily focus on whether Epstein contribution to The Beatles success merits a place in the ‘Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Non-Performer Area’. According to Spitz (2005) and Riley (2011) there are two different theories about how Epstein was introduced to the music of the Beatles. Epstein himself states that he was first introduced to the Beatles from a customer Raymond Jones when he requested a copy of ‘My Bonnie’ from the NEMS record store that Epstein managed as part of the family business. “I had never [before] given a thought to any of the Liverpool beat groups then up and coming [sic] in the cellar clubs” (Spitz, 2005, p.266). While Riley (2011) argues that Epstein knew about the Beatles long before he let on. As a prominent record store manager, Epstein regularly advertised in Mersey Beats and was also a columnist in the music driven newspaper. Riley (2011) suggests that “Epstein...
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...Click here for more information. Something (Beatles song) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "Something" Picture sleeve for 1982 reissue of the single Single by The Beatles from the album Abbey Road A-side "Come Together" Released 6 October 1969 (US) 31 October 1969 (UK) Format 7" Recorded 2 May, 5 May, 16 July, 15 August 1969 EMI Studios, London; Olympic Sound Studios, London Genre Rock pop[1] Length 2:59 Label Apple Writer(s) George Harrison Producer(s) George Martin Certification 2x Platinum (RIAA)[2] The Beatles singles chronology "The Ballad of John and Yoko" (1969) "Something" / "Come Together" (1969) "Let It Be" (1970) Music sample "Something" 0:00 Abbey Road track listing 17 tracks Side one "Come Together" "Something" "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" "Oh! Darling" "Octopus's Garden" "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" Side two "Here Comes the Sun" "Because" "You Never Give Me Your Money" "Sun King" "Mean Mr. Mustard" "Polythene Pam" "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window" "Golden Slumbers" "Carry That Weight" "The End" "Her Majesty" "Something" is a song by the Beatles, written by George Harrison and released on the band's 1969 album Abbey Road. It was also issued on a double A-sided single with another track from the album, "Come Together". "Something" was the first Harrison composition to appear as a Beatles A-side, and the only song written by him to top the US charts before the band's break-up in April 1970. The single...
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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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...THE BEATLES It all started in Liverpool where four guys got together to form a group in 1956. They called themselves The Beatles. The band broke up in 1970 for many different reasons. The Beatles are one of the most influential bands in history, because they seemed to have limitless imagination and their creativity will never be matched. Very recently Paul McCartney introduced Ringo Starr as a Rock N’ Roll hall of fame. McCartney was really happy to have Ringo entering the Hall Of Fame, and see the 4 of them as a real band. They are doing solo now but get together sometimes to play, and now McCartney is working with Famous rapper Kanye West RNB singer Rihanna. I think the real reason McCartney is working with them has to do with the fact that true geniuses in their fields tend to get bored easily, so they'll often step outside their comfort zone to make things interesting. That's why Paul often has side projects in classical works, experimental electronica, etc. This is just one more experimental side project, nothing more. So I think they should have not retire because they are artist and they should always be on the scene. I really like the fact they are still touring because they enjoy what they do and they grow up playing music and I think they should never retired just so the new generation get to know about the Beatles. Their style has change a little bit, but only because we live in a different time period, but they still wear suit and look classy as always. Very...
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...Impact of the Beetles on Popular Culture The Beatles, the band responsible for social change in post war England, and the entire world. A band creating music to transcend all cultures , and in my opinion the band not only forced social change in the world, but they saved the United States, from going in a direction that could only be described as ridiculous. Just prior to the Beetles coming on the scene, the number one single at the end of 1963 was a song called Dominique, by the Singing Nun ( http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2053 ). What were people thinking? All I can say is thank god for the Beetles. We do not know what may have happened if Beetles hadn’t intervened. The Beatles upstaged the celebrity world of the 1950s with their political views, their youthful thinking, and their projected attitude of not having a care in the world. The Beatles had a passion to get their music out to the masses, and had established themselves as a more down to earth group than their peers. They were approachable where stars like Elvis Presley were not. The Beatles continuously proved themselves to their fans, and were willing to go to whatever lengths were necessary in order to please them. School girls were infatuated with the group keeping pictures of their favorite band member in their lockers. Parents described them as a weird looking group, and they were shocked by their mop top haircuts. Parents had coined it as the rebellion of long hair. Teen boys were kicked out of school...
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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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...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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...The Beatles: Rock Band is a 2009 music video game developed by Harmonix, published by MTV Games, and distributed by Electronic Arts. It is the third major console release in the Rock Band music video game series, in which players can simulate the playing of rock music by using controllers shaped like musical instruments. The Beatles: Rock Band is the first band-centric game in the series, and it is centered on the popular English rock group the Beatles. The game features virtual portrayals of the four band members performing the songs throughout the band's history, including depictions of some of their famous live performances, as well as a number of "dreamscape" sequences for songs from the Abbey Road Studios recording sessions during the group's studio years. The game's soundtrack consists of 45 Beatles songs; additional songs and albums by the Beatles were made available for the game as downloadable content.[1] The game was released internationally on 9 September 2009, coinciding with the release of new, remastered compact disc versions of the Beatles' albums. It incorporates many of the gameplay features of the Rock Band series; however, it is not an expansion pack for the Rock Band series and content for it and other Rock Band titles is not cross-compatible. Harmonix co-founder Alex Rigopulos described the game as "... a new, full game title production built from the ground up."[2] Gameplay mechanics differ slightly from previous Rock Band games, including the addition of...
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...An Ode to the Beatles… In 1957, John Lennon had begun a band called the Blackjacks who later became the Quarry Men and later that year invited Paul McCartney to join the group. The lineup that McCartney joined featured Lennon, Eric Griffiths on guitar, Len Garry on "tea-chest" bass, Pete Shotton on "washboard" and Colin Hanton on drums. In February 1958 the young guitarist George Harrison joined the group, which was then playing under a variety of names. Recordings of Lennon, McCartney and Harrison from that year still exist. During this period, members continually joined and left the line up. Lennon, McCartney and Harrison were the only constant members. Hanton left in 1959. The group became a regular gig at the Cashashm which was formed by Mona Best—the mother of the early drummer Pete Best. The band had gone through some rough times and even through a few names before become the Beatles. Brian Epstein, the record producer, told them that Pete Best would have to stop drumming so they could invite a better drummer in. Ringo Starr from Rory Storm and the Hurricanes was pulled in because they favored him (and the band also lost to his band in an old contest). With John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Stuart Sutcliffe doing the guitar and vocals, while Ringo Starr was handling drums, and finally George Harrison handling bass with vocals every now and then, the band had begun to release singles. Stuart left the band in 1961 and died the next year from a brain hemmorage. But even...
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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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...Abstract Throughout all of history people have been using and experimenting with drugs especially artists and musicians. Numerious musician have reluctantly admitted to or actually proclaimed their use of drugs. The general conscious of these “artists” is that their drug use has unlocked a higher level of creativity. As trendsetters and role models this use of drugs was emulated by audiences across the United States and Great Britain. To such a point as references to mind altering drugs were appearing in Beats poems and essays and even protest songs of the middle 1950s. As music progressed through the year’s drug use (by artists and fans) and references became more mainstream. This paper will look at two specific band, The Beatles and the Grateful Dead. Rock and Roll on Drugs Drug use and music have been intertwined for many years. This use whether illegal or legal has had both positive and negative impacts on the artists and their success. While the creative juices may be flowing while under the influence of drugs the final outcome (maybe years down the road) almost always ends on a negative note. Even dating back to 1830 when Hector Berlioz wrote his most famous work “Symphonie Fantastique” he detailed the effects of an opium induced dream, specifically in the fourth movement. In an interview on June 16, 1967, Paul McCartney was asked if he ever took drugs, he said “After I took it (LSD), it opened my eyes. We only use one-tenth of our brain. Just think what we could accomplish...
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...is like a piece of paper on which every person leaves a mark. (Chinese Proverb) We have decided to write this thesis about the Beatles. We want to demonstrate how the Beatles can help with teaching listening. They were and still are the most influential pop music group in the world. We realized that students are not very interested in listening topics that are in pupils’ students’ books. Listening in English can be difficult for a lot of young learners and also adults. For this reason we have chosen the Beatles to help students with listening. Their songs are easy to understand and provide a wide range of topics suitable for high school learners. Firstly, the aim of our thesis is to introduce the basic principles of teaching listening. Secondly, there would be a practical part using the Beatles lyrics as well as activities connected with listening and the Beatles. It will present a survey that we did with the students and three lesson plans based on it. Since the whole practical part I based on the Beatles songs, the introductory part provides the summary of the most important events from the foundation to break-up of the Beatles band. By no means, can it...
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...The Beatles are not typically associated with orchestra music, but due to George Martin and the North Carolina Symphony’s performance, I was able to experience the classical side of The Beatles live. In Raleigh’s Memorial Hall, Saturday, April 23rd, I attended the Classical Mystery Tour, which was accompanied by the North Carolina Symphony. The performance featured the Classical Mystery Tour, which is a cover band for The Beatles, that played over thirty revolutionary songs. The North Carolina Symphony performed the symphonic background that was implemented by George Martin, the Beatles producer, who is considered by many to be “The Fifth Beatle”. Although the concert was not solely an orchestra, I believe that the North Carolina Symphony...
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...ROSSI N LEIVA 11/02/2014 MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR Friday, October 3rd 2014 The Hilbert Circle Theater For years I thought that I was born in the wrong generation, maybe because The Beatles music helped me learn English or perhaps that I was pretending to be an eighteen-year-old in 1964 and breathlessly awaiting the arrival of The Beatles onto the stage like those thousands to teenagers watching The Ed Sullivan Show. My husband and I arrived somewhat early and as we were walking into this magnificent venue, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I made up a very creative story to convince my husband to come along with me, so we were there inside The Hilbert Circle Theatre admiring its infrastructure and trying to figure out if we were the only ones wearing jeans and where our seats were. We grabbed one of the programs and began to read about The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, which quite honestly I have heard before but never even attempt to listen as we were getting ready to enjoy. As I read on page 51 of our class book “Music Listening Today” by Charles Hoffer, ‘the concertmaster is the last player to enter before the conductor,’… and he points to the various sections of the orchestra, as they play the long tone to tune their instruments to the standard pitch of A440. Well these random sounds were really loud, and somewhat confusing, who would’ve thought that they could play so beautifully. The concert began with a melodious 10 minute medley featuring wonderful musicians...
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