I look at you all see the love there that’s sleeping while my guitar gently weeps.
–The Beatles
One of the most influential groups of the 20th Century—the Beatles revolutionized rock and roll into what we know it as today. Not only were they great musicians, but they also wrote and composed each of their songs. The band proved to be popular and exciting causing mass hysteria at each of their public performances. The “Fab Four’s” talent was so great that the phenomenon was termed “Beatlemania” in Britain and eventually erupted in the United States being called the British Invasion of the Beatles (Britannica Online, 2005).
Members
The Beatles was composed of four members: Paul McCartney (born June 18, 1942), John Lennon (born October 9, 1940), George Harrison (born February 25, 1943), and Ringo Starr (born Richard Starkey; July 7, 1940) (Britannica Student, 2005). Each of the members was born in Liverpool, England to working-class families. Lennon and McCartney taught themselves the intricacies of being a musician.
The original band was composed of Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison and called the Quarrymen. Several name changes occurred (Johnny and the Moondogs, the Moonshiners, then the Silver Beatles) eventually dropping Silver to become the Beatles (Britannica Student, 2005). With name changes also came personnel changes. Stuart Sutcliffe joined the band in 1960 as a bassist. Then Pete Best joined as drummer.
History
The Beatles, while in Liverpool, were a staple at the Cavern Club. It was here that they met band manager Brian Epstein. Epstein was able to secure the Beatles an audition with producer George Martin of Parlophone. Soon after, Martin signed the Beatles (Unterberger, 2005). At this time (1962) Sutcliffe had left the band, Paul becoming the bassist, they decided to fire Pete Best and replace him with Ringo (Britannica Student, 2005).
The first single recorded by the newly formed Beatles was “Love Me Do/”P.S. I Love You,” in September of 1962 (Unterberger, 2005). 1963 proved to be the beginning of the Beatles phenomenon with the release of their hit “Please Please Me”. This hit topped the British charts early in 1963 and remained there for 30 weeks (Unterberger, 2005). The Beatles continued evolving rock by adding a unique style of their own and continuously trying new ideas and adding a new flare to their music. Each of the albums showed a progression of the artists.
Influences
The band’s earliest influences include Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Little Richard and Chuck Berry. During the Beatles’ co-residency with Little Richard at the Star-Club in Hamburg, from April to May 1962, he advised them on the proper technique for performing his songs.
Of Presley, Lennon said, “Nothing really affected me until I heard Elvis. If there hadn’t been Elvis, there would not have been the Beatles.”
Genres
Beatles didn’t play one or two genres. They played a lot of genres. But the most common genre they played was pop rock. But they also played psych rock, hard rock, progressive rock, rock n’ roll, pop, folk rock etc. Actually, they were very influential and there are few genres that they never played but inspired other artists to create.
Former Rolling Stone associate editor Robert Greenfield compared the Beatles to Picasso, as “artists who broke through the constraints of their time period to come up with something that was unique and original …in the form of popular music, no one will ever be more revolutionary, more creative and more distinctive…” The British poet Philip Larkin described their work as “an enchanting and intoxicating hybrid of Negro rock-and-roll with their own adolescent romanticism”, and “the first advance in popular music since the War”. They not only sparked the British Invasion of the US, but they also became a globally influential phenomenon as well.
The Beatles have truly engraved their mark in all our hearts.