The Beatles is one of the biggest iconic forces in the music industry that inspired the world in the 20th century and paved way for other musicians. The Beatles was a four-man band that took the world by storm by revolutionizing the Rock and Roll music. The four-man band from Liverpool made a major influence on people’s lives with their music. Led by John Winston Lemon the guitarist, the Beatles also comprised of George Harrison, James Paul McCartney, and the drummer Richard Starkey (Ringo Starr), who replaced Pete Best an original member, all born and raised in Liverpool, England. The Beatles
brought the rock and roll music to a new level, and this made them iconic and influential in the 60s and 70s and their music is still loved by millions of people all over the world.
Music has always been perceived to influence people in several aspects. The need and the appreciation of music is ostensible since people listen to music for leisure and pleasure. Moreover, music can be a powerful tool that can influence and change people’s lives and how they view certain types of music. The Beatles is one popular and most successful music group that revolutionized the pop music industry in the 20th century. Hecl notes that the Beatles “largely contributed to the popularization of the hippie movement outside the United States” (36). The Beatles band was formed in 1960 and the band broke up in the year 1970. In the early 60s, John, Paul, George, and Ringo (The Beatles) created a huge notorious passion among pop fans by revolutionizing the pop music in what it is today.
One of the main reasons why the Beatles became so iconic was their music. The 20th century was greatly influenced by the pop culture and since this was, their music genre and their distinctive style in pop music made them iconic. Moreover, the Beatles became iconic because they were highly skilled stars with a huge success whereby they got a chance to play in several clubs and even for the queen herself. In less than a year, the Beatles had gained a lot of popularity in England and even America because of their music. According to Hecl, What makes the Beatles iconic and “special is their impact on music in general – the influence they have had on bands of various genres all over the world from the sixties up to the present day – and their immense influence on culture and people’s thinking” (13). Although the band is no longer around, the Beatles remain an iconic band that entertained and touched the world with their music. John, Paul, George, and Ringo transcended the pop music making it become part of the world culture.
Other qualities that made the Beatles iconic are their catchy tunes to their fans, their attractive nature, and their snappy replies during interviews. The Beatles always stood out from the rest of the then musical bands or musicians thus shaping the British and American youth culture (Hall 20). Their songs were unique with attractive albums with different styles and this made them more iconic as everything about them was new and interesting. In fact, when it came to the charts, the Beatles topped thus attracting great masses of fans who revered them.
The Beatles are one of the most legendary and influential historic bands in history because of their unmatched creativity. The Beatles made Rock and Roll music band that totally changed how people perceived this type of music (Wald 26). The Beatles were unmatched because of their original ideas whereby they wrote their music and did the music in their original sound. Their sound was so original and so was their fashion and hairs style. In fact, their unmatched creativity was not only limited to their music but in their sense of fashion as they looked different thus making them stand out from the rest of the bands. In addition, they are the most influential and legendary historic bands because of their limitless imagination. There have been several music bands over the years but unfortunately, none has stood out more than The Beatles did. In fact, the Beatles are the most prominent popular music group in the Rock music history with global sales that exceeded 1.1 billion records.
The Beatles were a success and a legendary music band because of how they fashioned their music and appearance. In fact, the dresses the Beatles wore during their performances now became a fashion for people as everyone was influenced by their sense of fashion (Heilbronner 111). In addition, apart from their dress code, people started cutting their hairstyles in the same styles as the Beatles making them more popular and legendary. In fact, it was actually their fashion and appealing looks that made the Beatles become one of the most legendary historic bands.
The Beatles only existed for a decade and after that, they were no more. Some people argue that the loss of the four-man band strength finished them. After ten years of popularity and revolutionizing the Rock and Roll music, Yagi notes that the Beatles embarked on their personal stuff and this ended this great band (109). For instance, James Paul McCartney and George Harrison started writing his own stuff away from the group, John Winston Lemon went away from the group with Yoko, and the drummer Ringo Starr walked away over a disagreement with John, Paul, and Yoko. There were many disagreements among the group members this causing conflict between them thus a breakup. In addition, Paul was forced to go ballistic after the group delayed the release of his album and this led to further disagreements and the breakup. Therefore, the Beatles lost their strength as it was the crucial power for their dedication and popularity and this led to the end of the band.
In addition, other people argue that the Beatles broke up because James Paul McCartney pushed the members too far. Paul was the perfectionist of the group and all the time he tried being their leader telling them what to do and not what to do. As a result, the members were no longer passionate about the band because they now were pre-occupied with their own stuff, which led to a series of conflicts that broke up the four-man band (Rorem 33). Even though he tried bringing the band back, the members were already tired of the band and since they saw him as a bossy, they all decided to quit the band and focus on their own stuff and the Beatles finally separated. However, after the separation, the members continued with music either as a solo or with own band despite several requests from their fans to reunite.
Several years later, the Beatles have remained one of the best bands of all time that changed the music industry. This four-man band drew thousands of fans from the UK and all over the world despite existing only for a decade. Their work inspired and has continued to inspire several musicians worldwide as they changed or rather revolutionized pop music (Petrie, Pennebaker, and Sivertsen 197). The Beatles have inspired people not only with their music, but also in their sense of fashion, their artistic taste, creativity, their hairstyles, music innovations, and their attitudes towards life.
Overall, the Beatles influence is immense in not only the UK but also all over the world. The Beatles created a unique sound that fans have continued to enjoy until to date. Even though the simple things in life inspired their music, the Beatles’ album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was admired by many for its harmony and it was applauded as the high point of rock and roll’s new style (Hecl 21). The Beatles challenged the world with new and unique music making them the most celebrated band in Rock n Roll and their legacy still lives on.
In conclusion, the Beatles is a four-man band that shook the world with their revolution of the Rock n Roll music. Born in Liverpool, the Beatles through their music had a great influence on society. In fact, John, Paul, George, and Ringo had a significant impact on pop music and on the young people in the United Kingdom and America in the 1960s. It influenced people’s interest in Rock and Roll, art, dress code and fashion, and people’s way of living. Even though the four-man band has been gone for over 40 years, their legacy remains because up to now, they still influence the British society in several aspects. The Beatles is a group that will always be remembered for their significant influence and the revolution of the Rock n Roll music not only in the British and American culture but also around the world.
Works Cited
Hall, Mitchell K. The Emergence of Rock and Roll: Music and the Rise of American Youth Culture. Routledge, 2014.
Hecl, Rudolf. "The Beatles and Their Influence on Culture." Unpublished bachelor's thesis). Masaryk University. (2006):1-45 https://is.muni.cz/th/awl4a/The_Beatles_and_Their_Influence_on_Culture.pdf Accessed 4 December 2018.
Heilbronner, Oded. "The Peculiarities of the Beatles: A Cultural-historical Interpretation." Cultural and Social History5.1 (2008): 99-115.
Petrie, Keith J., Pennebaker James W., and Sivertsen Borge. "Things we said Today: A Linguistic Analysis of the Beatles." Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts 2.4 (2008): 197.
Rorem, Ned. "The Music of the Beatles." Music Educators Journal 55.4 (1968): 33-83.
Wald, Elijah. How the Beatles Destroyed Rock n Roll: An Alternative History of American Popular Music. Oxford University Press, 2009.
Yagi, Tadashi. "Nonlinear Effects of Superstar Collaboration: Why the Beatles Succeeded but Broke Up." Applied Economics and Finance 2.2 (2015): 103-111.
