How Did The Beatles Influence American Culture

On February7th, 1964 four British musicians touched down in America and caused a cultural explosion that would make its presence known throughout the pages of musical history. Four men by the names of John, Paul, George, and Ringo came to America from Great Britain where a reputation for musical exports was not prominent. Although there were other influential musicians in American history such as Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, etc. that caused and initial craze amongst music lovers, The Beatles were a cultural force that shaped the way people experienced pop music and their music reflected the era and coincided with one of the most socially turbulent periods in America. The Beatles came to America when irreverent, anti-authoritative behavior was sub culturally prominent. This was relevant to change in American culture at the time because the music entertainment businesses strived to be an industry that people respected. Dealings with the press made it apparent that The Beatles were free thinkers and would do what they wanted musically without consent of the
Prior to their arrival, long hair was a term used to describe a small portion of the population. It was seen as an artistic temperament with the exception of religious men who grew their hair devotionally. The Beatle’s stage wear and hair styles were a product of the artistic community in Hamburg that adopted them. As media and press made their haircuts the center of attention, people began to grow their own hair in response, but was soon topped with longer hair as the dawn of the hippie era came to light. The band spearheaded a trend that eventually evolved to the mountain man appearance that many public figures began to adopt. At this point long hair signified the indifference to societal norms. Consequently, American society looked down upon it initially, but soon gave way as long hair simply became another choice in