The Beatles and the British Identity

The Beatles and the British Identity When I decided to come to London this semester and study, I was given a list of classes I could take while I was here; there was a theatre class, art class, science class, cultural class, and last, but not least, there was a music class. As I looked at the description of the class, the only thing that really caught my eye was the fact that I would be able to attend three concerts for a grade, so of course, I signed up the second I was able to. But as my friends kept talking to me about my classes and asking what British music there actually was in the twentieth century, I found myself repeating the same answer over and over again. “Oh…you know…classical music…and well…The Beatle’s of course.” This seemed to be a good enough answer, but it was only when I was at dinner with my best friend and we got in to some deep conversation about the greatest bands in the history of music; we mentioned plenty of bands…but we just kept talking about The Beatles, and that there really has not been a band to surmount the greatness since. Happily, I own every album and accompanying documentary, I turn to them in almost any bad mood, they’ve really impacted my life and it was through this class that I realized what exactly I wanted to get to the bottom of. When asked about British Music, one always thinks of The Beatles first; The Beatles impacted the British identity in a way never before, invading all corners of the world in just under a decade, leaving a lasting impression of what great music can do to anyone. The Beatles were formed in Liverpool, in 1957; it was apparent, even from the get-go that they were destined for success. They had a confident, and at times, cocky outlook on their ability to create music. “We’re going to do it’. I don’t know why... we were just cocky” (The Beatles (1957-1960). They were desperate for any gig at the beginning, working hard for cheap guitars, new chords, and being in the right place at the right time.