The Beatles Influence On America

The rise to fame of The Beatles coincided with the spread of the American subculture that was known as the Hippie Movement, decided as a sexual revolution that encouraged ‘free love’. This 1960s revolution was also strongly felt in Britain as The Beatles brought this cultures to the forefront of the entertainment industry. This is observed in the lyrics of their titular song, “Why Don't We Do it in the Road?”, a blatant encouragement for people to express themselves as they wished. Furthermore, before The Beatles became rockstars, rock ‘n’ roll ‘had a crude expression of male sexual dominance; at live concerts, microphone stands were depicted as phallic symbols while women were simply sexual objects’ (Toda Iglesai 157). The Beatles changed
this traditional gender differentiation as they assumed gender neutral personas through their music and image. Songs such as “From Me to You” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand”, portrayed the image of a tender lover that especially struck a chord with their female audience. Their music created a non-macho, neutral showmanship that revolutionized the traditional sexual image. The writer Eisenstein remarked that this allowed individuals of both genders to experience the other in such a way that people could be unbound from propriety and custom (60).
This gender revolution became apparent when The Beatles arrived in America.
The stigma that portrayed maleness in the culture was soon washed away. Their songs gave the audience a taste of feminism, resulting in a galvanizing effect on gender as millions of teenage girls became aware of new possibilities. Several commentators even claim the phenomenon of ‘Beatlemania’ as female collectivism that enabled girls to explore their sexuality. The Beatles’ song “She Loves You” evokes a theme of sensitivity and romance, which were traditionally regarded as girls’ point of view and, now sung by men. The onset of this gender ambiguity helped to break traditional gender restrictions and was a catalyst in the breaking of gender norms of that era. In his thesis, professor Martin King commented on The Beatles and 1960’s American representation of gender fluidity, “…the group mocked the distribution that bifurcated the American landscape into ‘his’ and ‘hers’” (144). The concept of gender fluidity is illustrated in their rendition of the song “Boy” originally done by an American female group. Refusal to adjust the gender-specific terms in the song made it appear such that a man was singing to fellow men. King also noted that several of their songs such as “She Loves You” and “From Me to You/Thank You Girl”, broke from the masculine norms of male pop artists by discussing love feminized boy-meets-girl scenarios
(146). It is virtually impossible to ignore that The Beatles had a religious allure about them.
The Maharishi Mahesh Yogi remarks, “When I heard this, I knew the Beatles were angels on Earth.”, after he heard that there had been no crime in the U.S when group had appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show (Times of India). Dr. Timothy Leary also remarked that The Beatles were mutants, sent by God to create a new species of young laughing freemen (Talk Music). The popular radio personality Howard Stern similarly admitted in an interview that The Beatles were a better religion than any other, that their music did more for his spirit than any religious ceremony (Talk Music). These are excellent examples of the spiritual influence that the Beatles commanded. The band member, John Lennon compared their popularity to Jesus Christ (Wynne-Jones). In essence, the concerts were rituals, the Beatles’ attire and ornaments were religious garbs and the lyrics were the doctrine. Additionally, the Beatles were regarded as a ‘god men’ status with fans even bringing the sick and cripples to concerts in hopes that they would be healed. Several songs by the Beatles, such as “Strawberry Fields Forever”, “Here Comes the Sun” and “Sun King” are interpreted to contain religious
metaphors. During the 1960s, many American states openly practiced racial segregation. The Beatles helped towards the eradication of this vice in the U.S.A. The band once threatened to boycott performing at a concert when the organizers did not allow black and white fans to mingle freely. The band member, John Lennon commented on this, saying that the group never performed to segregated audiences and wouldn't start then (Parker). Further, several black musicians such as Chuck Berry and Little Richard had influenced their music in their earlier years. The Beatles indeed were a revolutionary movement both in mainstream music and culture. In a time where societal changes saw the emergence of several musical groups and talents, it is quite a remarkable phenomenon that a band of young inexperienced boys managed to rise to the top. It was their genuine talent and masterful combination that saw them break through the boundaries set by society in every aspect and regard. Through their musical works, they were able to play a huge role in social change as well as contribute immensely in the discovery and growth of new genres of music. Since their rise to stardom, The Beatle’s, individually and collectively as a band, have been the object of a plethora of research as academics continue to marvel at their record setting influence in almost every facet of society. Lastly, the attributes of the band align with many of the core values of Saint Leo University. Specifically, in regards to two of them; personal development and respect. Their personal development was critical in their growth as they rose in both fame and fortune. Just as Saint Leo’s explanation of personal development describes a commitment to help strengthen the character of our community, The Beatle’s did the same albeit their “community” was considerably larger in regards to multiple countries. As they transcended the culture changes of many young teenagers, they helped to promote character growth not just within their fans but within themselves as well. Also, in regards to respect, The Beatle’s demonstrated their intolerance of racial lines and bigotry by refusing to perform at segregated events. This attribute alone more than defines this band as a very strong proponent of what Saint Leo University describes pertaining to respect.