The Beatles Influence On Society

There is absolutely no doubt that The Beatles are the most revolutionary band of all time. Many aspects of The Beatles have shaped the way music works today. It is apparent, over fifty years after the release of their first album, they are just as relevant as they were in the early sixties. One of the most impressive things about the group is their incredible ability to evolve, and I don’t just mean their hair styles. The Beatles started as a clean-cut boy band consisting of teenagers John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr playing catchy, simple tunes with a new-era rock and roll flair. The Beatles’ chameleon like ability to change their style in both music and fashion kept fans clamoring for more. Their unique and unmatched
sound has withstood the test of time. Even if you are not a fan of The Beatles, it is impossible not to recognize the impact they have had on the world of music. In terms of musical complexity, the late Beatles have the upper hand, but their popularity has stayed constant through all the changes. The Beatles were much like a Prius; a hybrid.
As they ‘drove along’ they adapted to the ‘driving conditions.’ When The Beatles emerged from the underground Cavern Club in mid 1963, they had a specific image: The never before seen ‘mop top’ haircuts, Naroo suits and ties, and electric guitar. In their early twenties The Beatles brought their novel sound to America. They were one of the first true rock and roll bands to hit the mainstream and Beatlemania hit North America like a hurricane. However, the evolution that took place in just over ten years within this supergroup is astonishing. While their original boy band sound, that lasted until about 1965, was revolutionary and defining enough on its own, it’s the music of the later years that set the standard of rock and roll and was superior to any other band and including their own original
sound.
The Beatles original sound consisted of headmen, Lennon and McCartney, writing simple two minute songs together and sharing the lead vocals on their tracks. Almost all of their original hits, I Want To Hold Your Hand, Twist and Shout, Hello Goodbye, Help, Hard Day’s Night and so many others were written in this form. Starr brought a unique syncopation to the sound. Harrison occasionally would sing an extra harmony, but graced the group with both intricate and graceful guitar solos. This pattern remained constant in their early work. Albums like, Please Please Me and Meet The Beatles defined the sound and albums like A Hard Day's Night and Help reinforced it.
I believe 1965 was a major turning point for the group. The release of Rubber Soul started the transition into the new, more effective, complex, and dynamic period for The Fab Four. The Beatles began their shift by first manipulating their set writing style. Instead of Lennon and McCartney doing all the lead writing, each individual began contributing, which made The Beatles a more well-rounded and diverse group. In one sense, this change made the group more divided. Songs were no longer billed as Beatles songs, rather songs written by an individual and sung by The Beatles. By 1968, The Beatles (The White Album) included songs written individually by all four Beatles. By this time The Fab Four moved away from their set recording formula. They switched roles and rotated instruments. Tracks like Back In The USSR found Paul McCartney playing the drums and John Lennon playing lead guitar. Good Night and Don’t Pass Me By were some of Ringo’s first vocal opportunities. Arguably, the best song on the album, While My Guitar Gently Weeps was one of George Harrison’s first songs to be featured on a Beatles album that was solely written by him. Getting all four Beatles fully involved in the writing allowed for a stronger, more varied sound that made The Beatles the greatest they could be. The “classic” Beatles sound started with a consistent set formula. By breaking the formula, it allowed for a more well rounded and sophisticated sound. Before this first shift in the writing, The Beatles were somewhat one dimensional. The early Beatles had their one sound, However the later Beatles broke the mold producing a constantly varying sound that brought listeners along on a Helter Skelter roller coaster ride.
An understanding of some simple music theory can help illustrate The Beatles evolution. A chord is several (at least three) notes put together. Put in succession, the chord progression is the framework of a song. The early Beatles were impressive because they were able to take the same five to six chords and make seemingly endless hits. The early Beatles, for the very same reason, can be considered to be quite boring. The song Eight Days A Week is a prime example. When learning to play a new instrument, like the guitar, it is important to make sure the first song you learn is simple. When I decided to pick up the guitar in third grade, I wanted to play the guitar and I wanted to play now! Meaning- I wanted it to be easy. Playing the guitar is not easy, but it is much easier when a song is the same four chords over and over and over again. So….. what do you think my first song was?? Excellent guess! Eight Days a Week by The Beatles. Part of the song's success was its catchiness, which does come from simple four chord progressions. Although a catchy chart topper, Eight Days a Week pales in comparison to some late Beatles masterpieces.
Rock and roll in and of itself is generally made up of simple power chords and parallel fifths, two things that are total no-no’s in classical music.
So, in 1968 when Paul McCartney said that he wanted to become more sophisticated musically, he looked to classical music for a little inspiration-- Bach may call it stealing-- but I’m going to call it inspiration. Using the turn around in the first movement of Bach’s Bourree, he crafted the mother of all chordal guitar songs: Blackbird. I will tell you that the day that I learned Blackbird on the guitar was the single greatest moment of my musical career. I use the word moment loosely as it took me nearly a month to master the modulating-fret-jumping-madness of the song. The untrained ear may listen to Blackbird and comment on its beautiful simplicity, which you cannot deny as McCartney’s silky smooth vocals and seamless playing stand alone on the track. But, from a musical standpoint, Blackbird is anything but simple, and is one of the greatest rock ballads of all
time.
Another aspect of music The Fab Four mastered was incorporating chords into their singing. That is a simple way of saying harmony. Quick- back to the music theory classroom: Just as chords are the stacking of three or more notes on top of each other harmony works the same way only with singing. Harmony is one of the most powerful musical tools in the toolbox, when executed properly, has the ability to give goose bumps all on its own. Even a simple two part harmony (2 notes, a third apart) can give you the chills. On a purely scientific basis, harmony works because two completely different sound waves clash together creating a new alternating wave. Like peanut butter and chocolate, two notes that you would never think to put together if it wasn’t for the two men from the old Reese peanut butter cup commercial who bumped into each other on the street, accidentally discovering the miraculous combination. From the very get go, The Beatles knew how crucial harmony was in a song. Please, Please Me is a Lennon/McCartney number that perfectly executed two and three part harmonies consistently throughout. But just in case those flawless harmonies weren’t enough for you, 1969’s Abbey Road had quite the peanut butter chocolate treat waiting for you.
The harmonies in Because are truly mind blowing. The Beatles pull off the nearly impossible three and four part harmonies throughout the entire song. Because does lack in the lyrics department, but it is more than made up for in the complex harmonies. Hearing this song compared probably to any other Beatles song, it is not hard to say that it tops the list in the vocals category and it definitely beats out the early toe tapping bop-shuops of the early Beatles.
The talent and creativity of The Beatles influenced music in a profound manner. Their continuing evolution in terms of writing styles, recording techniques, sounds, fashion, and subject matter affected and continues to affect all genes of music to this day. The Beatles not only opened the door, they knocked it off its hinges. They developed rock and rolled it on down to the next group, and it has been sent down the line all the way to the future rock legends of tomorrow. The Fab Four will go down in history as the band that changed music forever.