The Ed Sullivan Show.
February 9th, 1964.
The day America met the Beatles and from that moment, was forever under their spell.
But what if the Beatles never existed? What if Paul McCartney and John Lennon never met? What if George Martin never heard of the boys from Liverpool?
The impact the Beatles had on the world of music and on the world in general was and is, no doubt, incredible. Without the Beatles there would be no rock music.
Can you imagine a world without great rock music? Pink Floyd, the Police, Elvis Costello, Nirvana, even bands as modern as Coldplay would never have their inspiration to create great Beatles-esque music.
There were many factors contributing to the Beatles’ success. For one, they were unique and talented musicians coming at a time when their home country was struggling to revive itself from the horrors of World War II. They brought a sense of happiness and hope through their music to people affected by the war.
Across the pond in America, President John F. Kennedy had just been assassinated. Americans were in need of a change, and the Beatles came at just the right time to swoop in and catch the country by storm.
In addition, the Beatles gave teenagers a chance to rebel and find a voice despite their parents’ objections.The band also discovered a whole new place for British bands in the American public, opening doors to artists such as Elton John, Pink Floyd, Queen, The Smiths, Mumford and Sons and One Direction.
The Beatles were also the only boy band of the time that wrote their own songs allowing the world to say goodbye to Tin Pan Alley songwriters and hello to artists, taking note from the Beatles, and composing their own songs. These handwritten Beatles songs gave a feeling of personality and authenticity that people loved.
The Beatles were not only good musicians and writers, but they were revolutionary in musical and recording techniques. Today everyone watches music videos that are made to their favorite songs. The Beatles were the first to film music videos starting with the combined songs, “Paperback Writer” and “Rain.”
The Beatles are also responsible for concept albums, double tracking, and even FM radio. Concept albums consist mostly of songs which were not released as singles, something that was uncommon before the Beatles’ first album, “Please Please Me.” Double tracking is when the singer’s voice is recorded once, then again, and the producer then puts the tracks together to get a different effect.
Prior to the 1960’s, AM radio played music while FM radio held talk shows. Due to their hourly schedule all of the songs AM radio played had to be three minutes long, no more, no less. When the Beatles released “Hey Jude,” a seven minute song, it was cut by radio stations, angering fans. In response, a San Francisco FM station promised its listeners the whole version of “Hey Jude” therefore luring fans away from AM and to FM. This trend spread, creating the FM radio we know today.
In addition, they invented the techniques of distortion, equalization, and stereo effects, all of which are used widely in the music industry today.
The Beatles brought not only changes in music to the 1960’s, but they impacted the whole culture and society. Let’s start with their hair. The style originated in the early 1960’s when a member of the band, Stu Stucliff, was given the “do” by his good friend, Astrid Kirchherr. Men, specifically teenagers, became fanatics about this cut, running to the barber shop, to duplicate the “mop top.”
The Beatles’ fashion was almost more revolutionizing than their hair. The 1960’s are characterized by long bellbottoms and psychedelic colors. Well, who started these trends? You guessed it, the Beatles! Plus, the Edwardian suits and leather boots gave them a look that was all their own. Stores quickly stocked their shelves with these trendy items, only to see them quickly snatched up by Beatle-crazed teenagers.
Now the big question, what would the world be without the Beatles?
To summarize, the world would be without rock music, meaning no Pink Floyd, no Nirvana and no Police. Next, say goodbye to your favorite music videos. And finally you can forget about FM radio.
It’s obvious that the Beatles were literally the most important band in history; they forever changed music and popular culture as we know it today. Without the Beatles you and I would be living in a different world.
Colleen Romano