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Mariam Mukhammad

Professor Intawiwat

07 December 2017

Cause and Effect Argument Essay

Final

The Beatles Take Over

The Beatles were the boy band that brought about a culture shock and seemed to bring

together millions of people. The group originated in Liverpool, England where they became

quite popular but, at first, did not seem to reach much of the audience in the Western

Hemisphere. However, the Beatles quickly gained worldwide recognition after their arrival in the

United States in 1964. The gang consisted of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison,

and Ringo Starr. The four young men were perceived as the biggest thing in Rock n Roll as

they were greeted by a mass of thousands of fans at their arrival at JFK airport for the very first

time. This first impression shaped not only their perception of themselves as a band but also

influenced the opinions of millions of other people around the world (Sneed). The Beatles

transformed the American culture with their boyband style, original compositions, and outreach

to millions of people.

One of the most noticeable influences that the Beatles made in American culture was

what later became the famous Beatles look and was adopted by millions of young men around

the world. The band made it acceptable for men to have long hair and the previous stigma against

it had almost completely dissolved (McGasko). Many boys and men of that generation wanted

the collarless jackets and boots that the Beatles were known for. The Beatles style that once
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might have been perceived as unkempt or eccentric, became a normal part of the culture for

those times.

The biggest influence, however, reached the American culture through the bands music.

The Beatles are sometimes referred to as Americas light at the end of the tunnel because they

came about after the JFK assassination and the Cuban missile crisis and ignited a new hope in

millions of people that seemed to be lost among the crises (Sneed). After the tragic events of

1963, the rise of televisions began and the Beatles arrived just in time to take advantage. They

played their famous song All You Need is Love and it was the first live globally televised

performance; it was estimated in reaching around 350 million viewers (Daily News). The band

was also one of the earliest to create music videos to go along with their songs and were some of

the first to record several films of them playing sets of songs from their albums. The group also

approved the first ever pop music cartoon called The Beatles that was based on them and

featured their music with the aim to relate to a younger audience (McGasko). The bands music

was clearly well appreciated since almost every time the Beatles would release a single, it would

become a hit. For a couple months in 1964, the top five of the American Billboard Top 100

songs consisted solely of tracks from the Beatles (McGasko). This shows how great of an impact

the group made on the music choices of Americans from the time. It also exemplifies the take-

over of pop music and the Beatles on American culture in the 1960s and 1970s.

The Beatles were never exclusive to any age group and because of that, were adored by

millions. Paul McCartneys well-known song Yesterday has racked up thousands of cover

versions of it and is said to be one of most recorded songs in history. With over 1,200 weeks

spent on the charts, the band also has fifteen number 1 hits under their belt (Daily News). Almost

no other band in history has racked up such a legacy. However, the thing that makes the Beatles
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stand out most is their musics ability to stay relevant throughout the decades. Different genres

and styles of music have come in and out of date, but the Beatless songs are still recognized by

all generations.

As the years pass and different styles of music and fashion become obsolete, the iconic

Beatles band continues to be introduced to different age groups. What cannot be said for most

boy bands of that era and any era thus far, is that it seems as if the Beatles will continue to be

remembered as great influencers in American music and music all over the world for years to

come. As they started out, the boy band did not expect to blow up in the United States and all

over the world in the way that they did. However, the time of the Beatles became an important

milestone in adopting a pop style of music that was adored and is still adored by people in the

United States and across the world.

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Works Cited

News, Daily. 10 Ways the Beatles Changed American Culture. Daily News, Daily News, 28

Aug. 2017, www.dailynews.com/2014/02/06/10-ways-the-beatles-changed-american-

culture/.

McGasko, Joe. We Love Them, Yeah Yeah Yeah: 7 Ways the Beatles Changed American

Culture.Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 7 Feb. 2014,

www.biography.com/news/we-love-them-yeah-yeah-yeah-7-ways-the-beatles-changed-

american-culture.

Sneed, Tierney. How America Changed the Beatles. USNews.com, U.S. News & World Report

L.P., 24 Jan. 2014, www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/01/24/the-beatles-changed-

american-music--and-america-changed-the-beatles.