Same reason young ladies go insane, pass out, scream themselves hoarse, and fantasize about being “chosen” by a performer or actor today - these men represent the unattainable ideal that women want. A high status, handsome, wealthy man who will raise their status, take care of them, make hot steamy love to them, and most importantly choose them above all other women.
Also keep in mind that songs like I Wanna Hold Your Hand and 8 Days a Week had not really been done before. Now that kind of bubblegum pop has been copied a million times. Plus the Beatles were perceived to be at the cutting edge for the “Youth Movement.”
I like their songs but some of them are kinda boring. Like if "I Want to Hold Your Hand" was on the radio, I'd probably change the channel.
Yeah, yeah, it's kinda hard to understand what the early 60 where about. I guess people just had left behind a huge war in Europe. Things where slowly getting better. People had radios. I mean, there was one big radio for the family. The transistor radio was just invented and people had the means to buy it. So people knew only some music from these few radio stations. That's it.
A transistor radio is a small portable radio receiver that uses transistor-based circuitry. Following the invention of the transistor in 1947—which revolutionized the field of consumer electronics by introducing small but pow...
The Beatles Now Streaming. Listen to the Come Together Playlist here: http://smarturl.it/BeatlesCTDownload 1+ http://smarturl.it/Beatles1 Buy 1+ http://smart...
I like their songs but some of them are kinda boring. Like if "I Want to Hold Your Hand" was on the radio, I'd probably change the channel.
Yeah, yeah, it's kinda hard to understand what the early 60 where about. I guess people just had left behind a huge war in Europe. Things where slowly getting better. People had radios. I mean, there was one big radio for the family. The transistor radio was just invented and people had the means to buy it. So people knew only some music from these few radio stations. That's it.
Transistor radios allowed a new youth culture to flourish. I was born in 1956 and first heard the Beatles on my friend's transistor radio on a local AM station. I would have never heard them on my parent's large home stereo with them as music gatekeepers. Basically equivalent to the infiltration of smartphones into current youth culture, Tik-Tok, etc, but with a much more massive consumer audience of Baby Boomers.
Tech + minor generational rebellion = cultural phenomenon
I literally grew up with the Beatles. I was 4 when they were first on Ed Sullivan.
To put it in a nutshell:
1. For the time their music was anything but boring. Look at the top 40 pre and post Beatles.
2. The early 60's were an odd time. I remember reading that the JFK assassination had a lot to do with their extreme success- young people needed someone (that's the US of course).
3. They were different- their hair was long for the time but not so long that people were turned off. They wore suits and ties and teens loved them, moms loved them, grandma loved them.
4. The songs were different, very high energy for the time and very catchy and they actually wrote them themselves.
I'm sure you can find articles and studies that at least try to explain it. But, you would certainly understand.
Oh- and don't forget that they grew and changed with time.
The difference between The Beatles and every one of those acts is how quickly they transformed into serious material (and none of the performers you mentioned ever did). They only reached the zenith of popularity in the US in 1964 and by 1965-1966 the were doing Rubber Soul and Revolver.
Also keep in mind that songs like I Wanna Hold Your Hand and 8 Days a Week had not really been done before. Now that kind of bubblegum pop has been copied a million times. Plus the Beatles were perceived to be at the cutting edge for the “Youth Movement.”
That's not entirely true. Early Beatles songs were very much in the mold of Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley songs from a few years earlier. However, by the time the Beatles came along, Buddy Holly had sadly died and Elvis was in the army. So the Beatles to some extent filled that vacuum. That, and they were undeniably great.
I recall that the main competition with the Beatles at the time('63-ish) were The Beach Boys, who also were vocal harmony based but had a squeaky-clean "surfer boy" image, compared to the somewhat wackier, tongue-in-cheek antics and slightly anti-establishment vibe of the Fab Four. Plus the roguish "foreigner" aspect of being from Britain kicked in, closely followed by the Stones, The Who, etc.. Their timing was perfect as teen rebellion was peaking.
The difference between The Beatles and every one of those acts is how quickly they transformed into serious material (and none of the performers you mentioned ever did). They only reached the zenith of popularity in the US in 1964 and by 1965-1966 the were doing Rubber Soul and Revolver.
Agreed. But the reason I referenced those "boy bands" was to show how common it has always been for bands to attain popularity with young girls.
It's interesting that the band that played in Hamburg was not the same band that we saw in A Hard Day's Night, and the 1964 Beatles were different as you stated from the band that created Rubber Soul and Revolver.
Some good points already. I would add that the Beatles were among the first to really enjoy being famous and have a good time with it. They laughed and joked and played, shook their mop tops and made life fun. They were charming and funny and full of life.
Black performers had done some of that on the chitlin circuit, but not white kids. Girls saw it immediately.
Watch Hard Days Night. It will give you a sense of the fun and invitation the Beatles were.
finally, their music was just amazing. Better than anything else at the time - better written, more exciting and far fresher.
Bingo, Bango, Bongo and Irving! Sherwood Schwartz, the creator of Gilligan's Island died today. Hey Sherwood, thanks for all the ginchy 60s TV fun! Here ar...
Help us build the best running shoe review site for a chance to win a LetsRun t-shirt.Help us build the best running shoe review site for a chance to win one of 10 LetsRun t-shirts.