Chapter 5: The Beatles
Preview Questions
Political and Cultural Context
The mid-1960s provided all the conditions necessary for a revolution in the music scene. The postwar Baby Boomer generation had increased the teenage population by 67% from the 1950s. Young people had more cash to buy records and the leisure time to listen to them than their parents had growing up. However, the music aimed at teenagers in the United States was pretty boring–bland, safe, and full of lush orchestral backgrounds. Young people in the country were under the cloud of the Cuban Missile Crisis and John Kennedy’s assassination and saw the country as a violent place.
The Vietnam war began as a conflict in 1955 and ended with the fall of Saigon in 1975. There was a great division in the United States over support for the war and many young people were involved in protests. Edgar Hoover believed that Elvis Presley was a danger to the security of the United States. The King’s career was put on hold after he was drafted and served for two years in Germany. The Beatles became more political toward the end of their career. After John Lennon and Yoko Ono started protesting the war in Vietnam, the FBI put Lennon under surveillance, and later the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) tried to deport him.
Review Questions
- How did the group reflect changes in the culture of the 1960s?
- How did the group evolve over the course of their career?
- What was “Beatlemania”? When did it start? What factors went into making the group a world sensation?
- What contributions did their manager and record producer make?
- What did the direction of their careers have in common with those of Bob Dylan and the Beach Boys?
- What Beatles songs are you familiar with? Which are your favorites?
- What are examples of Beatles songs that are well-crafted pop songs? Which of their others push the boundaries of art?
Political and Cultural Context
The mid-1960s provided all the conditions necessary for a revolution in the music scene. The postwar Baby Boomer generation had increased the teenage population by 67% from the 1950s. Young people had more cash to buy records and the leisure time to listen to them than their parents had growing up. However, the music aimed at teenagers in the United States was pretty boring–bland, safe, and full of lush orchestral backgrounds. Young people in the country were under the cloud of the Cuban Missile Crisis and John Kennedy’s assassination and saw the country as a violent place.
The Vietnam war began as a conflict in 1955 and ended with the fall of Saigon in 1975. There was a great division in the United States over support for the war and many young people were involved in protests. Edgar Hoover believed that Elvis Presley was a danger to the security of the United States. The King’s career was put on hold after he was drafted and served for two years in Germany. The Beatles became more political toward the end of their career. After John Lennon and Yoko Ono started protesting the war in Vietnam, the FBI put Lennon under surveillance, and later the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) tried to deport him.
Review Questions
- What is folk music?
- What changes in society in the 1960s are most reflected in the Beatles’ experience?
- How did Beatlemania launch the group toward international fame? How did it restrict their musical development? What did they do to free themselves from it?
- How did George Martin contribute to their success?
- What are the names of the band members? What instrument did each one play?
- Describe three of their songs.
- What were the names of the four band members? What instrument did each one play?
- Who were the main songwriters?
- Describe the types of songs that they released at the beginning of their fame. How did that change by the time they disbanded?