How The Beatles Changed the World Essay

To revolutionize is to change society and positively evolve. For the Beatles, it is not just about their music; it is about their purpose in making the music. The Beatles had made life-changing music that people have never heard before. They made music that revolted against the social norms. The Beatles and their fans rose together to make changes in the 60s following the post-World War II depression. The music inspired the imagination of hippies, activists, and advocates in the decade. Although many people never became big fans of the Beatles and their music, teens in the U.S. saw the Beatles as a revolution that changed their lives forever (Michael Tomasky).

In the late '60s and early '70s, John Lennon began to actively endorse a wide variety of progressive and radical political causes. Even though the Beatles separated at the time, he continued to fight for peace. He championed the anti-war movement as well as Native and African-American rights while demonstrating a deepening interest in feminism (Alissa Walker). The quote, “War is over! If you want it,” by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, suggests that the people of that decade should reclaim peace instead of making war. Even though the Beatles made it extremely clear that the world needed peace, John Lennon continued to live in a peaceful matter and make changes.

In this article, “It’s… The Beatles!’ A Cultural reflection of the 1960s through the music of ‘The Beatles,” Rob Russel emphasized the importance of the Beatles and the impact they made on the zeitgeist of the western culture. Coming from Liverpool, the Beatles were four musicians: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. The band formed in 1960 and became one of the biggest bands in the world until their breakup in 1970 when John Lennon went his separate way. Their music engaged different people for different reasons. For example, people said, “The Beatles music highly mirrored popular culture throughout the sixties.” This means that their music became big enough to make a huge change because of it’s popularity in pop culture. In addition, the Vietnam War caused adolescents to go from rebellion to free will, peace and love of all. This ‘hippie’ movement was heavily influenced by the Beatles and their style of psychedelia rock (Rob Russel). Not only this, but The Beatles also had their fair trial of using LSD and other psychedelics. This is how they changed the culture and became the masters of music.

In her article, “The Beatles and the Counterculture,” Jessica Corry explains how the Beatles influenced young people not only in music, but also changed the social life and culture of many people. During WWII, many people were going through depression and later encountered the youth movement which was heavily influenced by the Beatles (Jessica Corry). This is how they changed social norms, the counterculture and the world in the sixties. I truly agree with the author of this article and all of her main points. To this day the Beatles are still being heard because they were that important. Although two of the members have passed away, The Beatles are still popular and influence many young individuals. Rock 'n' roll in the 50's changed in this new era causing a change in the counterculture (Jessica Corry). "The Beatles were not a pop group; they were an abstraction. A repository for many things," according to Derek Taylor. I agree that The Beatles were one of the century's major symbols of cultural transformation and epitomized their era. They intended to make such a powerful impact during these times.

Clearly, there will never be another group like the Beatles, but many young people people look to One Direction for the same type of creativity and excitement. Despite their differences, The Beatles and One Direction have major similarities. Both boy bands were formed during completely different eras, but they've gained popularity for the amazing music they created. Although they gained a huge fanbase, these bands created completely different music. The Beatles started off with John Lennon inviting Paul McCartney to join his band then later asking George Harrison and Ringo Starr to join as well. Their style of music rooted from 1950s rock and roll, but then evolved into psychedelia rock, often incorporating classical elements and unintentional recording techniques. The Beatles learned how to play musical instruments from a really young age. They knew making music was something they were destined to do. Pianos, keyboards, guitars, drums, and harmonicas were some of the few instruments they mastered. In contrary, One Direction was far more different than the Beatles. First of all, they auditioned on a hit tv show called The X-Factor. The members intended to make it big as solo artists, but were put together by the host of show, Simon Cowell. He believed they would be more successful as a group. The only instruments they knew how to play were the keyboard and acoustic guitar, but they never incorporated those talents into the music they created. One Direction only had their amazing looks and beautiful voices to gain likings from the people. Music styles have made major changes throughout the decades. Going from impressive musical talents to no efforts at all. One thing that'll never change is the popularity these boy bands gained.

The Beatles have come a long way through history and will remain being one of the biggest rock bands in the world. The biggest reason why the topic of this popular band took my interest was mainly because of the huge impact they made and changed lives forever. They’ve influenced many new and upcoming bands ever since they released music. I guess what I really wanted to know was how they took over the world by just making music. Even though two of the members of the band are dead, the Beatles and their revolution are NOT dead. They’re still everywhere from radio stations to the internet. It amazes me that they are still being talked about today. One of their albums, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, was released exactly 50 years ago and was written about in a popular online article. Ever since I began my Beatles research process I learned it is best reading books in order to discover new things especially about something from the past because not a lot of articles on the internet provide accurate information and promote lies to gain reads. That’s what made this research a little difficult, but as I went in depth, it lured me to read beyond what I first intended to. I was always a fan of the Beatles but ever since I began my research on them, I learned a whole lot about them and it really inspired me to grow and become a better person because even the best band in the world have their own flaws and problems, but in the end they still blossomed. Not only were the a big impact on cultural change in the 60s, but this proves that they still influence many teenagers now who really enjoy their music.