Beatles

Chris Choyce

Mr. De Vito

English II - C

4/30/13

The Beatles

The Beatles were and still are one of the most popular bands of all time. The reasons for their popularity are the band members good looks and their apparent peaceful/calm behaviors. Their songs and albums that they produced portrayed themes and messages that fans loved because they helped bring the American culture to England. They were also popular because while all the news was filled with chaotic events, the Beatles offered good news of that decade to read in the paper or watch broadcasted on the television.

First lets start off with a little overview of what the Beatles were all about. They were an English rock band formed in 1960 and stayed together till early in the year 1970.  The Beatles were made up of four members. John Lennon played the guitar and sang. Paul McCartney played the bass and sang also (while at times played the piano). George Harrison played the lead guitar and sang. Ringo Starr played the drums and sang. They composed over 25 albums and over 200 songs while they were together! Many of them reaching the Billboards and 27 of them becoming #1 hits in America! The group also starred in three movies, all of them comedies. Now lets head onto why the ladies loved them.

The ladies loved the band for a few reasons. The first was that they usually all wore the same outfits and all had the same “moppy” hair. The outfits they wore would either be a simple black trench coat or suit. Or they would wear a more colorful and bizarre outfit. One example of a colorful or bizarre outfit would be while performing songs from the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and even on the album cover.  They kept their opinions to themselves so their opinions wouldn't give any damage to the band. The members appeared to be peaceful, calm and humorous while in public. When they weren't in public they were known to get in arguments especially leading up to their breakup. The ladies loved their personalities, behaviors and appearances. A large crowd would always follow them wherever they go. Not many other bands have achieved such large crowds since then. The ladies just couldn't get enough of them!

The Beatles songs were influenced by the American music style. More specifically the style that influenced them was the American music style of rock and roll! There was a difference in music between the two countries and the British loved the new style of music introduced. The Beatles wrote and produced every song. The fact that they wrote their songs added extra meaning to the songs. Themes and messages found in the songs were of having fun, love and peace. Those messages gave hope and inspiration in a time of violence and hatred towards others. I borrowed some Beatle CD’s from a friend and listened to a few songs from each album. They do have good meanings and I could find the messages of peace, love and fun in them.

The Beatles formed in the year 1960 and disbanded in 1970. During that time period the world saw some scary events take place. Such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, segregation and riots, JFK assassination, RFK assassination, MLK assassination and the Vietnam War. These events were always on the front pages of the newspapers and on television screens. However the Beatles offered good news. Whether it was from collecting their 13 Grammy Awards to being spotted out in public they would give a nice break in the bad news. The so called “British Invasion” made the front headlines for a few weeks in America and their songs would continue to land them on the front pages regularly. Their popularity peaked in America at around 1965-67 as they added more tour dates and released more albums. During that time they were featured more and more in the news.

So concludes why the Beatles were and still are one of the most popular bands of all time. With their good looks, charming personalities and peaceful demeanor they always attracted large crowds and people loved them. They offered music that people enjoyed and could listen to again and again. When the news was full of gloom and despair the band offered good news. Even after the band broke up each member would go on to sing bestselling songs and attract large crowds. To leave you wondering, how many bands do you know that are still popular 53 years after they were formed?