Music 144G

Findlay MacRae Cramp

8390111
The Beatles shook the musical world to such an extent that it broke
into sharp fragments, piercing every other walk of life and
essentially shaping the 1960s onwards. Did the Beatles charm the
world with their unique presentation and captivating harmonies? Or
was it a chance alignment of social and environmental
circumstances that led to the musical domination of the famed Fab
Four? This essay will discuss both of these aspects in relation to the
bands exponential growth and distinctiveness.
The Beatles, then consisting of John Lennon, Paul
McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best (after
Hamburg Stuart and Pete left to be replaced by Ringo Starr)
performed across Hamburg from August 1960 to December 1962
clocking up an estimated 1200 playing hours of songs such as the
upbeat, catchy yet simple Love me do and Please Please Me,
averaging more than three hours an night every day for a year.
These two iconic songs were tailored specifically for the younger
generation to relate to. The Beatles span tales of loving and
pleasing, please please me, whoa yeah, like I please you. Relatable
to people of all ages and generations as relationships and their
challenges will always be a part of humans lives. The Beatles also
took off where the crooning of the 50s ended, taking lyrics and
singing styles not dissimilar to the works of Frank Sinatra and Elvis,
respectively, added a steady back beat, charming harmonies and a
twangy guitar, resulting in the unforgettable Love me do; Someone
to love, somebody new. Someone to love, someone like you, a
feeling we can, once again all relate to. The Beatles had learnt to
write for a wider audience, which laid the foundations of their
creative minds to flourish.
It was in Hamburg that the Beatles built, developed and perfected
their musical repertoire, this two way relationship the Beatles
formed with growing crowds in the clubs of Hamburg allowed the
Beatles to come to know and learn their audience, teaching them to
perform to appease them. This experience in Hamburg undoubtedly
influenced songs and helped identify their target audiences, in turn,
shaping the way the Beatles wrote music. This relationship with the
audiences is ultimately what separated The Beatles from other pop
groups of the times and caused them to stand out (along with subtle
but effective influence from the Beatles manager Brian Epstein, who
moulded the Beatles persona, from dress: Leather Jackets and short
hair to Suits and Beatle cuts, to stage presence: wild and rebellious
to calm and as close to civilized as a pop group could be).
With the help of their extended performances in Hamburg, the
Beatles perfected their musical style, bonded as a group and

solidified the line up for their first album: Please Please me. Which
was a roaring success.
The invention of the colour/black and white television helped the
Beatles maintain their larger than life personality. To begin with, the
Beatles were 50% music, 50% onstage entertainment; for instance
the early Hamburg years, they used to knock their heads together
and generally goof about to appease crowds. The personalities of
each Beatles was what really sold the four, coupled with the rise in
televisions, the Beatles made films, which circulated around the
globe overnight and were incredibly popular. This constant drive for
more of the Beatles led to them releasing more albums.
The Beatles then progressed from mindless teeny-bop (a mainly
female subculture of young girls following adolescent trends of the
time) to a more sophisticated, complex band of maturing
Liverpudlian lads expressing relatable emotions. Subsequent
albums, such as With the Beatles, contained songs with increased
lyrical complexity in comparison with their first album. For instance,
in It Wont Be Long and All Ive Got To Do, we hear a classic
repeated, catchy McCartney-Lennon harmonic riddled chorus
followed by more chronological verses telling the story of someone
(not specified, therefore, once again appealing to a wide range of
audiences, such as those affected by the war, or simply lonely
lovers) returning or missing and speculation of their immanent
return or pleas of lost loneliness. Since you left me, Im so alone,
and now youre coming, youre coming on home and All I gotta do
is call you on the phone, and youll come running home. These
symbolises the emerging emotional turbulence this generation was
experiencing, the Beatles music was the perfect release. This
maturation trend seen in the Beatles music follows the aging trend
of their audiences, which kept their demand and drive for new and
more complex music high. This group are a product of the post war
baby boom.
After the war, a lot of children were born, these children grew to be
late teens just as the Beatles were emerging, facilitating the Beatles
audience and support, as teens were given higher allowances,
shifting the buying power of a nation, this pushed the Beatles to
produce more and more, ultimately pushing themselves in front of
all other groups in terms of playing experience and demand.
It is arguable that the Beatles rapid growth (lyrically and musically)
was a combination of the chance of the timing of their emergence
(post war baby boom, technological advancements), positive
situations leading to interest in the band (trip to Hamburg and
cultural advancements (liberation and rights of many subcultures),
and the Beatles own musical ability and personality (perpetuated
though movies, live audiences and the bands unique individuality).
To quote John Lennon, for a time, that this flourishing young band
were more popular than Jesus.