The British Invasion - Amelia Lorenzo

The British Invasion and the Resulting Culture in the United States

Great Britain – a country known for its high-profile royalty, red telephone booths, and rainy weather. It is also a country known for its production of one of the most famous and most revered pop/rock bands in the world – the Beatles. The Beatles, and several other British pop/rock bands like the Rolling Stones and the Who, eventually made their way to the United States in the 1960s and changed the way many teenagers and young adults lived from that point on. Appropriately dubbed the British Invasion because of its almost overnight occurrence and immediate obsession by many, this movement caused a change in everything from hair styles to political views in a short period of time, yet these changes continued to appear after the Invasion was over.
The Beatles, the most famous band of the British Invasion, arrived in the United States on February 7, 1964 to a group of at least 3,000 screaming fans at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City. Their hit song, I Want to Hold Your Hand, had sold over 2.6 million copies in the two weeks before their arrival, building up a fan base that would rival, and eventually surpass, that of music legend Elvis Presley. Two days after their arrival, they appeared on the then popular and prominent television series The Ed Sullivan Show where they sang All My Loving, Till There Was You, She Loves You, I Saw Her Standing There, and I Want To Hold Your Hand. In his article in Rolling Stone Magazine, David Fricke quotes Sullivan as saying, "…that the city never has witnessed the excitement stirred by these youngsters from Liverpool" (1). More than forty percent of the American population tuned in to The Ed Sullivan Show that night, and less than two months later the Beatles held twelve of the Billboard Hot 100 songs, including the top five singles. One of the reasons I Want to Hold Your Hand was such a popular song was because of its sweet lyrics. The lyrics were relatable to many and had a nice message about wanting to hold a love interest’s hand. The chord progressions are slightly unusual, which, in a way, is perfect because the Beatles were an unusual and strange band that stirred things up and never stuck to the status quo.
Regardless of their almost instant fame in the United States, the Beatles, like any other band, had to get their start somewhere. At age sixteen, John Lennon, guitar and vocals, formed a small band with Paul McCartney, bass guitar and vocals, who was then fifteen, and a few other schoolmates. McCartney eventually asked his fourteen-year-old friend George Harrison, lead guitar and vocals, to join, and the other schoolmates departed, leaving the three friends to play on their own. Ringo Starr, drums and vocals, joined the band two years later, replacing the first drummer Pete Best, and the Beatles were officially formed. They rose to fame in Great Britain with their song Please Please Me and produced the second album to ever sell over a million copies, with the soundtrack from the musical South Pacific being the first album. In his article for CNN, Todd Leopold quotes Harrison as saying, "They've got everything over there…What do they want us for?" in reference to the growing American fan base (Leopold). Clearly, he was unaware of the success that was soon to come.
One of the more noticeable social impacts the Beatles brought with them to the United States was their hairstyle, known as the mop-top haircut. The Beatles were commonly criticized as looking like “shaggy Peter Pans, with their mushroom haircuts” because of their long, over-grown, thick, messy hairstyles that starkly contrasted with the clean and shapely hairstyles that were popular for young men in the United States (Singers: The New Madness). Because of their carefree sense, they were seen as being hip and cool by the teeny boppers that made up their fan base, and their hairstyle quickly caught on and became a popular do at the time. The hairstyle was so revolutionary that it was considered illegal in communist Russia because of its rebellious undertones.
In addition to bringing a new hairstyle to America, the Beatles also brought a new sense of fashion with them. Although it contrasted with their obviously carefree hairstyle, the Beatles were known for their smart suits and polished outfits. Their manager, Brian Epstein, realized that in order for the Beatles to stay on top, they would need to update their wardrobes to look sophisticated, yet relaxed. He “pluck[ed] the Fab Four out of a dated world of '50’s leather jackets and greasy hair” and updated their looks (The Beatles: Style Icons).
As their music changed, so did their fashion. Their more psychedelic clothing choices, bright colors and paisley prints, which coincided with the hippie movement of the time, were good matches for their more psychedelic songs, such as I Am the Walrus. I Am the Walrus was reportedly written in several sittings by Lennon during multiple acid trips, which would explain the nonsensical and, occasionally, bizarre lyrics that make up the song. Lennon was inspired by a police siren he heard outside his window while composing and created an opening electric piano rift at the beginning of the song. The violin and cello accents throughout the song add an eeriness to the piece that fits well with it almost mystical sound. While the Beatles are commonly thought of as a classic rock band, this song is an excellent example of their many musical faces. Many people can argue that there is rock, and then there is the Beatles’ music. Whether they sing psychedelic songs, slow love songs, or upbeat pop songs, their voices and music style are always recognizable, yet they do not always fit perfectly into one genre. Perhaps labeling them as one music style is not the best way to approach their music; instead, the Beatles should be seen as a multifaceted and talented band that possessed the unique ability to produce music that fit into many overlapping categories, essentially dropping any labels previously placed on rock music.
With their funny hairstyles and contrasting fashion choices, the Beatles did not “invade” the United States in an easy or calm matter. They came in like a storm, overtaking and changing many of the ideals and lifestyles Americans had become accustomed to after the Second World War. Many critics of the Beatles, and the British Invasion in general, saw them as a negative influence on younger generations. The Beatles appeared at the forefront of the hippie movement and both the movement and the Beatles developed with each other. The hippie movement was a giant social, political, and cultural change that focused around ideas such as free-love, pacifism, and acceptance. Many hippies were open to experimenting with different lifestyles, such as homosexuality and sex outside of marriage, and different illegal drugs, such as marijuana and LSD. They also protested against the Vietnam War and held draft card burning ceremonies to further their anti-war messages. Because the Beatles went along with the psychedelic and free-love trends of the hippie movement, many people saw them as no good. After John Lennon’s infamous comment about the Beatles being more popular than Jesus Christ, which he argued was taken completely out of context but apologized nevertheless, many Christian groups saw the Beatles as an atheistic, self-centered band.
Despite the many controversies surrounding them, the Beatles continued to be a popular and successful band in the 1960s. Another popular British band in the 1960s was the Rolling Stones, a band that originated from London England in 1962. Unlike the Beatles, the Rolling Stones started off as a blues band but quickly changed to rock. They led a slightly more tragic life as a band because of Brian Jones’, the founder of the band who died in 1969, and Keith Richards’, guitar, extreme drug problems. They pushed on, and once the Beatles had broken up in the 70s, went on to become the most popular band and made it on the US Billboard Hot 100 songs list multiple times. Their song (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, which was their first international number one hit, was a piece they wrote about being unsatisfied with their lives. The song has very harsh and punchy guitar and drum notes that further the harshness of its message. The vocals reach points where they are nearly being screamed out, which fits well with the frustrated tone of the song.
The Who was another popular British band that played a part in the British Invasion in the 1960s. Originating from London like the Rolling Stones, the Who formed in 1964 and consisted of songwriter and guitarist Pete Townsend, vocalist Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. Moon died in 1978 and was replaced by several drummers, including, at one point, Beatle Ringo Starr’s song Zak Starkey, and Entwistle died in 2002. The Who began as an R&B band but quickly turned into a loud and unruly rock band known for smashing its instruments at the end of concerts. One of their hit songs, Who Are You, is just as popular today as it was back then, with its upbeat and energizing guitar and drum notes. The lyrics are about a person changing over time and waking up one morning and wondering what happened to make him end up the way he did. These lyrics fit well with what was going on in the band at this time, as they were facing many drug and alcohol related problems, as well as threats of breaking up.
All of these bands, as well as the many other bands who participated in the British Invasion in the 1960s, had huge impacts on American culture in the 60s and 70s that continue to be seen in today’s culture. These bands broke much of America’s youth away from their neat, conservative ways and led them to become more independent, free-willed, and, at times, revolutionary. The hippie movement focused on free-love and psychedelic drugs, two things that had been considered taboo before the Invasion, but quickly became normal, or at least accepted, ways of life for many. Today’s society is much more lax when it comes to sex outside of marriage, when compared to society in the 1950s, and many people are more accepting of homosexuals and bisexuals than they were sixty years ago. The fashions, both clothing and hair, that came with the British Invasion was more radical and colorful than many Americans were used to. Today, it is still acceptable for young men to wear their hair long and young women do not spend as much time making their hair look proper; the loose-curls and messy looks are just as popular as they were in the 60s. Being influenced by the anti-war movements from the 60s, many young Americans still protest wars and are unafraid of having their voices heard. In his article, Simon Frith argues that “the issue is not how a particular piece of music…reflects the people, but how it produces them…” (109). While it is impossible to know whether or not the Beatles and the other bands involved in the British Invasion produced the social changes in the 60s or if the social changes in the 60s produced the British Invasion, it can be said that all together, the British Invasion coincided with a huge movement in American society towards more independence and originality, a movement that is still relevant today.