Introduction
The pop group the Beatles changed the face of music around the world. Bursting onto the music scene in the 1960’s, the Beatles did things differently than most bands. Described by Mike Paytress as giving a shot in the arm to Britain’s pop music scene the Beatles were one of the first bands to play their own instruments, create some original musical compositions, and to write their own song lyrics. Comprised of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison, the band sold millions of records. With tracks such as “I Want to Hold your Hand” and “Eight Days a Week,” the Beatles’ history and impact on the world is explained in the documentary “How the Beatles Changed the World.”
Review of Documentary
One of the things that the documentary did quite well is to highlight how the Beatles changed the culture of music. For instance, it was stated that the musical group wrote songs that they knew that the audience would enjoy. This led to other bands writing their own songs. The Beatle’s main fans were younger women. These females became crazy and would start screaming when they saw the band perform. This is known as Beatle Mania. However, the Beatles’ influence was not just on the teenage girls who attended their concerts. The young men in America and Britain who watched the Beatles also seemed to shift their attitudes and style. According to the documentary, these males did not want to end up like their fathers. These men styled their hair differently and seemed to feel freer about sex.
Besides the effect that the Beatles had on the globe, the group offered some unique aspects. At that time, Lennon and McCartney were considered to be singers with one of the greatest voices in that time period. The two men, who often butted heads musically, were regarded as very intelligent. Starr and Harrison stayed more in the background. Songs such as “Let it Be” showcased the group’s strong lyrics, as well as other heartfelt tracks such as “Yesterday.”
The Beatles were not a group that stayed complacent and stuck to the same type of music. When their song “Tomorrow Never Knows” debuted, it was one of the first psychedelic songs for that time period. The tune was lifted from the album entitled “Revolver.” Up until that time, the idea of doing drugs was considered deviant and something that needed to be avoided. Yet, this album seemed to give the go-ahead for people to do drugs and live a carefree life. Paul McCartney took things a step further by challenging Christianity, as Lennon and Yoko Ono posed with no clothes on and advocated for free love.
By 1966, the Vietnam War has taken front and center in the United States and around the world. With the album “St. Pepper,” the Beatles had taken on an alter ego. Odd songs, such as “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” was supposedly about LSD. The documentary described the album as a work of literature. In 1968, the Democratic Convention in Chicago resulted in some horrific behavior from the police. The police ended up clubbing and beating many of the young people who were protesting the Vietnam War. All of this political strife was a good platform for the song “Revolution One” off of the Beatles’ “White” album. This song depicted the attitude concerning the Vietnam War and how the country did not support the United States troops being there.
The documentary “How the Beatles Changed the World” focused on the ways that the Beatles changed music, culture, and the world. They are a legendary band that will always be remembered, their albums breaking records all over the world.
