The Beatles is probably one of the most influential music bands in the history of modern music. From the purely artistic standpoint, it essentially shaped rock music as we know it now. Its influence can be seen in the stylistic devices used by the musicians and writers of lyrics, in the methods chosen for improving stage performance, and in numerous aspects of the post-production process. Even more impressive is the Beatles’ overall impact on culture. Their phenomenal success in Britain and the U.S. created a phenomenon of unparalleled magnitude, where almost every aspect of the band’s appearance and behavior became somehow instilled in popular conscience.
It is relatively difficult to find someone who is not familiar with the band’s repertoire and cannot name at least one of their more popular songs. Notably, the effect goes beyond the target audience and can be observed among people who do not enjoy the Beatles’ music, or even among the non-English-speaking populations. Their distinct appearance created several terms in popular culture, including the specific names for the band members’ hairstyles and elements of clothing. The entire phenomenon was given a term “Beatlemania” that is used today to describe similar reactions to modern bands. Simply put, their cultural significance is unquestionable.
The following paper provides a broader view on the subject by exploring the political impact of the band and its fandom. It is popularly accepted that the era when the Beatles entered the American cultural scene was socially and politically unstable and that this uncertainty is largely responsible for the popularity of the band’s late songs dense with social commentary. While the said relationship is hard to deny, I argue that it is bi-directional, i.e. that to at least some extent the Beatles’ songs defined the political reaction and behavior of their fandom, and that this situation became a guiding principle adopted by numerous bands by the end of the decade.
Music’s Political Influence Capacity
Before we proceed to the analysis of the political influence of the specific band, it would first be necessary to determine the academic consensus regarding the music’s potential to have an effect on the political domain. The rationale behind this inquiry is the fact that the artistic response to any major change in the political climate follows the events closely enough to allow the possibility that it serves as a reaction rather than the cause of the observed change. For instance, rock music, which is commonly perceived as a necessary component of revolutionary behavior, is readily associated with the proactive stance of the youth against the establishment.
Nevertheless, according to some scholars, it would be more appropriate to consider rock music a manifestation of the already established revolutionary culture rather than it driving force (Pekacz 41). The main argument n favor of this point of view is the fact that throughout the history of rock music in its heyday (1960 to early 1980s) not a single instance could be located where it had a decisive impact on the political situation or contributed to the meaningful change. This notion is accepted by the majority of the rock analysts. However, it is worth pointing out that the described situation is relevant mainly within the context of the Western setting. On the other hand, its impact was more direct in Eastern Europe, where it allegedly contributed to the disintegration of the Soviet Union (Pekacz 41).
Supposedly, the values promoted by rock music were fundamentally incompatible with those of the socialist ideology and played a major role in broadening the contradictions of the system (Pekacz 42). In addition to confirming the possibility of impacting the political sphere, this example illustrates the involvement of the fanbase as a crucial component. The rock music was officially discouraged in the Soviet Union and thus could not have a direct impact on the political landscape. Instead, it helped to form a distinctive mindset that was both appealing to the younger audience and contradictory to the already undermined ideology. In other words, the music was influential through the fan-generated ecology.
A recent study of the protest music triggered by the explosion of protest movements in Turkey in 2013 reveals several themes which are distinctively political in nature (Way 442). The studied samples were dense with imagery alluding to the opposition to authority and symbols associated with the revolutionary ideas. At the same time, the analyzed lyrics did not contain any specific references to the political changes and actions of the opposed authority, causes for dissatisfaction, or the proposed political alternatives. This ambiguity can be explained by the sensitivity of a situation in Turkey, where those who express their disagreement with the authority often end up in jail (Way 441). Nevertheless, the results of the study suggest that the political influences of pop music are for the most part subtle and possibly insufficient for surpassing other means of political influences.
Despite the obvious skepticism regarding the observable political impact, most researchers agree that music scene actively engages in political discourse. Interestingly, the scope taken by the majority of the analysts coincides with that which is relevant for the current case study. More specifically, these analyses usually focus on the second half of the twentieth century, with the earliest notable instances around the late forties and early fifties (Lynskey 51).
While this is consistent with the hypothesis that the political setting was the cause rather than the result of the actions of the musicians, it also allows the possibility of the situation where several pioneering bands (including the Beatles) triggered the surge in a politically-oriented genre that influenced the latter development of the landscape. The absence of the definitive results is hardly unexpected due to the intangible nature of art and the necessity to stay clear from the explicit criticisms (and thus ensure neutrality and safety) and, on many occasions, the absence of concrete boundaries between the causes of and responses to specific events. Therefore, it would be reasonable to suggest the possibility that the Beatles and their fandom had an impact on politics.
Beatles’ Phenomenon
The next logical step necessary for the argument would be the exploration of the causes behind the band’s popularity. Even if the attractiveness of the concept behind the Beatles’ political messages were one of the factors responsible for their popularity, it would be unreasonable to expect that it could produce a sustainable following. Therefore, we should determine whether their overall popularity was sufficient to generate feedback in the political domain.
Most researchers agree that early in their career the band displayed no apparent political orientation whatsoever. Their appeal was primarily constructed around their music, lyrics, and manner of performance that emphasized the cheerful and light-hearted attitude. Some of the details, such as the number of the performers, played an especially important role, as the diversity of the members’ characters and appearances supposedly covered a much wider range of the tastes of the audience (Lynskey).
In addition, the Beatles’ introduction into the United States coincided with the beginning of the increased sexualization in media. In its initial phase, when it has not yet found a response in the changed cultural norms, it was treated by many adolescent girls as a way to protest the restrictions placed on their sexuality (Lynskey). Essentially, the appeal of the band transcended their artistic qualities and generated the tremendous fanbase attracted by the multitude of factors, with music and texts being only one of them. As these advantages were clearly recognized and capitalized by the management, the Beatles soon became arguably the most popular and hyped performers of the era, creating the phenomenon known as “the Beatlemania.”
Another probable reason for their popularity was their visibility on the national scale. The media in the sixties was in the active process of formation, with television gradually gaining influence. Nevertheless, throughout the Beatles’ career, the news reports remained largely unattractive for younger audiences due to their dryness and lack of approachability. Coupled with the complicated political situation, it contributed to the alienation and lack of understanding among the large portion of the public. Thus, once the Beatles started including political elements into their songs (roughly from 1966 onwards), they became a source of accessible reinterpretation of the political information (Whitehead). In such situation, it is reasonable to expect the alignment of the large portion of already susceptible fandom to newly introduced attractive political concepts.
Political Motives
By the time of the Beatles’ arrival to the U.S., the political situation in the country was far from stable. The assassination of the president, the growing tensions in the Southeast Asia were developing into a military conflict, and the civil rights movement was gaining ground, albeit in uneven pace. This setting was beneficial for the artists who wished to pursue anti-establishment and anti-war agendas and made it easier for them to appeal to the audiences (Frith 60).
However, the Beatles’ songs remained free of social commentary until 1966, when the song Taxman from the Revolver album featured several critical comments regarding the greed of the government officials and the unfairness of the economy. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the album did not contain other political motives. In addition, some researchers point to the fact that the lyrics usually spoke against all authority without stating their political allegiance, much in the vein of what would be expected considering the results of the studies described above (MacDonald 166).
Closer to the end of the decade, the Beatles’ reputation was firmly established as connected to the hippie movement and anti-violence revolt. This position was further solidified by the presence of other prominent members of the rock music scene, such as The Rolling Stones, who incorporated a more aggressive and reactive stance (McMillian 24). In fact, the contrast may have led to the insufficient recognition of the Beatles’ contribution to the political activism due to its allegedly meek nature (McMillian 26). Nevertheless, their determination coupled with the non-violent attitude provided guidance to the confused youth of the sixties that was already readily rejecting violence and seeking an approachable political ideology from a trusted source (Collins 15).
The significance of this event can be identified, among other things, in the eventual follow-up by the other bands, such as Creedence Clearwater Revival and Simon and Garfunkel (Pedelty and Weglarz xvi). While not unheard of before, the move became both common and well-developed after the Beatles’ initial take. As a result, the band’s texts generated interest in civil disobedience as well as active involvement in political matters, popularized raising awareness as an important element of popular politics, and promoted the rudimentary political modeling through descriptions of utopian societies and political formations. Finally, some researchers point to the possibility of their principal role in eliminating the Iron Curtain, which is consistent with the areas of music’s influence discussed above (Whitehead). Essentially, Beatles pioneered the means of politicizing the audience that was readily adopted by their cotemporaries and are used by the pop and rock musicians to this day.
Conclusion
As was explained in the paper, the influence of a specific cultural phenomenon is hard to determine. The situation is further complicated by the fact that the music band’s possibilities to have a direct impact on the political landscape are fairly limited. Nevertheless, as was shown by the analysis above, it is not only possible but also extremely likely for a music band to have an impact on political domain indirectly by influencing the views and behavior of their fandom. In the case of the Beatles, the likelihood is further increased because of the enormous success of the band and the phenomenal loyalty demonstrated by the fans. The obtained results may be of interest to the researchers in the social sciences field, especially as an illustration of the promising directions for further research. However, in their current state, they lack specificity, so it is recommended to seek for ways of isolating the specific impacts in order to improve our understanding of the magnitude of the effect.
Works Cited
Collins, Marcus. “The Beatles’ Politics.” The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, vol. 16, no. 2, 2014, pp. 291-309.
Frith, Simon. “Rock and the Politics of Memory.” Social Text, vol. 9/10, 1984, pp. 59-69.
Lynskey, Dorian. 33 Revolutions Per Minute. Faber & Faber, 2011.
Lynskey, Dorian. “Beatlemania: ‘The Screamers’ and Other Tales of Fandom.” The Guardian.
MacDonald, Ian. Revolution in the Head: The Beatles’ Records and the Sixties. Chicago Review Press, 2007.
McMillian, John. Beatles vs. Stones. Simon and Schuster, 2014.
Pedelty, Mark, and Kristine Weglarz, editors. Political Rock. Ashgate, 2013.
Pekacz, Jolanta. “Did Rock Smash the Wall? The Role of Rock in Political Transition.” Popular Music, vol. 13, no. 1, 1994, pp. 41-49.
Way, Lyndon. “Protest Music, Populism, Politics and Authenticity.” Journal of Language and Politics, vol. 15, no. 4, 2016, pp. 422-446.
Whitehead, John. “50 Years After the Beatles: Isn’t It Time for Another Political & Cultural Revolution?” The Rutherford Institute.