Introduction
The Beatles created the aura of rock music in the US through their classical masterpiece releases that revolutionized rock and roll to the enchanting genre it is today. The musical characteristics of a song are the features that captivate the target audience and ensure it maintains its competitive edge in the industry. The Beatles’ musical success was crowned by resilience, determination, discipline, and creativity (Watson et al. 259). Innovation had been their tactic in keeping up with the pressure and demands in the music industry. Songs such as “Love Me Do” and “Tomorrow Never Know” reflect their undoubted commitment and competence in their music production (Weber 58). This paper provides insights into the formation of the Beatles, the British invasion, and their strategic musical evolution characterized by the reconstruction, pop stardom, music-making, and disembarking phase.
Formation of the Beatles
The Beatles, formerly known as the Quarrymen or the Silver Beatles, were a British musical quartet that became a universal model of a generation’s hopes and admiration in the 1960s. John Lennon and Paul McCartney were the founding members of this historic team (Watson et al. 261). It began with a destined meeting between two music-obsessed teenagers at a church fete in 1957 (Vanderwoude, Lesson 11: The Beatles). John Lennon was a guitarist, and Paul McCartney was a musical vocalist who met in a coincidental but magical situation. The Quarrymen, a skiffle (folk music mixed with jazz or blues) band, were booked to play at a church fete in Woolton, Liverpool, by a sixteen-year-old rhythm guitarist John Lennon (Watson et al. 260). The Quarrymen’s bass player introduced Lennon to a classmate (McCartney aged 15years) while setting up their instruments for the night show (Weber 23). McCartney would join in on various performances that night and later secure a place in the Quarrymen (Watson et al. 261). The duo performed cover songs as a band in Liverpool, England, before signing in other talents. Together they made skiffle music and attracted other members to the band, including George Harrison and Ringo Starr, who replaced the underperforming drummer Pete Best. The Quadrants officially formulated the Beatles under the Electric and Musical Industries (EMI) record label (Watson et al. 261).
As the team destabilized due to the skiffle craze, the brand name also changed. The skiffle craze was when musicians left the industry to pursue other employment opportunities (Weber 13). With this shift, bands or musical coalitions became unstable because of members joining and leaving the group. Under the regime of Lennon and Peter Shotton (Lennon’s longtime friend), the group was called the Blackjacks (Weber 15). They later transformed the name to the Quarrymen named after their school.
With the persistent skiffle craze in the late 1950s, the team decided to venture into a new TV show with a membership of three individuals, including John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison (Weber 23). When the trio decided to audition for the TV shows, they called themselves the surviving monkeys, Johnny, and the Moondogs. Unfortunately, the trio failed the auditions, and they had to come back with a bang in music. In 1960, Stuart Sutcliffe, a new bass guitarist on the team, invented the name “Beatals” (Weber 26). The team was disbanded again, and each member went their way. The group reunited in the mid-1960 and formulated a group known as the Silver Beatles (Weber 58). This name was proposed by Brian Cassar, the manager of another similar music band. As the team became stable with the end of the skiffle Craze, the team united and began goal-oriented music production. Their manager Allan William finally changed the name from “Beatals” to “Beatles,” a renowned name that has maintained strong market dominance in music history. Sti Sutcliffe retired to pursue his art education, and the remaining members acquired a new manager, Brian Epstein (Weber 194).
Under Epstein’s management, the new Beatle quartet protagonists’ members included John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.
The British Invasion
The British invasion was the musical evolution of rock music in terms of recognition and sales in the US. The evolution between 1964 and 1967 happened after the US media published articles about the Beatles’ outstanding performances across England (Weber 193). This action resulted in a massive following of the team because their rock music sounded different. The US listeners had not been exposed to raw rock music but only a combination of blues, country, and R&B dubbed as the rock ‘n’ roll (Vanderwoude, Lesson 11: The British Invasion- The Beatles). The Beatles introduced something new outside the norms of music, and this intercepted well with the natives. Within a short period, the US airwaves were bursting with news about the Beatles, which led to the era of Beatlemania that lasted for three years (Weber 194).
Before the British evolution, Brian Epstein rebranded the team by introducing them to unique hairstyles and dressing (Watson et al. 261). This action played a significant role in developing the Beatles’ legacy because they appeared more professional. The lifestyle change led to the growth of the psychedelic culture, which became an entertaining experience for teens during that period (Watson et al. 261). Also, strengthening their playlist was an integral initiative because it made the public understand and connect to their music by providing more accessible music platforms.
This revolution made by the British musical quartet take over the rock music genre by storm, with numerous consistent hit records topping the 40 American music charts (Watson et al. 259). The explosion in the rock and roll genre was a massive breakthrough because it broke the stereotype that only native Americans could understand the rock genre. Also, the Beatles’ outstanding performance in rock music influenced the British exploration of rock music globally, which exposed them to new gigs such as the “The Jack Paar” Show and the live performance at “The Ed Sullivan Show” (Watson et al. 266).
The Beatle’s evolution phases
To steer and sustain the musical invasion in the US, the Beatles had to develop a strategic framework that would help maintain their relevance in the industry. The first phase of development was the reconstruction phase which saw the team adopt a new style of grooming and music (Watson et al. 265). With Brian Epstein as the manager, the team shifted from wearing the leather jackets to putting on matching official suits and ties. Also, the team adopted a specific shave known as the “mop-top or Arthur shave” to act as a brand for their music (Watson et al. 263). This iconic shave was unique and had not gained popularity in the US, and this promoted their influence on counterculture and the further development of the “fab four.” (Watson et al. 268) Characteristics of songs produced by the Beatles during this era included overstated rhythm, plodding dancing beat, simple-harmonic progression, simple variations, and semi-shouting vocalization.
This phase birthed the song “Love Me Do,” which was a lovely appeal to the audience to accept this genre of music (Weber 14). This song showcased an innocent intimacy of the young Beatles and a request for fidelity through carefully orchestic lyrics that were simple for the audience to understand. The song exhibited significant characteristics of this era, including the plodding dancing beat. “Love Me Do” is a danceable song with a plodding beat castrated by the drumming, percussions, and the harmonica played by the team (Weber 14). Also, the song has a simple harmonic progression (I-vi-IV-V-I) which was a critical factor in passing the message in the 1960s (Weber 16). Through this simple progression, the team achieved a unique vibration frequency and sound consonant that was distinct and easy to follow.
The shouting vocal system was also an integral factor in the Beatle’s music because it defined rock as music differently. The word “Love Me Do” in the song is vocalized in some instances to create a distinctive effect on this genre (Weber 34). Through this analysis, it can be concluded that this was a stepping stone toward greatness. “Love me Do” was the first single released by the Beatles, and this song paved their way towards being noticed in the music industry (Weber 34).
The second phase of the Beatles was pop stardom when the team was exposed to the limelight. This was an era of fame after the “Love Me Do” song became a household song across America (Watson et al. 263). The team gained a massive following and stardom that made them embark on a serious recording to sustain the fame. They also had to change their style of music delivery by incorporating more live recordings and performances to attract more followers. One of the initiatives adopted during this time was the individual showcasing of talent (Watson et al. 261). For instance, Paul McCartney showcased more of his bass-playing talent more often during their shows, concerts, live recordings, and campaigns. (Watson et al. 265).
The next phase was the music production phase which was characterized by withdrawal from the limelight. During this phase, the quartet limited external engagements such as concert performances and focused on a studio recording (Watson et al. 262). This was a musical revolution period, where the team launched into the deep to discover better ways of writing their music and the best musical instruments use for their songs. The team recorded the “Tomorrow Never Know” song (Watson et al. 268). This song was tape looped, which was a discovery made within their search. This was a significant breakthrough because their music could be shared and played globally. This song has a psychedelic vibe which was a dominant trait in rock songs produced in the 1960s. The team achieved this by including a seagull sound made by one chord droning (Watson et al. 268).
The song was a mix of the hippie that introduces the Indian culture and sounds. With this song, the team used an upbeat rhythm that changed along with their vocals. This was different from the use of percussions in the “Love Me Do” song (Watson et al. 268). Also, the song had no chorus because of the influence of Indian music. The team spent quality time in the studio experimenting on this song to ensure that everything about it sets right. Some of the song’s highlights included the studio altered sound effect using the Automatic Double Tracking (ADT) and unorthodox lyrics (Watson et al. 269). Even though their production changed, the simplicity of their song structure remained. The song had a simple singing structure of an intro, verse, and bridge.
The last evolution phase was disembarking, which happened in the early 1970s. The Beatles went separate ways, and each member became a soloist (Watson et al. 268). There were multifactorial issues that contributed to their final separation, such as the death of their chief advisor and manager Brian Epstein. He was a pillar in the team, considering the numerous changes he made to ensure the team remained successful (Watson et al. 268). Another factor was that with the changing times, music evolved, and this phase presented a challenge in Beatlemania.
The treasure that each carried from the team was the influence they had built over the years and individual following (Watson et al. 269). After the break-up, each of the Beatle members released a song, and they did excellently in the music industry. Paul McCartney released a song known as the “silly love song” in 1976, which became among the best-selling single in the US. Also, the other Beatles, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, produce hits that managed to be on the top chart list at that time (Watson et al. 269). The four phases presented depict the Beatles’ successful career in music which is something to admire.
Conclusion
The Beatles began as a duo with a common interest in music. Their journey to success reflects on resilience, patience through hard times, and focus on their goals. Through electrifying performances, the team gained popularity leading to the British evolution. This breakthrough enabled them to foster change in rock music and change the perception that only Americans understood rock music as a genre. The explosion of “Love Me Do” was the stepping stone of change because it proved that music evolves with time and cannot be owned. They began, risked, evolved, and maintained a reputable brand that will stick around the musical history for eternity.
References
Vanderwoude, Matthew. “Lesson 11: The British Invasion- The Beatles.” Rock and Popular Music, 2021.
—. “Lesson 11: The Beatles.” Rock and Popular Music, (3).
Watson, Terri N., Jeffrey S. Brooks, and Floyd D. Beachum, editors.” Lessons in Leadership Provided by The Beatles.” Educational Leadership and Music: Lessons for Tomorrow’s School Leaders. IAP, 2017. pp. 259-269.
Weber, Erin Torkelson. The Beatles and the Historians: An Analysis of Writings about the Fab Four. McFarland, 2016. pp. 1-195.