Why did the Beatles hold an important place in my youth? Because the Beatles changed everything.
I was really down after the assassination of John Kennedy and then along came the Beatles. They changed people’s dress, hair style, social relations. The changed the focus of “rock and roll” to rock and pop. They influenced Dylan to go electric and Dylan got them stoned. If Dylan can be given credit for liberating the lyrics of rock music, then the Beatles should get credit for liberating the music of rock.
They revolutionized the rock industry and I like John Lennon’s politics, or was it that he liked mine?
Though they lacked Jagger’s rock theatricality and they did not write as well as Dylan to my ears, the Beatles had an impact on rock music that far exceeded that of any other group or soloist.
Young white Americans wanted to form their own bands after hearing what the Beatles were doing. Sport starts started taking a back seat to rock starts. The Beatles changed American pop culture forever.
Their impact is all around us today.
Dr. John Orman, professor of politics, is the author of “Politics of Rock Music” (1984) and the upcoming “Politics of Rock Music Revisited” (2004).
Leave a Reply