The British band, consisting of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, have the highest sales of any musical act, selling over 800 million records with twelve studio albums and one LP (a long-playing record).
As the best-selling band in history, the Beatles have had an enormous impact on society, including the ignition of the British Invasion here in America. Today, I will discuss the legacy of the Beatles through the lens of cultural studies theory.
Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison began playing as a trio in 1958 and performed at clubs in the Liverpool and Hamburg areas. The three went through a series of drummers (including Pete Best) before settling on Starr.
The first hit song from the Fab Four was "Love Me Do", which was recorded in June 1962 and released in Britain in October of that year. "Love Me Do" was later brought to America in April 1964.
Beatlemania quickly spread. Around this time, the Beatles earned their "Fab Four" nickname, and they began commanding the British Invasion of the mid-1960s.
As the years went on, the band brought innovative and unconventional techniques and instruments to their albums. These included
Sadly, the band broke up in 1970 after the release of their final album, "Let It Be". Each member seemed to have a successful solo career after the group disbanded; however, Lennon was shot and killed in December 1980.
McCartney and Starr are still playing music today; Harrison passed away from cancer in 2001.
The previously cited "Introducing Communication Theory" textbook mentions that the theory of cultural studies is defined as "a theoretical perspective that focuses on how culture is influenced by powerful, dominant groups".
This theory originated in the Beatles' homeland of Britain and was initiated by sociologist Stuart Hall. Hall found that the elite use media as a tool to bring their viewpoints to the masses.
"Introducing Communication Theory" explains that the theory is based on two certain assumptions. These assumptions are that "culture pervades and invades all facets of human behavior" and that "people are part of a hierarchical structure of power".
One of the central concepts in the theory of cultural studies is hegemony. This is defined as the influence that one group in society has over a different group in that society.
When the British Invasion came to America with the Beatles as forefathers, the United Kingdom influenced popular music here in American. The Brits brought new ideas, new concepts, and new techniques to the Americans.
The Beatles themselves also have influenced various artists that have emerged. Artists influenced by the Beatles include Dave Grohl, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, and Billie Eilish. Each musician has mentioned that they had grown up with the Beatles and cited them as inspirations for their musical careers.
However, the Beatles themselves were quite against hegemony, especially when it came to masculinity.
The concept of hegemonic masculinity is defined as the reason men have kept dominant roles over women in society.
"It Was 50 Years Ago Today: Reading the Beatles as a Challenge to Discourses of Hegemonic Masculinity" is an academic paper by Martin King, principal lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom.
King mentions in the paper that the notions of hegemonic masculinity "claim that dominant conceptualizations of masculinity are reproduced through key institutions, e.g., the education system, the mass media" and that "other 'versions' of masculinity, including young, homosexual, or effeminate men became subordinate to the dominant model."
He also mentions that the dominant force behind the concept of hegemonic masculinity is heterosexual men.
Hegemonic Masculinity: How the Dominant Man Subjugates Other Men, Women, and Society
The band challenged various sex and gender roles that have appeared in society in their music.
One important example is their refusal to revise the overall lyrics in their cover of The Shirelle's song "Boys". Although they changed certain pronouns that were used, the band wasn't worried about gay undertones.
"Any one of us could hold the audience," McCartney stated in an October 2005 with the music magazine Rolling Stone.
"Ringo would do 'Boys', which was a fan favorite with the crowd. And it was great — though if you think about it, here's us doing a song and it was really a girls' song. 'I talk about boys now!' Or it was a gay song. But we never even
"Ringo always used to do a song in the show," he later mentioned in another interview. "Back then he had 'Boys'. It was a little embarrassing because it went, 'I'm talking about boys - yeah, yeah - boys'. It was a Shirelles hit and they were girls singing it, but we never thought we should call it 'Girls', just because Ringo was a boy. We just sang it the way they'd sung it and never considered any implications."
Their group dynamic has also been described by author Steven Stark as more feminine than masculine, due to Lennon and McCartney's songwriting partnership and the lack of a tough, macho leader.
The band conflicted with or are mixed with figures that represented the concept of hegemonic masculinity in each film project they starred in during the 1960s. These films are "A Hard Day's Night" (1964), "Help!" (1965), "Magical Mystery Tour" (1967), and "Let It Be" (1970).
One way these films contrast the Beatles with these authoritarian figures is through their physical appearance.
"Help!", a musical-comedy film, sees the four come in contact with a police inspector who embodies hegemonic masculinity with a hardy, gentlemanly appearance in his attire and hairstyle. The band contrasts him by dressing in subdued fabrics (as shown below).
Meanwhile, "Let It Be" has the Beatles dressed in feminine coats, pumps, and atypical suits and styled with longer hair, as opposed to the strait-laced, professional suits that belong to the businessmen they encounter.
Another way this contrast occurs is through their resistance to traditional gender roles in the films. A traditional role of men is doing all of the work for a household while the female stays home to take care of the children.
During "A Hard Day's Night" and "Let It Be", the band is very burdened by the concept of work and actively resists it. "Help!" shows them evolving into a stage of pre-
"Magical Mystery Tour" also shows this contrast through hallucinogenic visuals as the band is, according to British music critic Ian MacDonald, "lost in a childlike psychedelic world" free from the burden of work.
MacDonald mentioned in his book "Revolution In The Head: The Beatles' Records And The Sixties" that “agreement on them is all but universal: they were far and away the best ever pop group and their music enriched the lives of millions”.
Frankly, I agree with him.
What is your personal opinion of the Beatles? Do you think they deserve as much praise as they currently receive? What is your favorite Beatles song? Feel free to leave a comment down below!
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