Question

How did the Beatles reflect the social and cultural changes of the 1960s??

Answer 1

• The Beatles affected society in 5 ways socially politically intellectually culturally and economically.
• The Beatles affected society socially by bringing hippies together through their music Hippies would have many festivals and The Beatles were a part of many of them.
• The Beatles affected society politically by advertising use of drugs. They spread drug culture and worked with the peace movement.
• The Beatles affected society intellectually by showing people who listened to their music a new way of life. The Beatles music spread peace to listeners and spread new beliefs.
• The Beatles impacted society culturally by bringing people of all cultures together with festivals and concerts all over the world.
• Lastly the Beatles impacted society economically for centuries after by being one of the most successful bands in history.
• When examining the evidence, Beatlemania was the first mass outburst of the '60s to feature women. Sociologist and activist Barabara Ehrenreich was amongst the first to point out that Beatlemania had the force of a social movement. Ehrenreich’s research has shown that upon their debut the typical crazed fan was predominately female, white, from a middle-class background, and on average ten- to 14-years. The Beatles’ youthful charisma and glow was reflected not only in their presence but also in their music.Another factor of Beatlemania has been attributed frustration with battles of racial disparities, riots, civil and social unrest and restless youth. Accounts have described the Beatles’ music coming into play at the perfect time.
• The music, scene and experience provided a distraction from the frustrations and confusions of current events. The Beatles presented an outlet for people to express their emotions by offering musical and stylistic satisfaction. Listeners were united through a common cause: the music spoke to them and for them.Some popular culture sociologists have speculated that Beatlemania was attributed to girls expressing their desires to follow and conform to the majority.
• The cultural impact of the Beatles includes many effects on popular music and fashion. After the group was subject to Beatlemania, their continued commercial and critical success assisted many cultural movements—including a shift from American artists' global dominance of rock and roll to British acts (British Invasion), the proliferation of young musicians in the 1960s who formed new bands, the album as the dominant form of record consumption over singles, the term "Beatlesque" used to describe similar-sounding artists, and several fashion trends.
• Young people viewed the Beatles as their cultural representatives, and they followed the group’s lead.
• Beatles were among the first and certainly the most far-reaching of the pop bands of the 60s to infect mainstream America with the psychedelic virus. LSD was still a legal drug in America when the Beatles started to sing about “turning off your mind".Psychedelic rock became a major aspect of U.S. culture for the next several years.