How Did The Beatles Influence American Culture

The Beatles reached such high popularity in the United States due to the fact that unnerving events, such as the assassination of president John F. Kennedy, had shaken the public and created a need for some sort of change in the mood. Therefore, this group of four charismatic young men was the icing on the cake with their uplifting and fun mood. Another factor that lead to their popularity was their unpredictable nature which entertained and marveled their audience. Americans held an interest in British culture, and had exported much of their popular music to England, however, American Beatlemania was a time when they could receive something in return. The Beatles also stood out due to the fact that they performed as a group of four equally contributing members,

instead of only focusing on a singer with a background like it had previously been done in a rock ‘n’ roll ensemble. This gave the audience an opportunity to find someone out of the fiyr that they could identify with. Due to the members of the Beatles being multitalented, and responsible for writing their own songs, they seemed less professional and more relatable for their fans. The identification that people felt caused rock and roll to become a way for people to find their own self-definition. Thus, the beatles turned rock into “something being for the middle class youth to something performed by the middle class youth” (113). Now the Beatles were promoting a new lifestyle, as well as a new musical style.
I believe that if the British invasion had happened without the Beatles the history of rock and roll would be different because there might not have been such a large interest in British, or British inspired, rock and roll groups.

Without the Beatles, paving the way, leaving such a big impression on Americans, and fueling the fascination for British culture, perhaps it would have been harder for the British invasion to even occur. Beatlemania caused things related to British culture to be a trend, without that important element, there would not really have been such a place for the British invasion. The author talks about how the Beatles were different because up until the end they evolved in new directions, expanding their audience. They were different because they were authentic British musicians, and some of the musicians from the British invasion were American groups that attempted to mimic distinctive aspects of “British style”, whether it be by their outfits, hairstyles, or even a pseudo-English accents. In addition, the Beatles did not stick as close to their roots as other groups did during the British invasion. They experimented so much that at one point their music was essentially

uncategorizable.
Bob Dylan was very important to the development of rock and roll music because of three main facts. The first being the fact that he started off as an acoustic artist, and then decided to transition into a rock ‘n’ roll. Bob Dylan created the idea of rock ‘n’ roll as an art form, making it suitable for adults. His music provided music that was not primarily identifying with African Americans, thus introducing the idea of the possibility of white people being authentic artists, instead of copying African Americans like in the past. He used his known folk music sensibility to make rock music more inclusive and experimental. Bob Dylan had a vocal quality that defied standards, playing with poetic imagery, metaphor, sense of irony, and the intensity of his performance style. Throughout the cous of his career he made distinctive, heterogeneous, and erratic albums that represented a single testament of the spirit of pop music invention. He opened a door to a future of rock with a political, intellectual, and self conscious musical style that had its roots in the same cultural heritage as his fans.