The Beatles Take On American Pop Music; The British Invasion
The rise of the Beatles
By the early to mid 1960s, Rock ad Roll had essentially established itself as a respectable and widely popular genre in not only the US, but in Europe as well. Popular American music was especially enjoyed in the UK and saw a rise in local artists trying to replicate or cover popular Rock and Roll musicians from the States. One such group, and arguably the most famous, was the Beatles. Getting their start in Liverpool, England in 1957, the Beatles as “students of American pop music” had grown up listening to Rock and Roll that had dominated charts in both the US and the UK. Due to this massive cultural influence and wide success of the genre, many bands like the Beatles (Originally called The Quarry Men) chose to cover popular Rock and Roll songs by American artists.
The early group initially found little success at home, failing to get signed to any British labels despite trying to capitalize on the market for American Rock. Between 1960 and 1962, the Beatles travelled to Hamburg and played sets in various locales within the red light district as the demand for American pop cover bands was on the rise. After acquiring a manager named Brian Epstein in 1961, the Beatles underwent a transformation of sorts. Their manager changed their looks, tailored suits and matching hairstyles were all the rage, before promoting them to other labels around the UK. The band’s efforts were finally met with success as they signed a deal with a producer named George Martin from a small EMI subsidiary called Parlophone. With the release and subsequent chart topping popularity of their single “Love Me Do”, the Beatles paved the way for British Rock and Roll groups to make it in London. “Beatlemania” took hold in Liverpool, London and beyond, launching the first real steps toward their success in the United States and those British rock bands that would follow. In February of 1964, a key set of TV performances on the popular Ed Sullivan Show in New York brought the Beatles to the forefront of American attention and would influence the “British Invasion” to come.
The Beatles launch the “British Invasion”
Much like their influences from American Rock and Roll, the Beatles’ own stylings were appealing to teens both at home and in the US. More notably, their use of elements of American pop, such as low guitar chords and even hand clapping popular with many girl groups at the time were prominent. Up until the mid 60s, the band seemed content with continuing this trend. By 1966, the Beatles had begun experimenting, moving away from their earlier works and taking a more unique studio approach to writing music. A focus on lyrics and moving away from a set chorus were among the stylistic changes the group employed during this time. Between the unique capitalization of British Pop and the widely different appearance and vocals presented by British musicians, the “British Invasion” had come full swing in America. One such group found enormous success to rival the Beatles’ own, the Rolling Stones. Often labeled as the “Anti-Beatles”, the Stones were a gruff group of guys that seemed a far departure from the innocent, cute boy persona adopted by the Beatles. In essence, these two popular yet starkly different appearances put the other bands who followed in the wake of the “British Invasion” into two categories. Those most like the Beatles were often connected to the stylings of American Pop and when compared to the Stones, groups like that would stick to more of a bluesy sound. In reality, the music reminiscent of the “British Invasion” was wide and varied but offered a unique experience unlike anything US audiences had seen before.
More than simply just lyrics and a British accent, matching suits and wild long hair were hallmarks of British pop bands. Groups such as the “Dave Clark Five” and “Gerry and the Pacemakers” were styled much like the Beatles and enjoyed nearly equal success in the states. Bands that stuck more to the image of the Rolling Stones were presented as a brash and rebellious, something that spoke to the core of American and British youth alike. The Stones in particular chose to dress more casually and adhered to a pop-fueled American Mainstream by incorporating blues styles. Above all else, the success of bands like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones proved that even British groups could compete with the overwhelming popularity of American pop music of the 50s and 60s.
Bibliography
Covach, John Rudolph, and Andrew Flory. What’s That Sound?: an Introduction to Rock and Its History. W.W. Norton and Company, 2018.
