The Beatles

The Beatles were the leaders of the British Invasion of the 1960s. Their name was inspired by Buddy Holly and the Crickets as well as the "Beat Movement" going on in Britain at the time (the Beat Movement also brought about the "Beatniks" of the era). The Beatles were phenomenal even before they left Britain, partially due to their scruffy looks that included their unique "bowl-cut" hairstyle that covered their foreheads and touched their ears. This was unconventional for the sixties. The Beatles began playing simple covers of previous rock and roll musicians like Chuck Berry, but quickly had massive success with their own original work. Another unique thing about the Beatles were their names: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. The deal about Ringo was that his real name was actually Richard Starkey, he simply went by a stage name. Due to the phenomenal popularity of the Beatles, other British bands of similar style became popular. Thus the Invasion began. This was divided into the more conservative bands like Herman's Hermits and the scruffier bands like The Rolling Stones. As the decade progressed the Beatles' music evolved with the changing trends. Many of their song used psychedelic elements. The song *Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds* was accused of being about LSD due to having the same initials, but the Beatles denied it. The song *Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da* uses a reggae influence. *Tomorrow Never Knows* uses an Indian influence. It was rumored for years that littered throughout the Beatles' work there were clues that McCartney had died. However, this was eventually debunked. The song *Revolution* attempts to calm people who had joined the Counterculture Movement and were demanding to revolt against the government. In the late sixties Lennon fell in love with Yoko Ono, which eventually led to the breakup of the band. One song during their relationship was *The Ballad of John and Yoko*, which had the controversial line "Christ! You know it ain't easy. You know how hard it can be. The way things are going .There gonna crucify me.". After the band's breakup, all the members went solo. McCartney has seen the greatest success, especially with the group Wings. Lennon was quickly assassinated. Harrison did a charity concert during a famine in Bangladesh called the Concert for Bangladesh. After he died, a tribute concert for him was called the Concert for George. A solo concert album by McCartney was called *Paul is Live!*, after the Paul is Dead rumors. The Beatles song *Lady Madonna* was done in the style of Fats Domino, which he later covered. The Beatles were inducted into the actual Hall of Fame, as well as all four being inducted as solo artists (although Ringo received the Award for Musical Excellence rather than the standard induction). Compilation *Beatles 1* was the first collection of number-one hits to become a bestseller. The film *Across the Universe* is based around Beatles music. During the sixties, multiple films were made. *Yellow Submarine* is especially popular due to its bizarre animation. The Chief of the Blue Meanies was the inspiration for the recurring villain Him in the Cartoon Network program *The Powerpuff Girls*. There was an episode of PPG that was based entirely around Beatles songs. Hard rock band Aerosmith would successfully cover *Come Together*. All four Beatles received knighthood, although Ringo initially did not want to. There is a 1964 country song by Lorne Greene entitled *Ringo* about Johnny Ringo, an Old West outlaw. Most people mistook the song to be about Starr, thus making the song a number-one hit. Starr was also known for having a different accent than the other members of the group. They were parodied by folk group Peter, Paul, and Mary in their novelty hit *I Dig Rock and Roll Music.* the Beatles' hit *Taxman* was parodied by comedy musician Weird Al Yankovic for his song *Pac-Man*. Many of their songs have become classic rock staples. They have had numerous hit singles and bestselling albums. Blue eyed soul musician Joe Cocker had success with his cover of *With a Little Help from My Friends*. His version was later used as the theme song to the eighties TV show *Happy Days*. The Beatles have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, both as a band and individually. Three of their albums have gone diamond with two going double diamond. During the height of the Beatles' popularity, a childrens program known as *The Monkees* premiered as a parody of the group. Only some of the members of the Monkees were British, but the show was such a success the band actually released some of their songs. The band garned numerous hits. They were eventually considered by the actual Hall of Fame, but were not inducted. The song *Something* was written for Harrison's love for supermodel Pattie Boyd, with whom George was in love at the time. *Come Together* also references blues legend Muddy Waters as well as Yoko Ono. The backing lyrics are "shoot me", referencing the band's tendency to shoot heroin. The song was banned in the UK due to its mention of *Coca-Cola*. Britain has certain copyright laws regarding the use of brand names in songs that prevented the song from being marketed there. The Kinks had the same problem with *Lola.* There is a jam band named Soulive who did a cover album of Beatles material called *Rubber Soulive*, named after the Beatles album *Rubber Soul.* Beatlemania is mentioned in the Billy Joel song *We Didn't Start the Fire*. In the song *A Day in the Life*, the line "4,000 holes in Blackburn-Lancashire" refers to marijuana cigarettes.*Taxman* was written in response to the high levels of progressive tax passed by Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Neo-progressive rock band Marillion has claimed the Beatles as an influence.