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  • Essay / The Beatles' influence on the world

    Like a form of fervent superglue, the sound of the Beatles is forever stuck to the image of '60s music. After the end of the rhythm era and from the blues of the 50s, the Middle Ages of music were waiting for a sound to revive the industry, and so the Beatles were primed and ready to create a whole new genre of psychedelic music. Of course, there was great and interesting music coming from Detriot, Memphis and Chicago; but for the most part, the industry mellowed out – the music was candied, stripped of anything that could make a sassy sound. The Beatles tinkered with chords, harmonies and modern audio art in hopes of creating a new psychedelic sound that conveniently reflected the growing use of cannabis in the '60s. No musician before the Beatles had fused music like the four boys were doing on the mop. From rock to soul, classical to pop, folk and even Indian (sometimes all in one song), the Beatles' unique sound was unknown. Bob Dylan once said in an interview: “Their deals were outrageous, just outrageous. You wonder why so many people try to copy what they created. Many believe that this revolution in sound paved the way for bands like Nirvana, the Rolling Stones, Queen and artists like Elton John and Sting. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay What made these four guys from Liverpool so inconceivably successful? Perhaps it was the combination of pure talent, a visionary producer and their years in Hamburg playing 7 hours a night that gave them a foothold in the start of a British invasion. Regardless, there is one undeniable truth that the American people do not need. for sale; The Beatles were good. Most bands have a really good songwriter. The best groups have two. The Beatles had three. Paul or John could easily have had enough material to start bands on their own, and later George bolstered them with unexpected talent by writing "Something" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." The Beatles were also the first group to use feedback in a song. During one of the Beatles' early recording sessions, John Lennon unintentionally pressed his electrified acoustic guitar against an amplifier, creating a virginal audio form. The opening “I Feel Fine” was the first to feature it, and the rest is rock and roll history. The new audio trick allowed for more sustained sounds that were traditionally difficult to produce using natural playing techniques. The sound was totally new – so full of joy and excitement and, by the standards of the time (this is an important and hugely underrated point), loud. For this reason, the Beatles can also be respectfully credited with the popularity of electric guitars and, indeed, the hard rock genre that eventually engulfed the '70s. Paul McCartney, the bassist, often made a song sound innovative by not playing the fundamental note, but rather the third or fifth. Most famously, he used this technique on what remains probably the most instantly recognizable single chord in rock history, the opening chord of "A Hard Day's Night." Suppose Lennon had played the root note, G, it would have sounded like an ending, not a beginning. Instead, the chord sits there generously, like a ballerina in mid-bouncing; Over the years, it's the guitar chord that has gotten the most attention, but it's actually McCartney's D and itsoriginal playing techniques that make the overall impact so shocking and exhilarating. Now the drums. Poor Ringo, always neglected, yet he has his particular artistic talent: the open top hat. A top hat, essentially, is the rod mounted through two cymbals attached to the sides of a drum set with a pedal to compress the discs together. In most of the early songs, Ringo kept that top hat open. This diverted the traditional four distinct beats into one continuous, rolling sound (making a constant t-tsch-t-tsch-t-tsch-t-tsch noise). In “I want to hold your hand” thinks about the bridge: “And when I touch you, I feel happy inside…” Do you remember how it becomes softer, quieter? What makes this happen? John and George play a little softer, sure, but above all, Ringo has just closed the top hat. The mood of the song is completely changed – it instantly becomes more restrained and intimate. Now try to imagine the song with the top hat closed throughout the verse. A completely different song – much less panicked, less thrilling, less of everything. As The Beatles introduced a broader music industry, their influence extended beyond just their songs. One of the greatest testaments to this strength is the hold they had on American fashion. “What do you think of when you think of the 60s? Big round glasses, funky colored flared pants, peace signs? John Lennon's glasses and striped flares are basically trademarks of the Beatles, and peace is each of their middle names. I’m not saying they’re the only factor, but the influence they’ve had on fashion alone is insane.” Flowy hippie shirts and flared pants pioneered Beatle fashion. As with any icon, admirers wanted to be like all four, and with the group having no shortage of fans, a new fashion sector emerged from beneath their own closets. Suddenly, men were growing their hair and women were wearing mini-skirts. The Beatles also made boots fashionable. “Beatle boots” are tight, ankle-length boots, traditionally black and pointed at the toe. Brian Epstein, while walking the streets of London in 1963, came across the shoe company Anello & Davide. There, Epstein spotted the iconic black Chelsea boots and invented four pairs for each Beatle. From there, Beatles fashion became set in stone, and within a year the shoe was in a good portion of American men's closets. As their music matured, so did their style. Although what we consider today to be the "Beatles look", their fashion can't just be limited to bell bottom pants and funky patterned shirts. Monochrome black and white costumes in the St. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club era, marching band outfits full of epaulettes. Nehru jackets, sandals, fringed sleeves, sometimes these looks are essential, sometimes they were avant-garde, unorthodox and caused a scandal. Thousands of people were inclined to dress as they saw their British icons, and with such a market, retail stores began to sell things that at one time only boutiques sold. This forced more and more designers to design their own versions of the clothes they saw the Beatles wearing. Were all these changes influenced by the Beatles? Yes, but on a larger scale, he was more informed by his times. As Bob Dylan said "times are a-changin'" and they did, the Beatles simply played the. ,.