Beatlemania 1

A Pre-reading activity – What do you know about the Beatles?

1. In which decade were the Beatles most popular? a) 1950s b) 1960s c) 1970s d) 1980s 2. Where did they come from? a) Liverpool b) London c) Los Angeles d) Las Vegas 3. Their names were John, Paul, George and … a) Elvis b) Elton c) Ringo d) Billy 4. One of their later songs is called “Strawberry Fields … a) Forever” b) in the Sky with Diamonds” c) with Love” d) Are Lovely”. 5. Another famous song was called “… Submarine”. a) Blue b) Red c) Silver d) Yellow 6. Which of the Beatles are still alive? (more than one possible answer!) a) Paul McCartney b) John Lennon c) George Harrison d) Ringo Starr 7. Who wrote most of their songs? a) George Martin b) Elton John c) Harrison and Starr d) Lennon and McCartney 8. Whose second band was called “Wings”? a) Paul’s b) John’s c) George’s d) Ringo’s

B Beatlemania – How it all started

“They are fighting all over Britain. … Sometimes it is a mere skirmish involving a few hundred police, but more often there is a pitched battle with broken legs, cracked ribs and bloody noses.” This description from the New York Times on December 1, 1963, was not talking about social problems or political riots; it was describing the start of Beatlemania in Britain. The Beatles had 5 formed around 1960. They had become professional by playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg, and then at the end of 1962 they had had their first hit in the British charts with “Love Me Do”. During 1963 their popularity increased. Fans (mostly female) started following them around. Soon everybody wanted to see and hear them. The article in the New York Times goes on to explain that “in Carlisle, 400 schoolgirls fought the police for four hours while attempting to get 10 tickets for a Beatles show.” The Beatles became the leading story on the news. They were more important than the political situation or even football! Then in October 1963, America’s most popular talk show host, Ed Sullivan, and his wife were stuck at Heathrow Airport in London. When he found out that the chaos in the airport was caused by the Beatles’ arrival from Sweden, he made a note of their name. Two weeks later, he 15 booked them to appear on his show the following February.

C Beatlemania hits the States

On 7 February 1964 the Beatles arrived at Idlewald Airport in New York. They had just scored 20 their first number one hit in the USA with “I Want to Hold your Hand” and although they were getting used to hysterical fans in the UK, they were unsure what reaction would greet them in the States. Thousands of fans – some of them hysterical – met them at the airport. Beatlemania had crossed the Atlantic.

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A few days later the band appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. Reports say that 73 million people 25 (40% of the American population) watched the show, which was a record at the time. Other (un- substantiated) reports say teenage crime dropped to a record low that night as so many teenagers were at home watching the show. Beatlemania continued to thrive in the States as fans followed the band to every concert and every interview. In April of that year, the Beatles had twelve singles in the American charts, including every song in the top five. This has never been repeated since. 30 The Beatles returned to the USA and played many successful concerts over the next two years. They remained popular, often followed by hysterical fans, until John Lennon said in 1966, “We’re more popular than Jesus now.” This caused an outcry in the USA with many people destroying their records. However, their concerts were still sold out. By this time the Beatles were beginning to tire of life on the road and they played their last official concert together in San Francisco on 29 35 August 1966. The Beatles made six more albums and five films until they split up in 1970.

D Why did people like them? The Beatles are one of the most successful bands ever and many books have been written on where the attraction lay. Mostly people say they expressed the feelings of the sixties generation. 40 They started to break free of convention, for example, to wear their hair long (which caused them problems at first in the States). They wrote songs about love in a more fun-loving and less chaste way. The era could have particularly played a role in the Beatles’ success in the USA. Some music historians say that, although they did not know it, Americans were feeling depressed at the time.

45 The economy was beginning to stagnate. President Kennedy had been shot 77 days before the Beatles arrived and people were still suffering from the shock. The Beatles’ uplifting songs were a tonic. But their act seems definitely to have been a part of their success, as theNew York Times re- ported, “Their act, which includes much adlibbing between numbers, is both hilarious and outra- 50 geous.” They had a good sense of humour which came across well at concerts and interviews. For example at the Royal Variety Show in London, which is usually attended by some of the Royal Family, John Lennon joked, “Those in the cheaper seats can clap their hands during the next number; the rest of you can rattle your jewellery.” 55 E How special was Beatlemania? Beatlemania was not the first example of hysterical fans following musicians. That happened as early as 1841, when fans became hysterical when listening to the virtuoso Franz Liszt play the piano. It became known as Lisztomania when fans fought over his gloves or handkerchiefs. 60 Since the Beatles, a few other pop stars have been acclaimed in a similar way; for example, the Bay City Rollers, Michael Jackson and the Spice Girls, but this mania mostly passed quickly and painlessly. So why were the Beatles idolised in this way? Were their songs exceptional or did their music and their personalities symbolise rebellion in a light-hearted and good-natured kind of way? Were they exceptional or are there other pop stars performing today who are just as impor- 65 tant?

F Now it’s your turn Discussion In groups talk about your favourite bands or music. - Why do you like the music or the band? - How does it make you feel? - Can you imagine becoming hysterical when you see the musicians or hear their music? Writing Either: Write an article about the Beatles’ music. Analyze and compare two hits. Choose an early hit (for example “Love Me Do”) and a late one (for example “Let It Be”) and describe how their music changed. Or: Answer the question “How do singers or bands become famous today?” Research how some bands or singers of your choice became famous. For example, did they appear on a casting show? Or did they become famous through a song put on the internet? Did it take them a long time to become famous or did they experience overnight success? State your opinion on the music scene and back it up with some facts. Is the music scene con- trolled by a few powerful famous labels? Or does the internet today allow any band to make it big?

It has been fifty years since the Beatles “landed” in America and Beatlemania overtook the States. In the sixties the Beatles became the lead story on the news for months at a time. Pic- tures of screaming and swooning fans were shown on television, and filled newspapers. This newsletter attempts to explain what Beatlemania was like at the time and why the Beatles were so popular. The students can use this as a basis to discuss their own musical tastes and reac- tions to popular musicians.

A Pre-reading activity

1 – b; 2 – a; 3 – c; 4 – a; 5 – d; 6 – a, d (John Lennon was shot in 1980 at the age of 40 and George Harrison died of lung cancer in 2001); 7 – d; 8 – a

B Beatlemania – How it all started This section only concentrates on the effect of Beatlemania in Britain and the story of how they came to be invited to travel to the United States. At this time, although the Beatles had had a hit in the USA, they were still relatively unknown.

C Beatlemania hits the States

The Beatles, their songs and their lives are very well documented as they were being watched continually by the world’s press, but still different versions of the same stories can be found. The anecdotes show, though, the very real effect they had on society and on popular music.

F Now it’s your turn!

Discussion

This is a chance for the students to listen to some Beatles’ music. They should then talk about their own preferences and their feelings about music and how music or musicians have an influence on their life.

Writing

If your students are interested in reading more about the Beatles, there’s plenty of information available on the internet. We found these sites packed with information:  www.thebeatles.com  www.beatlesbible.com