Ch 4

• The Nineteen Sixties saw tremendous turbulence, including John F. Kennedy’s election and assassination; a more forceful youth culture; and social movements critical of the government and traditional institutions
• Issues that divided Americans in the 1960s included the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement
• Civil rights movement

  1. March on Washington (1963)

  2. Passage of the Civil Rights Act (1964)

  3. Racial tensions persisted
• Antiwar protests


  Became more vocal and organized, particularly on college campuses
• Feminist, environmentalist, and consumer protection movements


  Gained national awareness in the 1960s
• Entertainment industry changes


  Radio and television programming, as well as films, reflected shifting values
• The Beatles, a band from Liverpool, England, became the “next big thing” and launched a fad known as the “British invasion” of American pop
• British invasion of American pop

  1. History of British pop before 1964 and British musicians’ interest in American musical styles

  2. How British music affected American pop beginning in 1964
• Music business in the United Kingdom

  1. Big companies controlled the music business until 1964

  2. Few independent record labels and no independent radio stations

  3. Radio access was controlled by the government, making it difficult for indie labels to get their records played

  4. Resurgence of American folk and jazz music in the U.K.

  5. Challenge in placing domestic records on the pop charts where Americans dominated
• The Beatles formation and early gigs

  1. Formed in 1957 in Liverpool, playing skiffle and then rock and roll

  2. Changed name and lineup several times

  3. Made extended trips to Hamburg, Germany, and were regulars at the Cavern Club in Liverpool

  4. Brian Epstein became their manager and helped them clean up their stage act, land a recording contract with EMI, and place a hit record on the U.K. charts

  5. By 1962, the Beatles had achieved what no Liverpool band had done before
• Beatles’ influences


  Live recordings demonstrate the band’s influences from American rock and roll
• I, and place a hit record on the U.K. charts
• By 1962, the Beatles had done what no Liverpool band had done before, which opened doors to other bands from the region
• Beatles’ Influences


  • Live recordings of the Beatles from their early years demonstrate the band’s influences from American rock and roll
  • Performing cover versions of songs popularized by artists including Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, and Ray Charles
• Beatlemania, 1963–1966


  1. In 1963, the Beatles recorded their first album, Please Please Me, and toured

  2. Three more hit singles in the United Kingdom and enthusiastic fans led the British press to coin the term Beatlemania

  3. Beatles' early singles were licensed to indie labels in America

  4. Epstein arranged for the Beatles to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show, leading to the release of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" which became a number-one hit in the United States

  5. The band's first appearance on Ed Sullivan's show launched a run of hit records, several number-one albums, and two successful films before 1966

  6. The Beatles' last public concert took place in San Francisco in 1966
• Beatles’ Music Develops: From Craftsmen to Artists


  • "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is a good example of how the Beatles blended a variety of American musical influences in their early recordings
  • The music recorded by the Beatles in 1963 and 1964 can be described as more craft than art
  • The song "Tomorrow Never Knows" demonstrates how the Beatles moved toward a more artistic approach between 1964 and 1966
• The Growing Importance of Lyrics

  • The Beatles' early lyrics typically dealt with simple teenage love, whereas later songs were more complex and unconventional
• Developing Greater Stylistic Range

  • By 1965, the Beatles began to incorporate a wider range of musical influences
• The British Invade

  1. After the Beatles, a number of British bands appeared on American charts

  2. The term British invasion is generally used to describe bands that featured guitars and long-haired musicians

  3. Gerry and the Pacemakers, the Dave Clark Five, and other Beatles-type bands had hits on American charts beginning in 1965
• The Rolling Stones and the British Blues Revival

  1. Some British bands drew on the Chicago electric blues as opposed to pop, and projected a more rebellious image

  2. In London, a British blues revival was sparked by guitarist Alexi