Times Changed the Beatles
You relax in the cool shade of a palm tree in your yard, sipping on lemonade; the radio faintly hums but you still recognize the tune that plays: “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles. You easily recognize the classic tune, the way most of the globe would; who doesn’t know a Beatles song when played? Most people would just recognize a Beatles song but would not analyze the actual evolution and meaning the Beatles reached throughout their career. There exists a story behind the music of the Beatles, one which explains their maturity and growth as legendary music composers over their periodic time of fame. The Beatles’ lyrics and tone of music would come to grow into a completely altered style that would define rock for the rest of time.
In the establishment of the original Quarrymen (later modified to The Beatles) the band seemed to imitate U.S. traditions such as rhythm and blues, country and western, and girl group pop. They reproduced American pop of the late 1950’s and early 60’s, blended it with a bit of trademark elements, and sold it on the American market as British pop. Many early songs also clearly demonstrated the band’s dedication to teenage love through songs like “She Loves You” and “A Hard Day’s Night.” The Beatles’ first international hit, “I Want to Hold your Hand,” remains a great example of the American imitations: the driving guitars that are inspired by Chuck Berry’s low chords, the duet singing of the band stands closely similar to the Everly Brothers, while the “ooo’s” throughout their songs came directly off of Little Richard. Even the structure of the song (AABA) was derived from Tin Pan Alley (early music writers that were based in the New York neighborhood of Tin Pan Alley).
Throughout five years of non-stop touring and concerts, the Beatles anticipated success through writing and recording quickly. But with this obsession of success, came limits; those limits were noticeable through their reworking of a number of elements, most of which are traced back to the band’s beginning music. Though they struggled to write new material, much variety became incorporated into the “rushed” tunes. Slowly, the Beatles began moving into the artistic side of the music and slowly faded away from the traditional and imitated music they began with. They slowly succumbed to the peace movements and self-exploration times around them, relaxing their tones and rhythms and writing unconventional lyrics. The Beatles grew tiresome of the road and along with them, their music and voices, which were now backed by more soothing instrumentation like violins and guitars. If one were to listen to their hit “Eleanor Rigby,” Paul McCartney’s voice rests at a more tranquil quality, flowing with the constant sharp violins and the strumming of low guitar chords as he sings about a form of dark alienation.
After traveling for 5 years, the Beatles returned to the studios to write original and fresh material. Now being overwhelmed by the Psychedelic movement, their lyrics addressed more serious topics, a wider range of instrumentation was used, standard structures were abandoned, and more time was taken to record