The Beatles' influence on rock music and popular culture was—and remains—immense. Their commercial success started an almost immediate wave of changes—including a shift from US global dominance of rock and roll to UK acts, from soloists to groups, from professional songwriters to self-penned songs, and to changes in fashion.
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Prior to The Beatles' influence, record albums were of secondary consideration to singles ("45s") in mass marketing. Albums contained largely "filler" material (unexceptional songs) along with one or two hits. The Beatles rarely incorporated singles as part of their albums, thus defining the album as more important.[citation needed]
Several Beatles album covers have been copied or parodied, for example:
Richard Lester got a formal letter from MTV declaring him the father of the modern pop video, for the work he did directing both of the early Beatles films, A Hard Day's Night (1964) and Help! (1965). His revolutionary camera techniques together with short lines of dialogue and rapid editing cuts to the beat were all seen as the precursor to the modern rock video.
In the mid-1960s, the Beatles began filming promotional music videos for their songs, which they sent to television networks in lieu of appearing in person. Starting with the promotional clip for "Rain" in 1966, these films began using many techniques previously only seen in experimental film, such as intensive use of slow-motion, and reversed film. This approach was further taken to new heights with the groundbreaking promo clip for "Strawberry Fields Forever," directed by Swedish television director Peter Goldman in January 1967, which beside the techniques already seen in "Rain" also used intricate jump-cuts that rapidly alternated between night and day, switching color temperature filters, during the song's outro extensive post-production color filtering, and other avant-garde devices. These techniques were later copied and the use of such film and videos started the now common practice of releasing a video clip to accompany singles.
In May 1966, John Lennon said of people covering their songs, "Lack of feeling in an emotional sense is responsible for the way some singers do our songs. They don't understand and are too old to grasp the feeling. Beatles are really the only people who can play Beatle music."[1]
Although many artists have performed covers of songs by The Beatles, the following are among the most notable.
Both Noel and Liam Gallagher have revealed the massive influence The Beatles have on their music. On their EP Cigarettes and Alcohol, there is a live version of Beatles' song "I Am The Walrus". Oasis have also covered "Helter Skelter" and "Strawberry Fields Forever".
Oasis songs also often contain references to Beatles' songs, such as:
The song "Morning Glory" off (What's the Story) Morning Glory features a reference to "Tomorrow Never Knows" in the lyric "Walking to the sound of my favorite tune, Tomorrow Never Knows what it doesn't know too soon."
On the way to the studio to record an extra verse for "Shakermaker", Noel realised he had no lyrics for it. On the way, the car stopped at some traffic lights by a familiar record shop, "Sifter's". Noel turned this journey into the missing verse "Mr Sifter sold me songs/When I was just 16/Now he stops at traffic lights/But only when they're green."[citation needed]. The video for the single was shot partly at the record shop, and during this verse Liam is seen holding the Paul McCartney and Wings LP Red Rose Speedway.
The video to "All Around The World" (itself a nod to "Yellow Submarine") features the band in white suits. The Beatles wore white suits while performing "Your Mother Should Know" during the film Magical Mystery Tour.
The front cover of the "Live Forever" single features a photograph of the childhood home of John Lennon.
The melody for the Liam track "Guess God Thinks I'm Abel", by his own admission, is a slowed down version of "I Wanna Be Your Man'."
John Lennon was once asked to sum up the 60s in one phrase. His answer was Be Here Now, the title of Oasis' 1997 album.
On 2008's Liam penned song, "I'm Outta Time," there features an audio-clip of Lennon defending his right to live in New York, when he says "As Churchill said, 'It's every Englishman's inalienable right to live where the hell he likes. What's it gonna do? Vanish? Is it not going to be there when I get back?'"
On June 4, 1967, the Jimi Hendrix Experience played their last show in England, at London's Saville Theatre,[2] before heading to America. Two Beatles (Paul McCartney and George Harrison) were in attendance, along with a roll-call of UK rock stardom: Brian Epstein, Eric Clapton, Spencer Davis, Jack Bruce, and pop singer Lulu.
Hendrix opened the show with his own rendition of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", which he had learned in the few days leading up to the show. Harrison and McCartney were extremely impressed by this, especially because it was played on the Sunday after the release of Sgt. Pepper the previous Friday. McCartney had publicly endorsed Hendrix for months, before Hendrix broke into the UK music scene.[3] Hendrix also played "Day Tripper," which can be found on the live albums Radio One and BBC Sessions.
Joe Cocker's first album was called With a Little Help from My Friends and contained a song with the same name. He had completely revamped the Lennon/McCartney song by changing it to a 12/8 blues/rock song. The Beatles heard it before its release, as the producer was uncertain as to how they would react to such a radical overhaul of one of their tracks. All the Beatles agreed that it was a great version.[citation needed]
Cocker's version was later used as the theme song for the TV show The Wonder Years.
Cocker later sang and acted the song "Come Together" in the feature film Across the Universe.
David Bowie covered "Across the Universe" on his 1975 album Young Americans. John Lennon was partly involved in the making of the album. Bowie revamped the song into a soul version, eliminating the monotone vocals used in the Beatles version (and other covers of the song), as well as eliminating the "jai guru deva om" part of the chorus.
In 1976, Keith Moon of The Who covered the Beatles' "When I'm Sixty-Four" for the soundtrack of the documentary All This and World War II, and sang backing vocals (with many others) on "All You Need Is Love".[4] Moon also covered "In My Life" on his album Two Sides of the Moon.
Moon once approached the Beatles' table at a London nightclub. "Can I join you?" he asked. "Yeah, sure," said Starr, as he pulled up a seat for Moon. Moon then said, "No, can I join you?", implying that he wanted to join the band. Ringo replied with, "No, we've already got a drummer."[5] The last photo of Lennon and McCartney together was owned by Moon.
Moon's final night out was as a guest of McCartney at the preview of the film The Buddy Holly Story. After dinner with Paul and Linda McCartney, Moon and his girlfriend—Annette Walter-Lax—left the party early and they returned to his flat in Curzon Place, London. He later died in his sleep.
Peter Sellers recited the lyrics of "A Hard Day's Night"[6] (1965 - UK # 14) in a "Shakespearian" voice, (in the style of Laurence Olivier playing Richard III) with minimal backing music.
He deliberately changed the tempo and dynamics of the original lyrics to make them comical. He left definite pauses between words, such as:
"But when I get home to you... I find the things that you do... will make me feel (pause) all right."
This version was re-issued in 1993, and reached Number 52 in the UK Top 75 Singles chart. He covered several other Beatles hits, including "Help!" and "She Loves You".
Sellers had casual friendships with Harrison and Starr. Harrison told occasional Sellers stories in interviews, and Starr appeared with Sellers in the anarchic movie, The Magic Christian (1970), whose theme song was Badfinger's cover version of McCartney's "Come and Get It". Starr also gave Sellers a rough mix of songs from The Beatles. The tape was auctioned, and bootlegged, after his death.
See main article: List of artists who have covered The Beatles
The Beatles were the first entertainment act to stage a large stadium concert. At Shea Stadium, New York City on Sunday, August 15, 1965 the group opened their 1965 North American tour to a record audience of 55,600. The event sold out in 17 minutes.[7] It was the first concert to be held at a major outdoor stadium and set records for attendance and revenue generation, demonstrating that outdoor concerts on a large scale could be successful and profitable. The Beatles returned to Shea for a very successful encore in August 1966.
The Beatle haircut, also known as the mop-top (or moptop) —because of its resemblance to a mop—or Arthur amongst fans, is a mid-length hairstyle named after and popularised by the Beatles. It is a straight cut - collar-length at the back and over the ears at the sides, with a straight fringe (bangs).
As a schoolboy in the mid '50s, Jürgen Vollmer had left his hair hanging down over his forehead one day after he had gone swimming, not bothering to style it. John Lennon is quoted in The Beatles Anthology as follows: "Jürgen had a flattened-down hairstyle with a fringe in the back, which we rather took to." In late 1961, Vollmer moved to Paris. McCartney said in a 1979 radio interview: "We saw a guy in Hamburg whose hair we liked. John and I were hitchhiking to Paris. We asked him to cut our hair like he cut his." McCartney also wrote in a letter to Vollmer in 1989: "George explained in a 60s interview that it was John and I having our hair cut in Paris which prompted him to do the same…. We were the first to take the plunge."[8]
Because of the immense popularity of the Beatles, the haircut was widely imitated worldwide between 1964 and 1966. Their hair-style led toy manufacturers to begin producing real-hair and plastic "Beatle Wigs".[9] Lowell Toy Manufacturing Corp. of New York was licensed to make "the only AUTHENTIC Beatle Wig". There have been many attempts at counterfeiting, but in its original packaging this wig has become highly collectible.
At a press conference at the Plaza Hotel in New York, shortly after the Beatles' arrival in the United States, Harrison was asked by a reporter, "What do you call your hairstyle?" He replied "Arthur". The scene was recreated in the movie A Hard Day's Night with the reporter asking Harrison, "What would you call that, uh, hairstyle you're wearing?"
Mikhail Safonov wrote in 2003 that in the Brezhnev-dominated Soviet Union, mimicking the Beatles hairstyle was seen as extremely rebellious. Young people were called "hairies" by their elders, and were arrested and forced to have their hair cut in police stations.[10]
In 1967, most memorably on the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, all four of the Beatles sported moustaches. (Harrison also began to sport long hair while Lennon began to wear his signature glasses.) This look signaled a new, more mature image for the "mop tops." By the late 1960s, the Beatles generally had much longer hair than they had during the Beatlemania era, and often wore full beards.
In the early Beatle-mania years, the Beatles would occasionally wear black, and then later grey, Edwardian collarless suits.[8][11] This style of suit was adopted from the Mod youth cult, then at its peak in the UK.[12] These suits (instead of leather trousers, plaid shirts, and slacks) became extremely common for new bands to wear after 1964.
Later, during the psychedelic era of 1967–1968, the Beatles popularised bright colours, and wore paisley suits and shirts and trousers with floral patterns. The Beatles also popularised Indian-influenced fashions such as collarless shirts and sandals.
By the late 1960s, the Beatles had adopted trends toward more casual fashions, with t-shirts, blue jeans, and denim jackets. Lennon also popularised wearing solid white suits, reflecting an interest in minimalist design that also influenced the cover of the The Beatles. This mixture of casual wear and unconventional formal clothing could be seen in The Beatles' later years as they grew beards and drifted towards more hippie and Indian clothing.
Beatle boots are tight-fitting, Cuban-heeled, ankle-length boots with a pointed toe which originated in 1963 when Brian Epstein discovered Chelsea boots while browsing in the London footwear company Anello & Davide, and consequently commissioned four pairs (with the addition of Cuban heels) for The Beatles to complement their new suit image upon their return from Hamburg, who wore them under drainpipe trousers.[13]
The style of hat worn by Lennon and his wife Cynthia on the Beatles' tour of the U.S. in 1964 was adopted widely by both men and women. In 1966, during the filming of How I Won the War, Lennon adopted round, thin-rimmed "teashade glasses," which became a signature element of Lennon's look. This style of eyewear is still popularly known as "John Lennon glasses."
The hit UK TV show Absolutely Fabulous, better known as "Ab-Fab", filmed a whole episode based on finding the "Lost Tapes" of the Beatles. Robert Lindsay played a fictional tape engineer who used to work at Abbey Road Studios during the time that the Beatles worked there.
A long scene was filmed in the Abbey Road Studios: Joanna Lumley pressed the record button by mistake on the reel-to-reel recorder while she was looking for a second bottle of champagne in the control room. In the meantime, Jennifer Saunders unknowingly sang over the tapes, and they were lost forever. When Robert Lindsay played the tapes at the party and realised that they were lost forever, he promptly collapsed on the floor.
In the The Simpsons Season 5 opening episode, "Homer's Barbershop Quartet", Homer, Skinner, Apu, and Barney form a group called the Be-sharps, which rapidly rises to the top. There are numerous references to the Beatles, such as Barney dating a Japanese conceptual artist (a parody of Yoko Ono) playing a song that repeats "number 8", a "Revolution 9" parody, and the Be-Sharps claiming they were "bigger than Jesus". It ends with them singing on the rooftop of Moe's bar. The episode even includes a cameo by George Harrison, who meets Homer (but Homer cares more about his brownie than the legend), and later appears in a limousine while the Be-Sharps sing on the rooftop, remarking that "It's been done." Homer later states to the crowd, "I hope we've finally passed the audition", but Barney is the one who doesn't understand what he means.
In the Season 7 episode, "Lisa the Vegetarian", Paul McCartney and then-wife Linda McCartney appear at the roof of the Kwik-E-Mart to give Lisa guidance of being a vegetarian. In the end they ask her if she like to hear a song, Lisa is thrilled and agrees. But in a twist they go to Apu to sing a song (on a tabla - an offkey version of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band) - while they snap to his beat.
The three Beatles who were alive in the 1990s recorded their voices for The Simpsons. Ringo appeared on "Brush with Greatness", Paul and Linda McCartney on "Lisa the Vegetarian", and George on the "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" episode. The John Lennon song "Mother" appeared in one episode ("My Mother the Carjacker"), so all the Beatles have made a vocal appearance on the Simpsons.
In the episode "Lisa's Pony" from season 3, Homer needs to do two jobs. One during the day and one during the night in order to afford Lisa's pony. Those jobs are: Working at the power plant (During the day) and the Kwik-E-Mart (during the night) In a scene, Homer falls asleep driving home. There is a tune playing while this happens, which sounds a lot like "Golden Slumbers" from the Beatles' album Abbey Road.
Beatlesque (pronounced /ˌbiːtəlˈɛsk/) is a term used to describe rock and pop bands and musicians who were influenced by The Beatles and make music that is very similar. New bands are promoted as being "The next Beatles" or "The new Fab Four", and members of the media refer to musical acts as being "Beatlesque". This practice has itself been parodied; for example, the band Type O Negative often refer to themselves as "The Drab Four".
Badfinger
Badfinger was a Welsh rock/pop band that formed in the late 1960s. They became closely associated with The Beatles due to their close work relationship with Beatles members and producers. The Beatles' producer George Martin was also their producer, and the band released their records on the Beatles' Apple Records label. Their interpretation of the song "Come and Get It" was based on Paul McCartney's demo version. Their song "No Matter What" is Lennon-inspired.[citation needed] George Harrison also worked with Badfinger, not only producing much of their music but also contributing the slide guitar solo on the song "Day After Day".[citation needed] The band was even named after "Badfinger Boogie", the working title for the Beatles' "With a Little Help From My Friends".[citation needed]
Electric Light Orchestra
The Electric Light Orchestra, also known as ELO, was a successful British rock music group of the 1970s and 1980s. ELO grew out of a former band known as The Move, and when the remaining members decided to regroup as ELO, they announced their intention to "continue where 'I Am the Walrus' left off." They recorded a tribute song called "Beatles Forever", but it is still unavailable, as band member and Beatles fan Jeff Lynne was reportedly embarrassed by it.[citation needed] "Can't Get It Out Of My Head" (on The Mike Douglas Show) with a quartet and horn section is very Lennon-like and included the line, "I saw the ocean's daughter", a play on the name of Yoko Ono, whose name means "Ocean child".
Frontman Jeff Lynne later produced George Harrison's Cloud Nine album, worked with him on the Traveling Wilburys albums, and completed Harrison's final work Brainwashed. Lynne also produced the new songs for the Beatles' Anthology.
Julian Lennon
Julian Lennon is the son of John Lennon. The songs "Valotte", "Saltwater", and "Too Late for Goodbyes" are all Beatlesque. The music video for the song "I Don't Wanna Know" features Julian and his band dressed up as the Beatles. Julian also covered "When I'm Sixty-Four", which was originally sung by Paul McCartney.
There was wild media speculation that a Beatles reunion might take place with Julian Lennon in his father's place, even though neither Lennon nor the remaining Beatles ever endorsed the idea, and the remaining Beatles denied that there had ever been any truth in the reports. (Anthology.)
The Monkees
The Monkees were a pop-rock quartet specifically created by U.S. television in 1965 in order to replicate the style and music of the Beatles at the height of Beatlemania. At the peak of their success, the Monkees outsold the Beatles and the Rolling Stones combined, selling over 35 million records, and having four consecutive Number 1 albums in the year 1967 alone. The craze has become known as 'Monkeemania', as the remarkable teenage craze had not been seen since the peak of Beatlemania. Much controversy has been put down by the "Pre-fab" four as the public believed they did not play their own instruments; but aside from their first two LPs, this was not the case. (See The Monkees#From TV to stage) "Randy Scouse Git," a song written by Monkee Micky Dolenz about partying in London with the Beatles may be the first song reference to the Beatles in the line "the four kings of EMI," EMI being the Beatles' label. The song title was censored in England and it was released as a single there as "Alternate Title."
Oasis
Oasis have often cited the Beatles as a strong influence.
Oasis have covered numerous Beatles songs during their career. The first was a live performance of "I Am The Walrus", first released on the 1994 single "Cigarettes & Alcohol" and later released on the B-sides compilation The Masterplan. Since then they have released studio covers of "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" and "Helter Skelter". Noel Gallagher himself performed "Help!" on some of his 1998 acoustic sets.[citation needed]
Noel has also been involved in a number of collaborations of Beatles songs, beginning in September 1995 with "Come Together". The song was recorded with Paul McCartney and Paul Weller under the guise of the Smokin' Mojo Filters and was recorded at Abbey Road and released on the The Help Album. In May 1996, Noel and his brother Liam were guests on a live cover of "Day Tripper" at an Ocean Colour Scene gig. In 1999, he provided acoustic guitar for Claire Martin's cover of "Help!". In September 2000, he sang and played guitar on performances of "Tomorrow Never Knows" (with Johnny Marr and Cornershop) and "All You Need Is Love" (as part of a group finale) as well as backing vocals and acoustic guitar on a cover of "I'm Only Sleeping" with the Stereophonics. These three performances were part of a John Lennon tribute show, performed at George Martin's AIR Studios, and broadcast on Channel 4 in September 2000. In August 2002, he was recorded singing parts of "Eleanor Rigby" and "Strawberry Fields Forever" during a soundcheck for a live performance on the Late Night with Conan O'Brien show. Noel also performed "Strawberry Fields Forever" on November 2006, with Gem Archer and Terry Kirkbride, for a charity gig at Koko in Camden, London and continued to perform it for the remainder of the Stop the Clocks semi-acoustic tour.
Oasis have also occasionally slipped in small parts of Beatles songs in live performances. They have regularly ended live performances of "Whatever" by singing parts of "Octopus's Garden". Bits of "Got To Get You Into My Life" found their way into a couple of October 1995 performances of "Round Are Way". A riff based around the vocal melody of "Tomorrow Never Knows" was integrated into an extended intro for live performances of "Cigarettes & Alcohol" in 2000 and 2001.
Their previous, semi-official drummer Zak Starkey is the son of Ringo Starr. Starkey joined in early 2004 after Oasis longtime drummer Alan White left the band. He performed on their album Don't Believe the Truth (2005) and the subsequent 2005–2006 world tour, but he wasn't signed as a new bandmember and didn't participate in interviews and photoshots, due to his commitments as drummer for The Who. As of 2008, Chris Sharrock plays the kit for the band.
Noel Gallagher sat on a panel in 2004 to decide on the most influential of pop artists to be included in the UK Music Hall of Fame, and was quoted as saying "They [the Beatles] inspire me more now than they did when I was a kid and are still the greatest."[17]
The end of the song "She's Electric" (What's the Story Morning Glory) has the same progression as the end of "With a Little Help From My Friends" (Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band).
Other artists having a Beatlesque musical style
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