Beatles Microcosm

1.) Discuss ways in which the Beatles can be considered a microcosm of the 60’s. The Beatles can easily be considered a microcosm of the 60’s in a multitude of ways. First and foremost, they were a band in which all members were vital to the production of the music of the band as a whole; therefore, they needed each other to survive as a band. During the dark times in America after John F. Kennedy’s assassination, the young people of America also felt that they needed each other to survive. They also performed music that was very stylistically different from what the teenagers of the 60’s were used to hearing. Their tune tended to be more upbeat, and spoke to their happy side. In many ways, it inspired the teens of this generation to march to their own beat. Because of the fact that each of the five members of the band had a distinct personality yet was still vital to the band, every fan

Many of the other British invasion groups of the sixties (i.e. The Rolling Stones, The Kooks, and The Who) came somewhat close, and if it hadn’t have been for the perfect “Beatles formula” may have reached the same amount of success the Beatles did, but they simply couldn’t touch them at the time. Their influence is clear to see considering the fact that their popularity and success has lasted far longer than simply their decade of popularity. I would be willing to bet that there are not very many of my classmates who could not name and sing at least one Beatles song if asked to. If any other musician could be considered close, I would venture to say it’s Michael Jackson in the 80’s. He had a similar insanely large and dedicated fanbase, and he was a major influence on the music that was produced after him. There are not many people today who don’t remember where they were when they heard the news that Michael Jackson had died, and I think that only speaks to his