British Invasion Influence

It could be argued that the British Invasion of the 1960’s had a larger impact around the world than the invasion of the British Empire in the early 17th century. Of all the groups that bombarded Americans with the sounds of Les Paul guitars and counterculture lyrics, only one stood the test of time: The Beatles, who broke land and made their U.S. debut on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9th, 1964. The Beatles’ John Lennon and the Virginia Company’s John Smith; two men standing on the shoulders of giants, both believing, whether satirically or literally, that they were on a mission from God. Or at least, in Lennon’s case, that they were more popular than Christ himself. Who would have thought that the eggman would have become a larger figure

This theme is quickly retracted, as Lennon, among his non-beliefs, denounces his belief in Buddha as well. He could be symbolizing, with his infamous statement of The Beatles being “more popular than Jesus,” that with the death of the band, many people, including himself, began to lose their faiths. Even now, one can see just how influential the Fab Four still are to popular music, so it makes the meaning of the song that much more impactful.This message gets stronger as the second verse commences. Lennon, as stated before, denounces his belief in these things, in order: magic, I-Ching, Bible, tarot, Hitler, Jesus, Kennedy, Buddha, mantra, Gita, yoga, kings, Elvis, Zimmerman (referring to Bob Dylan), and The Beatles. This diatribe spans all realms of tangibility, as well as time. Magic, I-Ching and tarot are all considered magic, or powers not of this plane of reality. Jesus, Kennedy, Hitler, Buddha, Gita, kings, Elvis, Zimmerman, and even The Beatles, were all worshipped by many in their prime. Yoga and mantra are essentially prayers, tools to worship, but respected forms of worship,nonetheless, in their native cultures. But, Lennon denounces all, essentially claiming that all of these deities are no more worthy of praise and worship than he. Perhaps an even more intrepid statement than saying that The Beatles

Or at least, those who held the idealistic goals of the hippy movement at the time. Those many people who followed The Beatles during this time knew that their songs preached free love and peace on Earth. Two lofty goals, but sentiments that were echoed by many popular bands at the time. Lennon recognizes now that, no matter how popular he or the band he was a part of became, they could not end a war, or change people’s minds about the rights of certain groups of people. This is, again, supported by the line “I was the dreamweaver/but now/ I’m reborn.” He helped spin this idealistic web of warmth and happiness, but now he recognizes that the dream was an ignorant one, and that now the only thing to do is let it die. Lennon knows that the world will spin without him, or anyone for that matter, so the best thing to do for yourself is love, and live your life freely. The dream may be over, but that does not mean it will never live