The Beatles Pop Music And Youth Culture Analysis

The Beatles, Pop Music and Youth Culture: Were they heroes or capitalists?

The decade of 1960s has a great impact on people of all backgrounds because of the ‘affluent society’ (Hecl 6). The 1960s was the time when people started to settle with the war in the economic sense. This result of the post-war socio-economic shifts after the second world war has led to the increasing affluence and new technological inventions in mass production which help cheapen the price of goods thus lower the costs of living (Bennett 9). This has allowed the working-class and the young to participate in the ‘consumer culture’ as well (Hecl 6). At this period, the working-class were able to attain more free time as all vital things they needed become secured which

The Beatles were probably the most important trendsetters of the 1960s in Britain and for many people, the sixties mean the Beatles and vice versa (Hecl 36). The Beatles dominated pop music and become a part of the world’s cultural history (Hecl 5). They were not just a musical band but a cultural phenomenon as their music and their representations of musical artists had an immense impact on youth culture which they worked to capture the spirit of the sixties (Hecl 37). For this, the Beatles became a major symbol of cultural transformation and undoubtedly the leaders of the 1960s youth culture (Charness 10, Corry 1). As much as music is the reflections of the listeners and society, pop music both influenced and reflected the youth culture. Nevertheless, it is important to note that the relationship between pop music and youth culture is a two-way relationship. As much as these pop stars influenced young people, the youth culture, as well, constructed the pop music because young people are what made these pop culture possible and allow the pop stars to rise and live in fame, without these youth, pop music would not have been as successful as it was. For this reason, both pop music and youth culture go hand in hand as they work to reinforce and define one

Firstly, he focuses too much on the image and success of the band thus ignores the most important element of this pop phenomenon which is the audience. As stated, without the young, these pop stars may not have risen as they did. Fowler forgot the fact that the audience, too, have the right to choose what to like or dislike, they are not limited to the producers’s (the band’s) intention. Supported by Dave Godowsky, the director of A&R department (Rounder Records), which stated that ‘it is almost impossible to predict whether a particular music or band will appeal to the audience wide enough to make it successful’ (Charness 7). Secondly, Fowler overlooked another factor that contribute to the success of the band which is the mass media as it is a medium that helped promote and develop pop music thus allowed the idols (the Beatles), pop music and youth culture to connect. Finally, even though we don’t know the fact whether the Beatles did it for money or out of interest (as the ones who could truly answer this question are the Beatles themselves), I find Fowler’s comment that ‘the Beatles worked for commercial benefit’ too strong as he has ignored the fact that creativity cannot emerge out of money but one’s