PART 1:
A Hard Day's Night. Directed by Richard Lester, performances by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison, 1964.
Brodax, Al. “Up periscope yellow: the making of the Beatles Yellow Submarine.” Limelight Editions, 2004, New York.
Campbell, Kenneth L.. “The Beatles at Woodstock.” Popular Music and Society, vol. 43, no. 2, 11 Nov 2019, pp. 188-200, Taylor & Francis Online, doi-org.libproxy1.usc.edu/10.1080/03007766.2019.1687673. Accessed 18 Feb 2024.
Despite the fact that the Beatles were not present at Woodstock in 1969, author Kenneth L. Campbell recognizes that the Fab Four had a large presence at the show. Nearing the end of the Beatles’ unity, the festival took place after some of their most psychedelic albums like Sgt. Peppers and Magical Mystery Tour. Campbell mentions a first hand account of Woodstock from Marbie Foster who claims the influence of these albums were big contributors to the hippie movement indicating their presence in the crowd. The existence of the Beatles’ spirit most of all came from covers of their songs sung by huge musicians like Crosby, Still, and Nash singing “Blackbird.” No doubt this folky song influenced the trio.
Cottet, Patrice, and Gilles Paché. "Living a Memorable Consumer Experience: The Epic of the Beatles Concerts (1963-1966)." Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness, vol. 16, no. 3, 2022, pp. 33-47. ProQuest, libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/living-memorable-consumer-experience-epic-beatles/docview/2737748519/se-2. Accessed 18 Feb 2024.
“George Harrison on John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and the Beatles’ Breakup | The Dick Cavett Show.” Youtube, uploaded by The Dick Cavett Show, 2 Sep 2019, youtu.be/Rd3U0GGwP_A?si=yPfc9En_wDy1nySZ.
During the eleven minute interview with George Harrison, Dick Cavett questions and quizzes the former Beatle. Although Cavett clearly aimed to get juicy information about Harrison’s relationship with Yoko Ono, the responses politely avoided the topic or shut down any accusations of hostility towards Yoko or John Lennon. George admits that the Beatles had their own list of issues before John Lennon’s lover came along. Reminiscing on the Beatles days, Harrison reveals that he is content with his time in the group and understands that their splitting was inevitable and actually needed for their individual growth.
Glynn, Stephen. “Stephanie Fremaux, The Beatles on Screen: From Pop Stars to Musicians.” Journal of British Cinema and Television, vol.16, no. 2, 1 Apr 2018, p.252-255, EBSCO, web-p-ebscohost-com.libproxy1.usc.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=3d505a1c-f0de-4d9c-bb68-93c7518e96e9%40redis&bdata=#AN=135777879&db=f3h. Accessed 18 Feb 2024.
In the “Book Reviews'' section of this British journal, author Stephen Glynn criticizes Fremaux’s five chapter book about each of the Beatles’ major films and the role they played in the fame of the group. Glynn is disappointed with the lack of attention for smaller cinematic pieces like The History of the Beatles on Film (1964). Glynn strongly points out other subjects that were not talked about like the Beatles’ brand, music, and creative influences. In concluding their analysis, the author admits they are impressed with Fremaux’s attention to detail within these Beatles’ films and comparisons to other film works from the time. Still, Glynn has a hard time giving positive sentiments throughout his book review.
Harvey, Mark. “Politics and Power in the Record Industry: The Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Album as Art Form.” Musicology Australia, 28 Nov 2016, Vol.38 (2), p.153-171, Taylor & Francis Online, doi-org.libproxy2.usc.edu/10.1080/08145857.2016.1244876. Accessed 18 Feb 2024.
Howard, Shannon K.. “It’s Just Business: Michael Jackson’s Purchase of the Beatles’ Catalog as Counterpunch, Copia, and Rhythmic Reparations.” Rhetoric Society Quarterly, 21 Nov 2023, Taylor & Francis Online, doi-org.libproxy2.usc.edu/10.1080/02773945.2023.2264260. Accessed 18 Feb 2024.
Iati, Marisa. “The story of the Beatles rooftop concert at the heart of ‘Get Back’.” The Washington Post (Online), WP Company LLC, 8 Dec 2021, ProQuest, libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/blogs-podcasts-websites/story-beatles-rooftop-concert-at-heart-get-back/docview/2607939205/se-2?accountid=14749. Accessed 18 Feb 2024.
Author Marisa Iati dives into the Beatles’ last live performance as a band on top of a building at Savile Row in 1969. The surprise show can be seen at the end of Peter Jackson’s three-part documentary Get Back. Iati does a good job of recognizing that although the Beatles played their notes perfectly and sang in harmony that day, the group was truly in shambles after multiple talks of splitting up previously. Although this concert has grown to fame, at the time many people on the streets could not confirm it was the Beatles and there was almost no news coverage following the event.
“John Lennon Open Up On WHY The Beatles Broke Up | The Dick Cavett Show.” Youtube, uploaded by The Dick Cavett Show, 25 Dec 2018, youtu.be/aqXzloWA53E?si=IYRxHxSM_coQLxY_.
In the short clip of the interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Dick Cavett talks about the elephant in the room that Yoko has been held responsible for the Beatles’ break up in the media. John responds by alluding to the successful work done by each of the members after the split up. Yoko avoids the topic and talks about her love for her partner. John admits that the Beatles had many issues that caused them to go their separate ways. With his classic charming wit, John Lennon deflects the drama in Cavett’s questions and focuses on how happy he is with his wife and their life together.
Lebovic, Sam.“‘Here There and Everywhere’: The Beatles, America, and Cultural Globalization 1964-1968.” Journal of American Studies, vol 51, no. 1, 11 Jan 2016, pp. 43–65, Cambridge University Press, cambridge-org.libproxy1.usc.edu/core/journals/journal-of-american-studies/article/here-there-and-everywhere-the-beatles-america-and-cultural-globalization-19641968/74E8A2782FE72BFD7189A010B10A2C64?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=bookmark. Accessed 18 Feb 2024.
Martinelli, Dario. “I’ve just seen a face: The Beatles’ Faces as Aesthetic and Cultural Objects.” . Topoi, vol. 41, 23 April 2022, pp. 795–808, Springer Link, doi-org.libproxy2.usc.edu/10.1007/s11245-022-09804-2. Accessed 18 Feb 2024.
Author Dario Martinelli recognizes how iconic the four faces of The Beatles are in popular culture. In this essay, Dario identifies how and why the faces of the group are so significant. During a time where most rock stars were becoming sex symbols, the Beatles’ initial clean cut, mop hairdo and conservative outfits paired with a giddy smile forced their mainly female audience to be obsessed solely with the four faces because it was the only visible physical characteristic of the group. When more individualized facial traits came into play most of the public could identify each Beatle if only shown a picture of their noses. The “face” itself can be found in many of the group’s lyrics as made up characters or metaphors. This final connection circles back to how the public knows their faces but the Beatles also created faces in their work.
“Paul McCartney Breaks Down His Most Iconic Songs | GQ.” YouTube, uploaded by GQ, 11 Sep 2018, youtu.be/u97_inloBmY?si=sHcxN5c6RQZqQoNG.
Paul McCartney sits down with GQ for an in depth look at the most famous Beatles songs that he had involvement in. McCartney shares stories and anecdotes from each of the songs mentioned. He talks about how his bandmates regularly filled in the gaps for songs he wrote. For example, when he brought “And I Love Her” to the studio their producer suggested a riff to begin the song and without hesitation George Harrison crafted the iconic guitar you hear at the start of the song. Also known as “the cute Beatle,” Paul reveals a fun fact that one of the Beatles’ most influential songs, “Helter Skelter,” was written in jealousy of Pete Townsend who raved about his band’s new electric, chaotic song.
Philp, David. "Magical Mystery Tour: Failures from the Beatles' self-managed era and lessons for today's DIY musicians." MEIEA Journal, vol. 15, no. 1, 2015, pp. 37+. Gale Academic OneFile, go-gale-com.libproxy1.usc.edu/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=aikentcl&id=GALE%7CA436696987&v=2.1&it=r&aty=ip. Accessed 18 Feb 2024.
The purpose of Philip’s essay is to explain the mistakes made by the Beatles from 1967-1969. The starting point being the death of their manager. The time period without a manager was chaotic, says Philip. The Magical Mystery Tour film, which was pitched by McCartney, was a complete disaster because the band had no film experience. Though some of their hit songs like "Hello, Goodbye” were featured, there was no direction or general purpose. Although Philip bounced back and forth between many of the band’s issues, one of the root causes for the disorganization was the establishment of Apple Corps which gave the band complete control to which they wasted tons of money.
Rijkers, Ger T., Anya Luscombe, and Carla Sloof. "Tell Me Why Bob Dylan and the Beatles Song Titles are used in Biomedical Literature." Webology, vol. 14, no. 2, 2017, pp. 78-89, ProQuest, libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/tell-me-why-bob-dylan-beatles-song-titles-are/docview/2084840011/se-2. Accessed 18 Feb 2024.
This piece is an investigation into why so many biomedical journals use the names of Beatles and Bob Dylan songs in their work. An early assumption recognized that many people use these song titles like clickbait because of how familiar and famous they are. In order to accurately search for these honorable mentions, the authors left out any title or lyric variations otherwise the results may not have been accurate. Findings informed the reader that scientists admit to using the songs to draw attention to their work; particularly female scientists.
“Ringo Starr on Paul McCartney’s Genius, Writing Octopus’ Garden High & The Beatles Farting Habits.” Youtube, uploaded by Jimmy Kimmel Live, 17 Feb 2022, youtu.be/IFtOd7siwiI?si=Eef8S3wed8cqrL6z.
In this episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, Jimmy sits down with Ringo Starr as the two uncover fun facts and sentiments about the Beatles. Jimmy sparks these sentiments by bringing out a sweet postcard that Paul McCartney had sent to his bandmate. Because the Beatles documentary Get Back had recently come out, Jimmy brings up moments from the film that he enjoyed. Most fueled by humor and positivity, the two go back and forth on random topics like farting, photographs, and tour travel arrangements. Overall, Jimmy efficiently gets exciting information about Ringo and his time as a Beatle that the audience seems to enjoy.
Schaffer, Nicholas. “Beatles Forever.” Stackpole Co., 1977, Harrisburg, PA.
Schaumburg, Ron. “Growing up with the Beatles: an illustrated tribute.” Pyramid Books, 1976, New York.
Thompson, Gordon R.. “Banning the Beatles: ‘A Day in the Life’ at the BBC and creation of Radio 1.” Popular music history, vol.11, no. 2, 29 Dec 2018, pp.107-120, Equinox Publishing, doi.org/10.1558/pomh.37826. Accessed 18 Feb 2024.
There are hidden messages about sex and drugs in the Beatles’ songs, notes author Gordon R. Thompson. The BBC was aware of this when considering the group’s music for their Our World telecast in 1967. This piece talks about the reason for the ban of “A Day in the Life” and how the Beatles reacted. Although there was no official reason stated by BBC for the ban, McCartney and Lennon pieced together that their potentially misleading lyrics were the culprit. Both Beatles explained that the meaning behind them was nothing inappropriate compared to other circulating media. However, the song was still banned from the station.
Young, Lucie. “See the Beatles’ First Tour Through Paul McCartney’s Lens.” The New York Times, 9 Feb 2024, ProQuest, libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/blogs-podcasts-websites/see-beatles-first-tour-through-paul-mccartney-s/docview/2923752244/se-2?accountid=14749. Accessed 18 Feb 2024.
In this article, author Lucie Young reports on Paul McCartney’s latest book called “1964: Eyes of the Storm,” a collection of his photographs during the initial blow up of the Beatles. There is background information given on McCartney’s photographic ability, as he won awards in school for the art, and about his 35 mm SLR Pentax, the camera he used at the time. Young pulls from the words of Paul who admits to the innocence of these photographs. Finally, the author reveals comments from the famous Beatle about a select few photos from his book and why he enjoys them. It is a fun inside scoop of what Beatlemania looked like from McCartney’s point of view.
PART 2:
After doing extensive research on the Beatles, I realized that there was not a single article, book, film, newspaper, or journal I read that questioned the incredible influence they have in the world; as a band and as a people. Being a Beatles fan myself, I knew that I could advocate for their influence on my life. However, as I learned more about the Fab Four, I now know that many other people hold this to be true in their own lives. Yes, the charts, records broken, and number of albums sold can support this claim but their importance is much larger than the data.
The first indicator that surprised me as to how BIG the Beatles really are was learning that although they were not physically at Woodstock in 1969 their presence was quite prominent. When legendary musicians or groups like Crosby, Stills, and Nash or Joe Cocker are covering famous Beatles songs to keep their crowd engaged there is no denying the significance of their work. This example holds up even today! I constantly find myself singing the “na na na na” of “Hey Jude” in small bars or venues because bands continue to use the power of the Beatles catalog to bring people together. Even in their earliest years of fame, fans were beyond obsessed with them marking the beginning of “Beatlemania.”
The females flocked. Through the lens of Paul McCartney’s camera, I was stunned by a picture in his latest book that captures the sea of people waiting along the airport runway at JFK. Upon the Beatles’ arrival for their first live show in the United States, I find it mind blowing that they already had so many crazed fans in New York without ever having played a single show in the city let alone the country. Airport gatherings like that would never happen today, even for them. In the sixties I feel like there was less security and more curiosity to get an in person glance because the media coverage was not nearly as circulated as it is today. People’s sheer fascination with the Beatles is perfectly portrayed in their film A Hard Day’s Night. One could argue that these scenes were drawn up to be over exaggerated, but through Paul’s street photography and interviews with the Fab Four the visuals of the screaming girls are confirmed to be true.
For part of my research, I decided to watch interviews of each of the Beatles post breakup to see how they view their success and former bandmates. After reiterating the love for one another, the fact they could all agree on was that the breakup was needed for their individual growth. Now that each of their fantastic solo works exists, the split may very well have saved their musical careers. My focus is on the Beatles as a unit, but seeing how they protect their bandmates from any negative drama stirred by the interviewee and really honing in on the love they have for each other drives the truth that they really were four great friends who liked to play music together (and good at it too). That reality shines bright and their fans can feel their pure intent as brothers.
Beyond their revolutionary tunes, their image carried them very far. I was always familiar with their faces growing up. When I read Dario Martinelli’s article about the four faces, it made sense as to why the world can identify them by their faces without needing to hear a song. They never flaunted their bodies or flashy outfits. From the very start they used their sweet smiles, witty charm, and clean mop cuts to steal millions of hearts all over the world. If this was their manager Brian Epstein’s doing, then he is a genius. This Beatles’ brand is more remarkable than I realized.
Through this conclusion I feel most compelled to write an informational essay about the Beatles in the future. How four boys from Liverpool formed arguably the greatest band of all time is not a quick answer, I’ve come to understand. Their story is magical, fascinating, but rare. There are so many additional elements that need to be studied to fully understand the success and influence the Beatles hold in this world. Looking over my work, I find it incredible that I barely mentioned their craftsmanship of music; the most familiar element of their being. Zooming in on the lads behind the melody allowed me to appreciate further that the Beatles paved their way by simply just being them.