The Beatles Impact On The Worl Essay, Research Paper

Why the Notion that the Beatles Changed the World is a Misconception

The Beatles had a minimal effect on the world’s course of events. They jumped on the hippie bandwagon at the perfect time to capitalize from it. Their fame did not reach as far nor did not unify as much as some people would think and they are merely an icon through which baby-boomers reminisce about the “good old days”.

The Beatles are credited with touching off the revolution of the sixties. In reality, it was the hippie era that influenced them. They knew that it was something that the kids were becoming interested in. The next plan of action was to create the illusion to the masses that they were part of something bigger. This worked well and still does with the teen who are especially susceptible to becoming swept up. Through this, they were able to sell more records than imaginable. They made their profit from selling philosophy.

Many people claim that the Beatles won worldwide fame. Even John Lennon claimed that he was “bigger than God”. The reality is that every culture would not fall to the British influence. They have enough self-identity to not be so easily taken by four guys with music. By the way, the Gideon Bible alone has been published in 170 countries, and 900 million copies have been circulated. This dwarfs the measly broadcast of All You Need is Love in 24 countries and no Beatles album could ever come near 900 million sales.

Lastly, anyone can plainly see that the body of Beatles fans is comprised overwhelmingly of baby boomers and early Generation X-ers. The only reason that people still talk about or listen to the Beatles is because it is a means by which 40-somethings can reminisce about the Flower Power era. Anyone can climb aboard the Beatle bandwagon as the Beatles did aboard the hippie bandwagon.

The Beatles are generous and nice people, I am sure. And, it is true, they created good music and opened the door for the Rolling Stones, who are one of the greatest bands ever. But the bottom line is that without the Beatles, there would still have been the Civil Rights movement, the Apollo missions, the revolutions in music and other events associated with the Beatles. To say otherwise is a discrediting thing to say about the leaders in each field. The fame of the Beatles is overblown. To say that they are bigger than the Lord is not only blasphemous but also an outright lie. The only fame they receive from the media today is because the media is doing what the Beatles did over thirty years ago–selling emotions to a large demographic.