The Beatles’ ‘A Hard Day’s Night’: Tracing the History of Their Success in America
The Beatles, although they are a British band, play a very important role in the study of the American popular music industry. They were an important part of the British Invasion, which was a takeover of the American popular music industry, particularly the rock n roll aspects of popular music, by British bands and artists. The 1960's, when the British invasion occurred, was a time in which the American music industry had to reevaluate rock n roll and devise a plan for where the industry should go next.
One of the reasons the Beatles were so successful in America, other than the fact that America was looking for a new rock n roll identity that was successfully fulfilled by the Beatles, was that they portrayed themselves as friends, of both each other and of the audience, they were relatable to the masses. As well as being relatable there are some musical qualities their songs have that make them so popular, such as their relation back to early Tin Pan Alley models.
Rather then having the self-image of a rock n roll group, the Beatles had the self- image of a group of friends that play music together simply because they enjoy it. This persona is partially what made their music so appealing to the American public. The Beatles had many hits in both Great Brittan and America, one of these is "A Hard Days Night," released in 1964 on their third studio album also entitled "A Hard Days Night" is about the fact that although their career choice is one they love and is very rewarding, it can become very exhausting and was released in their movie "A Hard Days Night," which is about the troubles of backstage life using clever wordplay and phrases to make the song relatable to the American public.
Order custom essay The Beatles’ ‘A Hard Day’s Night’: Tracing the History of Their Success in America with free plagiarism report
450+ experts on 30 subjects
Starting from 3 hours delivery
Although the song is about their troubles as musicians, it can be related to many professions making it a very successful song in Worldwide. Many of the Beatles songs were written in a AABA format such as "A Hard Days Night" and "Yesterday" this is a form that the American public is familiar with because it was the primary form used in the Tin Pan Alley Era. The Beatles song "Yesterday" was a song that reverted back to the Tin Pan Alley model for music very much, this, as well as the AABA form used in some Beatles songs, would make the public more accepting of the Beatles music, as well as popularize the music more quickly in America because it is a tune the public is used to hearing and has been very fond of in the past.
In addition to influencing the musical identity of the American popular music industry, the Beatles also influenced the American culture as well. They popularized British culture in America, which led to long term associations between Great Brittan and America. They paved the way for many other British bands, The Who, The Kinks, and The Rolling Stones, to, not only come to the U.S. to preform music but also to become very popular themselves.
The Beatles are a vitally important band in American popular music history because not only were they a very popular band because they were relatable to the American public, they used a familiar song form, reverting back to some older styles of music while still maintaining forward thinking music styles, and the American popular music industry was in search of a new form and redefinition of rock n roll. They also popularized British culture and paved the way for the popularization of a host of other British bands.
Sources:
- Rock Music, Culture, and Business- required text In class powerpoints
Cite this Page
The Beatles’ ‘A Hard Day’s Night’: Tracing the History of Their Success in America. (2023, Jun 28). Retrieved from https://phdessay.com/the-beatles-a-hard-days-night-tracing-the-history-of-their-success-in-america/
Run a free check or have your essay done for you
