beatlemania in the 60s

Beatlemania in the 1960s The Beatles were a
mystical happening that many people still don't understand.
Phenomenoligists had a ball in 1964 with Beatlemania, a generally
harmless form of madness which came from Britain in 1963. The sole
cause of Beatlemania is a quartet of young Englishmen known as the
Beatles. In the less than one year that they achieved popularity in
England to the time they came to America, The Beatles achieved a
popularity and following that is unprecedented in the history of show
business in England. They became the first recording artists anywhere in
the world to have a record become a million-seller before it's release.
They became the target of such adoration by their fans that they had to
cancel all one-night bookings because of riots in early 1964. Beatlemania
had reached unbelievable proportions in England, it became a form of
reverse lend-lease and spread to the United States. Capitol records
followed the Beatles' single record with the release of an album, "Meet
the Beatles," in late January of 1964. That event was followed by the
Beatles themselves, who arrived in New York February 8, 1964 for three
appearances with Ed Sullivan. The first show was scheduled for Sunday,
February 9, the second was telecast from Miami a week later, and the
third pre-taped for an airing in March. These concerts were the most
watched television programs ever (70 million viewers) until recently. The
Beatles' arrival in the United States was presaged by a deluge of
advance publicity. Newsweek, Time, and Life have chronicled
Beatlemania, UPI, and the AP(Associated Press) had done their part for
the cause (including an AP wirephoto of J. Paul Getty sporting a Beatle
wig), and even Vogue shoved high fashion aside momentarily in it's
January, 1964 issue and carried a full-page photo of the group.
Baltimore's respected Evening Sun took notice of the coming of the
Beatles on it's editorial page at that time. Said the Sun: "The Beatles are
coming. Those four words are said to be enough to jelly the spine of the
most courageous police captain in Britain Since, in this case, the

Beatles are coming to America, America had better take thought as to
how it will deal with the invasion Indeed, a restrained 'Beatles, go
home,' might be just the thing." Precisely how, when, and where
Beatlemania got started nobody- not even their late manager Brian
Epstein(who died of a drug overdose in 1967) can say for sure. The
Beatles are a product of Liverpool, which had a population of some 300
rock and roll bands( or "beat groups," as Liverpudlians are wont to call
them). The beat groups hawked their musical wares in countless small
cellar clubs, old stores and movie houses, even in a converted church,
nearly all of which are in proximity to the Mersey River. Out of all these
groups came, somehow, the Beatles. And they had to go to Germany to
do it. In order to better their Liverpool take-home pay of around $15. per
week apiece, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and
Ringo (so called because of his penchant for wearing at least four rings)
Starr took a tramp steamer to Hamburg and a job which moved them up
a bit financially, if not in class. There, in a raucous and rowdy strip joint,
the Indra Club, the Beatles became the first entertainers to play louder
than the audience. There, too, they were "discovered" by English
promoter and talent agent, Brian Epstein, who has since become
deservedly known as "the fifth Beatle." Under Epstein's shrewd guidance,
the Beatles soon found themselves signing a contract with Britain's giant
Electric & Musical Industries, Ltd., the largest recording organization in
the world and major stockholder in Capitol Records, Inc.; headlining
concerts throughout Britain; and appearing on television. Their first
recording, "Love Me Do," was issued by EMI's Parlophone label in
October, 1962. It sold a respectable 100,000 copies, and it was the last
time a Beatle single sold less than half million copies. The first
million-seller, "She Loves You," came out in the spring of 1963. It was
followed by two albums, "Please, Please Me" and "With the Beatles."
Both LP's sold over 300,000 copies.1 Then, finally, came the

unprecedented success of the newest single record, "I Want to Hold
Your Hand." In between there was three extended play ( a 45 r.p.m. disk
containing four tunes) recordings which also racked up sales of several
hundred thousand apiece. All this resulted in what is universally known in
Britain as Beatlemania and, as Newsweek said of young Liverpudlians,
"the sound of their music is one of the most persistent noises heard over
England since the air-raid sirens were dismantled." Their popularity
reached a head of sorts when, in November of 1963, at the request of
the Royal Family, The Beatles headlined the annual command
performance at the Prince of Wales theater. It was a glittering affair and,
probably out of deference to attending royalty (including the Queen
Mother-she found them "young, fresh, and vital" - and Princess
Margaret), notable for the absence of even a small riot. Despite their
apparent appointment as Purveyors of Rock and Roll to the Crown, the
Beatles have taken the whole thing in stride. Said Beatle John Lennon to
the lords and ladies at the command performance: "People in the
cheaper seats clap your hands, the rest of you just rattle your jewelry." It
was not only their good looks and wonderfully unique music that made
them so popular with the young ladies (and men too!). It was their witty
charm that was reflected in the quote from the Royal Command
Performance. Here is part of what was said at LaGuardia airport on
February 7, 1964: "Will you sing for us?" someone asked. "We need
money first," John Lenin shot back. "What's your message for American
teenagers?" "Our message is buy some more Beatle records," returned
Paul McCartney. "What about the movement in Detroit to stamp out the
Beatles?" "We're starting a movement to stamp out Detroit." "Do you
hope to take anything home with you?" "Rockefeller Center." "What do
you think of Beethoven?" "I love him," said Ringo Starr. "Especially his
poems." "Don't you guys ever get a haircut?" "I just got one yesterday,"
retorted George Harrison. Added Ringo: "You should have seen him the

day before." There's a little bit of Beatle history. One could say that they
did not just come out of nowhere , like many people believe. It took hard,
diligent work to go where they went. Because of this "Came out of
nowhere to steal the hearts of young girls" quote that was often used in
the 1960's, many psychiatrists felt the need to examine further. Anthony
Corbett, a noted English psychologist praised the Beatles as having
provided "a desperately needed release for the inhibitions which exist in
all of us."2 Dixon Scott of the London Daily Mirror interviewed a
well-known psychiatrist (unnamed because of medical ethics) in an
attempt to get to the root of Beatlemania. "We are all chaotic and mixed
up inside," the psychiatrist told Scott. "We are anxious to have a greater
freedom to live. We have a greater feeling of the need to express
ourselves in the past we have been controlled automatons but you
cannot hold nature back forever. All the parts in use had to seek an
outlet and rhythm is one of these outlets then along came the Beatles
with their fresh beat and fresh innocence." The psychiatrist then came to
the crux of the problem: "A revolution is taking place," he said. "It
amounts to freedom with a sense of responsibility and honesty. The fans
recognize the honesty that shines from the Beatles." "While other pop
stars have thought in artificial terms of reaching out to their audiences,
the Beatles are giving honestly, as well as receiving." In a lengthy article
in the New York Times, Frederick Lewis of that paper's London bureau,
examined the sociological implications of Beatlemania and came up with
other theories. "They (The Beatles) are working class and their roots and
attitudes are firmly of the north of England. Because of their success,
they can act as spokesman for the new, noisy, anti-establishment
generation which is become a force in British life," Lewis wrote. "The
Beatles are part of a strong-flowing reaction against the soft, middle
class south of England, which has controlled popular culture for so long."
Beatlemania has touched all corners of English and American life and all

types of people. Obviously , it had an enormous effect on America. The
proof can be shown in the millions upon millions of records they have
sold in the last 32 years that they have been making records (in the
present tense because they are still releasing records today). In the first
Beatles fanzine in America, it shows how crazy America was at this time
over the Beatles. It has life stories, full page pictures, how to do the
Beatle dance, and the Beatle haircut. The big contest was to win a call
from the Beatles. And at the end there was some wallet size photos for
the girl's purses. It is obvious that the Beatles influenced everyone's
lives. From the shrieking girls, to the parents of those girls, and the
police officers that tried their best to contain the uncontrollable(girls).
Their popularity diminished after they stopped touring in 1966, which was
due to the strain and stress of touring that they had endured. But their
impact was to last forever. The wanting of the reunion has been so big
that they are reuniting to collaborate for a new album. It will undoubtedly
be a best seller. After all these years, people still love them. 1 According
to "The Beatles"- The first American Beatle Fan-zine. 2 All quotes
courtesy of "The Beatles"- The First American Beatle Fan-zine.