The Beatles showed mental, intellectual, and social courage as they created a new genre of music, brought it to places that didn’t believe in it, and performed it without fear whilst being the most popular band in the world, and in history.
There were a lot of things that influenced their huge worldwide breakthrough. But it started when they formed in 1960. Then they went on to dominate the UK in 1963. This was also around the time when the name “Beatlemania” became a thing, coming from the extreme support and infatuation of fans to the Beatles. They continued to dominate the whole world in 1964 and 1965 and then appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, which was their first U.S. TV appearance. A lot of fame with the “Beatlemania,'' came along with so much success for the Beatles. And allegedly, fans constantly swarmed them, which seems very overwhelming. One member who handled that well was Paul McCartney. He was said to be very good at not letting fame get to his head, and he remained humble his whole career.
It seems hard to not let it “get to your head” considering the amount of stressful and even dangerous situations they would get involved in, not even intentionally. For example, when the Beatles went to perform in the Philippines. This was an incident that proved to be at one of their last scheduled performances. The incident occurred when the Beatles traveled to the Philippines as part of their 1966 tour. They said, “As soon as we got there it was bad news,” and in short terms, the Beatles were “bullied” by the staff there (as in, being ordered around and being spoken to with harsh words). This was unlike any way that you would ever speak to members of such high up and famous personalities. And that wasn't the only mishap. Early one morning, an invitation was extended to them to perform at the palace for Ferdinand Marcos and “high ranking officials’” children. When the Beatles didn't show up at the scheduled time, there was a large amount of chaos, as it turned out that no one had ever notified the Beatles. But eventually, they rushedly performed their two sets. These are just some of the many examples of just how popular the Beatles were. But, they weren’t just magically popular. There were many things which they did that boosted themselves and helped themselves stand out, such as creating an entire new genre of music.
The Beatles influenced the new era of rock music. Most things they did were small and subtle but they revolutionized rock music forever. For example, adding feedback to their songs. Something that seems so unimportant to you would make you wonder why I am even mentioning it. Well, think about it. Listen to any rock song, and I guarantee you there is some point where they feature feedback. Feedback essentially sounds like a ringing sound getting increasingly louder. It is sort of a ricochet effect from one electric output to another, which results in an extremely loud sound as a result. Many rock bands use it, as it sounds “high tech” and rough, which is the sound that most rock bands aim for. The Beatles, however, discovered it by accident, but kept it and recorded it intentionally. It was a happy accident as one of the members learned their acoustic/electric guitar against an amp that was switched on. This made it create the signature feedback sound, which stunned the members, but in a good way. They proceeded to pluck a note at the end of a track until it produced feedback. And that simple sound has become one of the most staple things in rock music.
Another thing that they did that changed rock music, was close-miking guitars, basses, and drums, and even brass instruments. “Close miking” refers to putting the microphone so close to the instrument that it is almost touching. The first time they ever did this was in "Eleanor Rigby." In this track, they took the instruments and propped them right near the microphones so that the sound was “fuller” and less like “Mancini strings.” In the days they did it, it was like a cardinal sin to mic things that way. But these days it is a common practice.
When it comes to performances, it is where the band can showcase their talent. It is a very major thing in a music career. It also takes a lot of courage. Think about it, performing your craft for a large audience is stress inducing for sure. But the Beatles were very good at performing their songs, and not only with that coveted confidence but with talent and style. Many people find that the Beatles' energy and stage presence was what made them so great on stage!
There was no “one thing” that they did on stage which made their talent shine through. It was the whole conglomeration of little things that they did such as interacting with each other, moving around on stage, interacting with fans, and much more. All in all, it was their sheer energy and excitement when performing which drove the fans crazy. Many people admire how closely the Beatles would make their performances sound like the original studio versions and even improve upon them. These are just a few ways that the Beatles used courage and innovation in their career to become the famous band that we still revere today.
Sources
Wikipedia. “Cultural Impact of The Beatles.” Wikipedia, Wikipedia, 16 November 2004, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_impact_of_the_Beatles#Cultural_legitimisation_of_pop_m usic. Accessed 25 February 2021.
Edmonds, Kemp. “How The Beatles Changed Music.” https://techcamps.digitalmediaacademy.org, 21 Jan 2016, https://techcamps.digitalmediaacademy.org/2016/01/21/howthebeatleschangedmusic2/.
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