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/.
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
Weekly Creativity #156 | Flash Contest #32: Write a First Person Story Based on a Grandparent/Older Friend’s Memory
Interview a grandparent or older friend about a memorable moment from their childhood. Then, turn that memory into a first-person story, written from their point of view. Submit your entries here.
Saturday Newsletter: June 5, 2021
“Parachuting in City Lights” (watercolor) by Sloka Ganne, 10, (Overland Park, KS) and published in the June 2021 Issue of Stone Soup A note from Jane A new month, a new issue! And this stunning watercolor is our cover, wrapping around the whole print version of the magazine. One of the things I love about our wraparound covers is how they make me focus on very particular parts of an image, which often leads me to see them very differently from the way I see the whole artwork in one. In the case of Sloka Ganne’s gorgeous Parachuting in City Lights, the front cover consists of the more somber right-hand side of the image, with its dark mountain topped with a flashing mast. We can see only the fading part of the sunset’s glimmer, and a lone parachutist. There’s a slightly lonely feeling to it. But when we turn to the back cover, there is a burst of light, and we see that the parachutist is not alone after all: there are two companions, a flock of birds, and a bright blue glow in the sky above the sunset over the brightly lit city. To my mind, the story changes. There is so much happening in this image, and while it tells one big beautiful story all on its own, it can also tell several very different, specific ones if we focus on one section over another. Divide the image up in your mind into quarters or eights, and think about the possible stories behind these smaller sections of the image: focus on the cityscape, the flock of birds and the clouds, the dark landscape, the vibrant sky. How does each one compare to the feelings evoked by the possible narratives of the other parts? Do the stories you imagine fit together, or are they a series of different vignettes (miniature scenes)? How do they relate to the story you sense in the whole? Try writing a series of short stories based on your perceptions of Sloka’s painting and see what you discover! I also urge you to read Steven Cavros’s story “The Sewer People,” an imaginative tour de force in which the trash under the city has a whole complex, politically messy life of its own. It is part cautionary tale, part political satire, part fable—almost a (dark) fairy tale. Let it inspire you to bring alive a hidden, apparently inanimate world, and see where your imagination takes you. As always, if you are happy with what you write or the art you create inspired by any of these ideas, do share them with us.Until next week, Book Contest 2021 For information on submitting to the Stone Soup Book Contest 2021, please click here. To submit your manuscript, please visit our submittable site. Highlights from the past week online Don’t miss the latest content from our Book Reviewers and Young Bloggers at Stonesoup.com! Florence, 12, wrote a review of Katherine Paterson’s classic novel, Bridge to Terabithia. Sofie, 10, wrote a poem centered on the healing power of nature amidst the pandemic. Happiness Neema, 11, a participant of the Stone Soup Refugee Project, wrote a personal narrative about her transition from Kigoma, Tanzani, to Chicago, IL. Aditi,12, reviewed Cathy Hirano’s translation of Nahoko Uehashi’s fantasy novel The Beast Player. Writing classes and Book Club Are you looking for classes to inspire, improve, and practice your writing with great teachers and a group of like-minded young writers and readers? Join us! We do charge fees for our clubs and workshops, but we try to keep them as low as possible, and we offer discounts to subscribers and scholarships to students who need them. Contact us at education@stonesoup.com with any questions. Writing Workshop: we have two writing groups for spring/summer that meet via Zoom every Saturday (except for William’s class, which does not meet for the last Saturday of the month). Come write with us and share your work with your peers. Find out more and register for a workshop at Eventbrite. To see some of the great work produced by current workshop members, read contributions published at Stonesoup.com, or join us at one of our free public readings! Book Club: a book club for writers that meets via Zoom on the last Saturday of every month. Find out more and register for book club at Eventbrite. Check out which books we are reading on our website. Young Author’s Studio Summer Camps: we are offering a wide range of classes through the summer jointly with the Society of Young Inklings. Each camp runs for two hours per day, Monday through Thursday. All details and bookings via Society of Young Inklings. From Stone Soup June 2021 The Sewer People By Steven Cavros, 9 (Hollywood, FL) Now once, long ago, on June 12, 2027, a stray banana peel found its way into the sewers of Orlando, Florida. It travelled through the sewers for twenty minutes, and then it at last came to the very bottom of the sewers, to a deep puddle. Like all the junk there, it joined itself to a sea of junk, and nine minutes later, a little human-like creature with frail limbs stood where eighteen or so bits of junk had come together. All the sewer people came from junk, of course. Hundreds, thousands of the sewer people there were—made from all the junk in the sewers—and no junk ever left the sewers as a banana peel or bit of ripped paper. The sewer people had no government, no economy, no friends. All ignored them, didn’t care for a moment that they existed, ignored them terribly, TERRIBLY. They were forgotten and lost. All the troubles of the world began when an important sewer person, Dirt, proposed a government to his small ring of friends, Junk and Meaningless. But they could not create a government without the support of the 18,000 little frail-limbed sewer people they shared the sewers with. They called a meeting, but in vain, as it ended in chaos. Another meeting, then another, was held until many sewer people approved a government. But as that meeting closed, a new problem arose:
