The UK to US: A Cultural Invasion
The British Invasion was the cultural movement in the 1960s where English bands and other aspects of Brit culture became popular throughout the States. There were many factors that contributed to this significant change in culture. One of the biggest factors in the success of the British Invasion were the bands. Some of the key players in the Invasion include, The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Kinks, The Hollies, and The Yardbirds. Most of these bands were formed in London with the exception of a few that were formed in other parts of England. Each one consisted of four to five members that were mostly male. Another big factor that contributed to the success of the British Invasion was the television. The television became more affordable for people in the early 60s. This made it easier to have one in nearly every American household allowing all of the English rock bands to be broadcast on a large scale to a great number of US residents. The British Invasion was an extremely influential movement that forever changed nearly every aspect of pop culture. It resulted in the creation of a new genre of music, a new style of film, and the evolution of fashion within the United States.
The first and largest aspect of American culture affected by the British Invasion was music. Over the course of this movement, a new genre of music was created. Pop music was revolutionary in that it not only created an entirely new sound that had never before been heard in the US. This genre of music today is commonly referred to as classic rock. Artists such as The Beatles, The Who, and The Rolling Stones played key roles in creating this new sound.
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool, England in 1964. The band was comprised of four members, all in their late twenties. These members were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr (thebeatles.com). Introduced in the early 1960s, they had their roots in pop and rock-and-roll. However, The Beatles wer so diverse that parts of every genre can be heard within their music. The Beatles’ immense popularity in the US throughout the Sixties was unavoidable. National Record News coined the term “Beatlemania” in a 1964 newspaper headline to describe the madness surrounding the Beatles’ popularity throughout the States. As the best-selling band ever, the Beatles have sold millions of records worldwide. According to the official RIAA artist tallies, The Beatles had 47 albums go Gold, 41 go Platinum, 26 go Multi-Platinum, and 3 reach Diamond status. According to an article from USA Today by Edna Gunderson, they also were one of the only groups to sweep all top five spots in Billboard’s top 100 chart. In addition to their music, The Beatles influenced movies and fashion alike. “In the nine days during the Beatles’ initial brief visit, Americans had bought more than 2 million Beatles records and more than $2.5 million worth of Beatles related goods” (Szatmary 100). It can easily be seen how The Beatles can be viewed as one of the most influential bands of all time.
The Who, like The Beatles, were an English rock band formed in London, England in 1964. They also consisted of four members. These members were Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon (thewho.com). Although The Who was not as wildly popular with the media as The Beatles were, they played a huge part in advancement of the Invasion. The Who managed to create a rebellious sub-culture that was looking to drive away from the social norms prior to the Sixties. Teenagers during this time wanted to join in the “revolution” and The Who had everything they needed. This can be seen through the lyrics of one of their most popular songs “Baba O’Riley.”
Out here in the fields
I fight for my meals
I get my back in to my living
I don’t need to fight
To prove I’m right
I don’t need to be forgiven (The Who)
The rebellious nature of their style seen in the above song occurs throughout the majority of their music. Songs like “My Generation” taught the youth to take charge of their generation and make it their own. Releasing 18 Gold, 12 Platinum, and 5 Multi-Platinum albums during their run, The Who was one of the most popular bands of the era (RIAA). Due to their success during the British Invasion, The Who was able to establish themselves allowing them to remain in the spotlight even through today’s fast paced music industry.
Last, but certainly not least, were The Stones. The Rolling Stones, like the previous two bands, were an English rock band from London. Formed in 1962, the group initially consisted of six members but was later reduced to four members. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, and Charlie Watts collectively played a key role in the British Invasion. The Stones, much like The Who, brought rebellion to the American music scene. Beatle George Harrison put this rebellion into perspective:
It’s become the in thing for adults to say the Beatles are good or the Beatles are funny, it’s in for adults to
like us. So the real hip kids - or the kids who think they are – have gone off us. The in thing for those kids
now is to be a Stones fan, because their parents can’t stand The Rolling Stones (Szatmary 119-120).
The Stones produced 29 studio albums, 15 live albums, and countless singles. Their popularity carried their raunchy and rebellious nature from the UK to the US, and the teenage youth loved up every bit of it. Quite possibly one of their most famous songs, ”(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” off of their album Out of Our Heads, demonstrates the rebellion aspect of The stones. This song accurately depicts what the youth is going through during this time period.
When I’m drivin’ in my car
And that man comes on the radio
And he’s tellin’ me more and more
About some useless information
Supposed to fire my imagination (The Rolling Stones)
These lyrics show that youth had reached a point where they no longer wanted to listen to what “the man” was telling them. The Stones backed this claim with nearly all of their music. The Stones established themselves so well during the sixties that they have become a staple for American culture to the extent that they are still producing albums to this day.
The next aspect of culture that was drastically influenced by the British Invasion was film. The US was introduced to a new wave of movies, actors, and actresses from England that flooded the American film industry. One of the biggest changes that the film industry made was the introduction of movies based off of musical albums. The Beatles set the standard in this category with the production of numerous movies based off of their albums. Some of their most famous movies include Yellow Submarine, A Hard Day’s Night, Magical Mystery Tour, Help!, and Let it Be. These movies allowed the listener to put picture to music in the way the artist intended. The Who later followed The Beatles’ example with the production of their movie Quadrophenia. With these “musical films” becoming progressively more widespread, music videos became more and more popular in American culture. In addition to these music films, there were a number of other British movies that graced the silver screen. These films include Mary Poppins featuring Julie Andrews, My Fair Lady featuring Audrey Hepburn, and The James Bond Series featuring Sean Connery. All of these new films, actors, and actresses played an important role in the British Invasion’s impact on the American film industry. Without this impact, movies and music videos would simply not be the same.
The last major aspect of culture that was impacted by the British Invasion was fashion. During the Sixties, fashion evolved. Many different new styles were introduced to the US. The English rock bands involved with the Invasion challenged US dress code norm for men and women. Americans wanted to look and feel like the bands they were listening to. Once again, The Beatles were at the forefront of this movement. The Modern Fashion style, or Mod, was adopted by the American youth and became the social norm of the generation. Articles of clothing such as the skinny tie for guys and the mini skirt for girls became wildly popular. This new style was seen to be more hip than the attire before the Invasion. Roger Daltrey, a member of The Who said, “The Mod look was said to be very clean-cut, Ivy League, and fashion conscious” (Szatmary 121). It was characterized by the nice dress shoes, tight dark pants, button down shirt, and occasionally a blazer. People who Mod fashion typically had short trendy hair styles. The Mod fashion was the break from the formerly conformist world the youth had been looking for. The Who, like The Beatles, played a big part in the representation of the Mod fashion during the British Invasion. The majority of the British Invasion bands dressed in Mod and pushed the traditionalism that existed before sixties. The youth was done with accepting what they were supposed to be as youth and they were ready to rebel. “The Who’s sound captured the anger and rebelliousness of the English Mods” (Szatmary 123). Mod fashion was not an easy thing to be a part of. One had to have short hair as well as money enough to buy suits, good shoes, and good shirts. On top of all this, Mod fashion was a fast paced culture. The Mods adopted different fashion statements on a weekly basis (101). “One outfit might be 12 quid, a week’s wages, and the next fucking week you’d have to change the whole lot” (Townshend). Despite the difficulty of being one of the most fast paced and most expensive fashion groups, millions of young teenagers all across the US adopted this style. This is majorly due to the strong cultural influence the British Invasion had on the American youth.
The British Invasion was one of the most influential cultural movements of all time. Starting in the early Sixties and impacting every aspect of American culture, it revolutionized the way people viewed art, music, and film. With the help of English rock bands and the television, England forever changed the way Americans reacted to their culture. The British Invasion was an extremely influential movement that forever changed nearly every aspect of pop culture. It resulted in the creation of a new genre of music, a new style of film, and the evolution of fashion within the United States. Without this movement, no aspect of our culture would be the same as it is today.
Works Cited
AZ Lyrics. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/who/babaoriley.html>.
AZ Lyrics. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/rollingstones/icantgetnosatisfaction.html>.
The Beatles. Apple Corps, 2014. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://www.thebeatles.com/>.
Casburn, Melissa M. "A Concise History of the British Mod Movement." GBACG: n. pag. GBACG. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://www.gbacg.org/costume-resources/original/articles/mods.pdf>.
Gundersen, Edna. "How the Fab Four High-fived the Hot 100." USA Today 3 Apr. 2014: n. pag. Print.
Home - The Who. The Who, 2012. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://thewho.com/>.
RIAA. RIAA, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://riaa.com/goldandplatinum.php?content_selector=top-selling-artists>.
RIAA. RIAA, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://riaa.com/goldandplatinum.php?content_selector=top-artist-tallies>.
The Rolling Stones - Official Website. The Rolling Stones, 2014. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://www.rollingstones.com/>.
Szatmary, David P. Rockin' in Time. Fourth ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1987. Print.
The British Invasion was the cultural movement in the 1960s where English bands and other aspects of Brit culture became popular throughout the States. There were many factors that contributed to this significant change in culture. One of the biggest factors in the success of the British Invasion were the bands. Some of the key players in the Invasion include, The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Kinks, The Hollies, and The Yardbirds. Most of these bands were formed in London with the exception of a few that were formed in other parts of England. Each one consisted of four to five members that were mostly male. Another big factor that contributed to the success of the British Invasion was the television. The television became more affordable for people in the early 60s. This made it easier to have one in nearly every American household allowing all of the English rock bands to be broadcast on a large scale to a great number of US residents. The British Invasion was an extremely influential movement that forever changed nearly every aspect of pop culture. It resulted in the creation of a new genre of music, a new style of film, and the evolution of fashion within the United States.
The first and largest aspect of American culture affected by the British Invasion was music. Over the course of this movement, a new genre of music was created. Pop music was revolutionary in that it not only created an entirely new sound that had never before been heard in the US. This genre of music today is commonly referred to as classic rock. Artists such as The Beatles, The Who, and The Rolling Stones played key roles in creating this new sound.
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool, England in 1964. The band was comprised of four members, all in their late twenties. These members were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr (thebeatles.com). Introduced in the early 1960s, they had their roots in pop and rock-and-roll. However, The Beatles wer so diverse that parts of every genre can be heard within their music. The Beatles’ immense popularity in the US throughout the Sixties was unavoidable. National Record News coined the term “Beatlemania” in a 1964 newspaper headline to describe the madness surrounding the Beatles’ popularity throughout the States. As the best-selling band ever, the Beatles have sold millions of records worldwide. According to the official RIAA artist tallies, The Beatles had 47 albums go Gold, 41 go Platinum, 26 go Multi-Platinum, and 3 reach Diamond status. According to an article from USA Today by Edna Gunderson, they also were one of the only groups to sweep all top five spots in Billboard’s top 100 chart. In addition to their music, The Beatles influenced movies and fashion alike. “In the nine days during the Beatles’ initial brief visit, Americans had bought more than 2 million Beatles records and more than $2.5 million worth of Beatles related goods” (Szatmary 100). It can easily be seen how The Beatles can be viewed as one of the most influential bands of all time.
The Who, like The Beatles, were an English rock band formed in London, England in 1964. They also consisted of four members. These members were Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon (thewho.com). Although The Who was not as wildly popular with the media as The Beatles were, they played a huge part in advancement of the Invasion. The Who managed to create a rebellious sub-culture that was looking to drive away from the social norms prior to the Sixties. Teenagers during this time wanted to join in the “revolution” and The Who had everything they needed. This can be seen through the lyrics of one of their most popular songs “Baba O’Riley.”
Out here in the fields
I fight for my meals
I get my back in to my living
I don’t need to fight
To prove I’m right
I don’t need to be forgiven (The Who)
The rebellious nature of their style seen in the above song occurs throughout the majority of their music. Songs like “My Generation” taught the youth to take charge of their generation and make it their own. Releasing 18 Gold, 12 Platinum, and 5 Multi-Platinum albums during their run, The Who was one of the most popular bands of the era (RIAA). Due to their success during the British Invasion, The Who was able to establish themselves allowing them to remain in the spotlight even through today’s fast paced music industry.
Last, but certainly not least, were The Stones. The Rolling Stones, like the previous two bands, were an English rock band from London. Formed in 1962, the group initially consisted of six members but was later reduced to four members. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, and Charlie Watts collectively played a key role in the British Invasion. The Stones, much like The Who, brought rebellion to the American music scene. Beatle George Harrison put this rebellion into perspective:
It’s become the in thing for adults to say the Beatles are good or the Beatles are funny, it’s in for adults to
like us. So the real hip kids - or the kids who think they are – have gone off us. The in thing for those kids
now is to be a Stones fan, because their parents can’t stand The Rolling Stones (Szatmary 119-120).
The Stones produced 29 studio albums, 15 live albums, and countless singles. Their popularity carried their raunchy and rebellious nature from the UK to the US, and the teenage youth loved up every bit of it. Quite possibly one of their most famous songs, ”(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” off of their album Out of Our Heads, demonstrates the rebellion aspect of The stones. This song accurately depicts what the youth is going through during this time period.
When I’m drivin’ in my car
And that man comes on the radio
And he’s tellin’ me more and more
About some useless information
Supposed to fire my imagination (The Rolling Stones)
These lyrics show that youth had reached a point where they no longer wanted to listen to what “the man” was telling them. The Stones backed this claim with nearly all of their music. The Stones established themselves so well during the sixties that they have become a staple for American culture to the extent that they are still producing albums to this day.
The next aspect of culture that was drastically influenced by the British Invasion was film. The US was introduced to a new wave of movies, actors, and actresses from England that flooded the American film industry. One of the biggest changes that the film industry made was the introduction of movies based off of musical albums. The Beatles set the standard in this category with the production of numerous movies based off of their albums. Some of their most famous movies include Yellow Submarine, A Hard Day’s Night, Magical Mystery Tour, Help!, and Let it Be. These movies allowed the listener to put picture to music in the way the artist intended. The Who later followed The Beatles’ example with the production of their movie Quadrophenia. With these “musical films” becoming progressively more widespread, music videos became more and more popular in American culture. In addition to these music films, there were a number of other British movies that graced the silver screen. These films include Mary Poppins featuring Julie Andrews, My Fair Lady featuring Audrey Hepburn, and The James Bond Series featuring Sean Connery. All of these new films, actors, and actresses played an important role in the British Invasion’s impact on the American film industry. Without this impact, movies and music videos would simply not be the same.
The last major aspect of culture that was impacted by the British Invasion was fashion. During the Sixties, fashion evolved. Many different new styles were introduced to the US. The English rock bands involved with the Invasion challenged US dress code norm for men and women. Americans wanted to look and feel like the bands they were listening to. Once again, The Beatles were at the forefront of this movement. The Modern Fashion style, or Mod, was adopted by the American youth and became the social norm of the generation. Articles of clothing such as the skinny tie for guys and the mini skirt for girls became wildly popular. This new style was seen to be more hip than the attire before the Invasion. Roger Daltrey, a member of The Who said, “The Mod look was said to be very clean-cut, Ivy League, and fashion conscious” (Szatmary 121). It was characterized by the nice dress shoes, tight dark pants, button down shirt, and occasionally a blazer. People who Mod fashion typically had short trendy hair styles. The Mod fashion was the break from the formerly conformist world the youth had been looking for. The Who, like The Beatles, played a big part in the representation of the Mod fashion during the British Invasion. The majority of the British Invasion bands dressed in Mod and pushed the traditionalism that existed before sixties. The youth was done with accepting what they were supposed to be as youth and they were ready to rebel. “The Who’s sound captured the anger and rebelliousness of the English Mods” (Szatmary 123). Mod fashion was not an easy thing to be a part of. One had to have short hair as well as money enough to buy suits, good shoes, and good shirts. On top of all this, Mod fashion was a fast paced culture. The Mods adopted different fashion statements on a weekly basis (101). “One outfit might be 12 quid, a week’s wages, and the next fucking week you’d have to change the whole lot” (Townshend). Despite the difficulty of being one of the most fast paced and most expensive fashion groups, millions of young teenagers all across the US adopted this style. This is majorly due to the strong cultural influence the British Invasion had on the American youth.
The British Invasion was one of the most influential cultural movements of all time. Starting in the early Sixties and impacting every aspect of American culture, it revolutionized the way people viewed art, music, and film. With the help of English rock bands and the television, England forever changed the way Americans reacted to their culture. The British Invasion was an extremely influential movement that forever changed nearly every aspect of pop culture. It resulted in the creation of a new genre of music, a new style of film, and the evolution of fashion within the United States. Without this movement, no aspect of our culture would be the same as it is today.
Works Cited
AZ Lyrics. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/who/babaoriley.html>.
AZ Lyrics. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/rollingstones/icantgetnosatisfaction.html>.
The Beatles. Apple Corps, 2014. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://www.thebeatles.com/>.
Casburn, Melissa M. "A Concise History of the British Mod Movement." GBACG: n. pag. GBACG. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://www.gbacg.org/costume-resources/original/articles/mods.pdf>.
Gundersen, Edna. "How the Fab Four High-fived the Hot 100." USA Today 3 Apr. 2014: n. pag. Print.
Home - The Who. The Who, 2012. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://thewho.com/>.
RIAA. RIAA, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://riaa.com/goldandplatinum.php?content_selector=top-selling-artists>.
RIAA. RIAA, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://riaa.com/goldandplatinum.php?content_selector=top-artist-tallies>.
The Rolling Stones - Official Website. The Rolling Stones, 2014. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://www.rollingstones.com/>.
Szatmary, David P. Rockin' in Time. Fourth ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1987. Print.