The Impact of the Beatles - the Birth of Beatlemania

The Beatles are the phenomena that goes beyond the wildest dreams of every band. There

will probably never be another group like them. Beatlemania was a type of madness that

came from Britain in 1963 and will continue to resonate as long as humans are recording

history. In less than a year, the Beatles snowballed into a monster that was

unprecedented in the history of show business in England. They were the first group in

the world to go platinum before releasing the album. They cancelled many shows in '64

due to riots caused by Beatle-fever.

The Birth Of Beatlemania

The Beatles came out of Liverpool, where about 300 other bands were trying to

"make it" at the time. In order to make more money, the group traveled to Hamburg,

Germany to play at a wild strip club known as the Indra Club. Brian Epstein, an agent

and promoter, discovered them there and offered to become their manager after several

performances. The group signed a contract with Brian on January 24, 1962. He is

recognized as "the fifth beatle." That same month, the Beatles made a demo that Epstein

shopped around. Every label turned them down except for Parlophone Records, a smaller

label of Electric and Musical Industries Ltd who owned the majority of stock shares in

Capitol Records. Parlophone Records was not involved with rock music. The young band

successfully auditioned for George Martin and signed a contract. George Martin would

remain their producer for the entirety of their career. On August sixteenth of that year,

George Martin had the Beatle's current drummer Pete Best fired. The band had on-going

issues with Pete. Two days later, they hired Ringo Star, whose nick-name Ringo came

from wearing several rings. The official line-up of Paul Mccartney, John Lennon, George

Harrison and Ringo Star was in place at last. They went on to record "Love Me Do" as

there first single. 100,000 copies were sold. "Love Me Do" was followed by "She Loves

You," which sold a million copies. Then they released "Please, Please Me" and "With the

Beatles." The group's biggest success came with "I Want to Hold Your Hand." They also

released a handful of other recordings which sold a few hundred thousand. Beatlemania

was in full swing. The Royal Family asked The Beatles to perform at the annual

command performance at the Prince of Wales Theater in November of sixty-three. At

the event, John Lennon said "People in the cheaper seats clap your hands, the rest of

you just rattle your jewelry." They were taking their success in stride. Good looks,

original music, and charm had the nation mesmerized.

Where does this craze come from? While other bands are creating fake personas

that are meant to be cool and mysterious, the Beatles were honest. They were working

class and relatable to the common person. The Beatles did not just come out of nowhere.

It took hard work. Still, the band provided a safe way to let down our inhibitions; a desire

that stirs in us all. Due to their early success, the Beatles were able to speak for the

anti-establishment adolescent. Due to their success in America, John Lennon would go

on to spearhead the "revolution" for the anti-establishment adult.

Coming To America

Capitol Records released "Meet the Beatles," in January of 1964 to set the stage

for the band's first appearance in America. The Beatles arrived in New York at

LaGuardia on February 8, 1964. They were set for three appearances on the Ed Sullivan

show, the first of which kicked off their tour. After touching down in America, the

group was greeted by three thousand teenagers from New York as well as other states.

These teens had poster boards that said things like, "I love you, please stay." There were

tears when they left London, and tears of joy when they hit America. Reporters started

with their questions. "Will you sing for us?" someone asked. "We need money first," said

Lennon. "What's your message for American teenagers?" "Our message is buy some

more Beatle records," replied 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. "Especially his poems." "Don't you guys ever get a haircut?" "I just

got

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