The Beatles: A Pop Explosion

By Carlo Darbisi
Word Count W/o References-1256
Word Count Total-1523
Question 1:
Greil Marcus calls The Beatles a pop explosion, in your words what does
he mean by that term? Describe the difference from previous examples of
fan mania and give examples for your reasoning.
A pop explosion is something that could not be ignored and where ever
you turned you would see, hear and talk about this pop explosion whether
it be a movie or act or even music this act would take the world by storm
and it could not be avoided. In regards to what act deserves to be called a
pop explosion people would contend that The Beatles are that act and
same would go for people such as Greil Marcus who is an esteemed rock
n roll critic who has said that the The Beatles were a pop explosion. The
Beatles were indeed a pop explosion but the same could go for those who
started the rock n roll movement. Bill Haley and his Comets emerged in
1956 out of the US and introduced an all new sound that traditional jazz
as that was the most common form of music back then. Teenagers were
inspired in 1956 when they heard this music that was different and
something they could identify with but it wasnt until Elvis Presleys
Heartbreak Hotel came into the lives of teenagers everywhere finally
had a voice and could not ignore this new form of music and this by my
definition can be considered as a pop explosion.
Bill Haley and his Comets came into the spotlight in 1952 during the
boomer period with Rock Around The Clock a song that immediately
gained attention with its rocking style and a style which encouraged
people to let loose and dance and inspired a generation.
The first time we hear Elvis Presley is with a song made in a record store
just for his mum and this song gained the attention of the store owner
who was starting a record label in which he wanted Elvis Presley to be a
part of. Elvis Presley was a rock and roll singer, guitarist and actor and is
the most successful artist of the mid 1950s rock and roll explosion (David
Brackett, 2013). As Brackett has stated hear he calls Elvis a rock and roll
explosion, Brackett also stated that Elvis Presley was a rock and roll
inspiration and the inspiration for many of the most musicians to follow.

Elvis Presley was a pop explosion and would kick off a new generation for
many live and thrive in and without Elviss success of hits such as
Heartbreak Hotel The Beatles would of not had a pop explosion.

Question 2:
The term Pop Explosion in the Marcus article could refer to Beatlemania.
Does Beatlemania follow the definitions for a pop explosion? Define
Beatlemania in your answer
Even before they broke nationally, that excitement in the North West was
special, it really was. I remember the people queuing from about 1pm and
the club opened at 6:30. The queues went right down Fountain Street to
Lewiss (Manchester). (Danny Betesh Early Beatles Promoter). The
Beatles inspired a generation and took everything that they learnt from
Elvis Presley, Bill Haley and His Comets and various skiffle bands and
created something new and had a major following that can only be called
Beatlemania and can only be described by the quote made above from
early Beatles promoter Danny Betesh.
Beatlemania was huge, people went crazy for this band it shaped their
attitude their habits and their style. Everyone was ditching the bad boy
haircut and would employ a longer and very extravagant for those times.
From the moment they stood on the Ed Sullivan show people were
convinced it was the most exciting rock and roll Id ever heard (Marcus
2014). Their appearance made such a commotion that everyone was
bewitched to see such talent on their television screens. CBS had a huge
demand of tickets that week just to see The Beatles, up to 50,000 ticket
requests were made when the studio only held 703 people. The week
went by in a blur people began to grow their hair (Marcus 2014). These
were the times of the teenager this was their music this was their identity
this was their Beatlemania. The Beatles bursting onto the music scene of
1963-1964 within their numerous popular songs has been described by
some historians as a rare Pop Explosion (Jack Doyle 2014).
The Beatles impact, of course, goes well beyond their music-chart
numbers in 1963-1964. Yet these Beatles years marked a turning point for
rock and roll (Jack Doyle 2014). Beatlemania to me is defined as a huge

appreciation, enthusiasm and excitement towards The Beatles, I do not

think society will have another huge pop explosion like The Beatles. The
Beatles were manifested at a time where teenagers needed a voice and
thats why The Beatles were so important at that time teenagers were just
their they did as their told and grew up to most likely do what their fathers
did. The Beatles gave them dreams and things to aspire to be. The Beatles
were at the perfect place at the perfect time and that could never again
be replicated.

Question 3
John Lennon said: I grew up in Hamburg, not Liverpool. Likely a
reference to getting away from a conservative Liverpool to the amoral
Hamburg, but it could also refer to defining their professionalism, integrity
or self-belief, etc. They werent the only group that worked in Hamburg.
What do you think made the Beatles unique to these other groups which
ultimately manifested into the Beatlemania phenomenon?
The reason that The Beatles were made into such a phenomenon was
because they were the first band who really captured that sound and they
were the first actual rock and roll band. Considering what Lennon says
about be brought up in Hamburg as it really shows in his music in The
Beatles because Hamburg being the unethical place and doesnt get as
much praise as Liverpool being as it is a much nicer and conservative
place. It was Hamburg that had done it! It was only back in Liverpool that
we realised the difference and saw what was happening (John Lennon).
What Lennon is saying here is that The Beatles music was for Hamburg
and I guess made for those people and didnt if it would catch on until
they went to Liverpool and played there and they only notice the impact
they made with their music. The Beatles were the ones who inspired a
new generation to pick up a guitar. The bands that came after didnt really
catch fire because it had already been done before but people didnt want
to listen to copies of the bands they loved they wanted the real thing they
wanted the authenticity of The Beatles.

It was that evening that we really came out of our shell and let go. We
stood there being cheered for the first time. This was when we began to
think that we were good. Up to Hamburg we'd thought we were OK, but
not good enough. It was only back in Liverpool that we realised the
difference and saw what had happened to us while everyone else was
playing Cliff Richard shit (John Lennon). When The Beatles played in
Liverpool it was new and they werent sure on what they would think and
they caught on they realised they were something special. The Beatles
were special, they were a phenomenon.

References:

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Article-LIFE Magazine (cover), November 7, 1969

Book-David Brackett's 2013 biography of Elvis Presley as found through
Oxford Music Online
http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/public/page/Presley_Elvis viewed
23/09/2015
Webpage-http://www.pophistorydig.com/topics/tag/beatles-1960s/ By
Jack Doyle Last Updated 29th of August 2014
Webpage-http://greilmarcus.net/2014/07/11/the-beatles-1979/ By Greil
Marcus 11th of July 2014
Lecture Notes- (Robert Bratetich) Lecture notes distributed in MUT
105:History 1 At Box Hill Institute on 21/09/2015