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Strawberry Fields Forever

Rebecca Canton

January

The average beetle lives for a couple of months or up to several years. With a rather short lifespan in the scheme of things, irrelevant and overlooked, the beetle is an unusual pet and an even more obscure favorite animal. Sacrificed for often more beloved pets such as snakes and lizards, it is difficult to imagine that a group of them, or a swarm, would become one of the most famous, recognizable and long-lasting groups in the world. Enter the Beatles, or what I would personally call: the greatest band of all time


Hailing from Liverpool England in 1960, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr redefined British music, becoming legends of rock music. The Beatles, often considered the most influential rock band of all time, is probably the best thing to come out of Liverpool, perhaps even England. If you asked me the most glorious time to be alive, I would say, beyond a doubt, the period between 1960 to 1970. Why? These were the years when the Beatles were making music. Hit after hit, from Here Comes the Sun to Yesterday, the Beatles’ music lives on through die-hard fans and casual listeners alike. Spend a week in England, and you will without a doubt hear one of their songs. After all, the Beatles are forever. 


Evidently, the Beatles are not a group of the six-legged kind. Lennon is not a ladybird, McCartney a mosquito, Harrison a housefly nor Ringo Starr a silkworm. The differences between the band and the insect could not be more distinct. Such a rather obvious idea has only been exacerbated by the recent revival of many Beatles songs. Songs like Hey Jude have seen a resurgence in popularity through social media platforms like TikTok. The song became an anthem for England fans at the Euros 2024; fans sang it for England and Real Madrid footballer Jude Bellingham. Released in 1968, Hey Jude remains a timeless classic 57 years later, transcending cramped football stands and a £6 burger. The revival of such a song benefits from the fact that one of the most popular English footballers, Jude Bellingham, happens to share the same name, yet it is not the only song seeing a rebirth. Other classics like Let It Be are enjoying renewed popularity. In his biographical piece on the Beatles, Richie Unterberger claims the Beatles’ “supremacy as rock icons remains unchallenged to this day,”but what is it about the Beatles that ensures its status as a cult classic for years to come? 


A common nickname for the Beatles is the ‘Fab Four’ and it is not challenging to understand why. After signing with EMI in 1962 and producing their first hit Love Me Do in 1963, ‘Beatlemania’ swept England. By 1964, the Beatles were household international names, reaching unprecedented levels of success. They became the best-selling music act of all time, a title they still hold. They are the most successful act ever on the U.S. Billboard charts, hold the record for most number-one albums and have won seven Grammy Awards. Their list of achievements could fill an entire article. 


The greatest thing about the Beatles, in my opinion, was their musical innovation. The Beatles did not just change the music industry. They revolutionized it. Before the Beatles, the recording studio was simply a space, a two-dimensional area to make music. With their arrival, the studio became a place of creativity. The Beatles were among the first bands who utilized the recording studio imaginatively and unconventionally, seeking advancements in how records were made. Due to the Beatles, new techniques like Artificial Double Tracking for vocals, which enhances the sounds of voices or instruments, were discovered. Looping, a pretty common technique in the music industry, was popularized by the Beatles and can be seen in songs like Tomorrow Never Knows. Almost every modern hit has a music video, but it was the Beatles that pioneered this. The concept album—think To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar—likewise was created by the Beatles with albums such as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. What becomes astronomically clear is that the Beatles paved the way for the future of music. 


Lennon-McCartney, the songwriting partnership between Lennon and McCartney, is one of genius. Inspired by Indian music and culture, this duo was one of the first to experiment across genres, songs like Love You To, from the 1966 album Revolver, feature a sitar, a string instrument used in Hindustani classical music. Yet it was the lyric writing that was central to this brilliance. Lyrics range as large as their discography, from straightforward pop to introspective narratives, melancholy to joy. In the beginning, Lennon-McCartney’s lyrics featured in simple universal hits like I Want to Hold Your Hand (1964) that resonated with the world through catchy refrains. As the Beatles saw success and matured as musical icons, so too did their music, with masterpieces like In My Life offering reflection and heartfelt musing. The Beatles’ later work demonstrates Lennon and McCartney’s unparalleled talent for storytelling. Lennon’s surreal streams of consciousness in Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds and McCartney’s haunting portrayal of loneliness in Eleanor Rigby combine accessibility with artistry. Their lyrics could be both personal and universally relatable; this is what made them so great—listeners could find themselves in every song. 


What defines the Beatles is that they were not just a band—they were social activists. Vocal about social and cultural issues, the Beatles advocated for peace and an end to racial segregation, famously refusing to perform for segregated audiences during their 1964 U.S. tour in Jacksonville, Florida. In 1969, in Amsterdam, Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono held a series of non-violent protests including a famous ‘bed-in’ against the Vietnam War, gaining widespread media attention and support. The Beatles’ commitment to peace and equality, especially from Lennon, is reflected in their music. Songs like Blackbird, a melody about racial discord in the American South serve as messages of hope against racial discrimination. Furthermore, tracks like Revolution call for social change, with the lyrics of ‘we all want to change the world’ reflecting a desire for peaceful social transformation. And change the world they did. While the Beatles may no longer be making music, songs like Imagine, albeit a solo work by Lennon, have become anthems for the anti-war movement. The Beatles’ legacy and music does not just reflect its era, it transcends it. Their disposition to address social issues marked a transition in how artists can use their platform for activism. They were not just musicians, they were cultural catalysts, with their messages of peace and unity echoing and resonating for generations to come—reminding us that all we need is love in troubling times of disruption and hostility. 


Take away the lyrics, innovation and music, one key fact remains that sets the Beatles apart: its inter-generational appeal. The first time I listened to the Beatles was when I was 12; my friend's mother played them on the way back from field hockey practice. The song was Let It Be and I remember it very clearly. It is the sort of song that sticks with you, the one you hear in the back of your head constantly. As I came home I asked my father if he had heard of the Beatles. Such a question was almost insulting to him. That was the moment my love for the Beatles started, but looking back it is hard to overlook the universal love for the group. Parents and grandparents who grew up during Beatlemania, for example, my father, share their love for the Beatles with younger family members, fostering continuity. In an age where generations seem millennia apart, their music provides a link between generations, sparking conversations and moments that few artists can claim. Their songs remain relevant due to their timeliness, messages of love, growth and social change, making them just as meaningful to listeners today as they were in the 1960s. 


What sets the Beatles apart is their cultural resonance, they were never a group to stay within the boundaries of pop or rock music, constantly reinventing themselves. The Beatles will forever be relevant, as they represent the three things necessary for a lasting music legacy: creativity, innovation and collaboration. Whether as a source of comfort, a personal soundtrack, or just good background music, the Beatles remain cultural legends. The long and winding road may be reaching its end, but one thing is certain: the Beatles will always matter. 


The truth is that they are a genre in itself. You can hate rock and love the Beatles. You can despise the ‘70s but yearn for the croons of Lennon. You can love classical symphonies and still be moved by Eleanor Rigby—because oh look at all the people who love this band. Great art knows no limits of time or age when their names are John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.


Photo credits: Boer, Netherlands

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