
			Beatlemania in the 1960s

         The Beatles were a mystical happening that many people still 
 don't understand. Phenomenoligists had a ball in 1964 with 
 Beatlemania, a generally harmless form of madness which came from 
 Britain in 1963. The sole cause of Beatlemania is a quartet of young 
 Englishmen known as the Beatles. In the less than one year that they 
 achieved popularity in England to the time they came to America, The 
 Beatles achieved a popularity and following that is unprecedented in 
 the history of show business in England. They became the first 
 recording artists anywhere in the world to have a record become a 
 million-seller before it's release. They became the target of such 
 adoration by their fans that they had to cancel all one-night bookings 
 because of riots in early 1964. Beatlemania had reached unbelievable 
 proportions in England, it became a form of reverse lend-lease and 
 spread to the United States. Capitol records followed the Beatles' 
 single record with the release of an album, "Meet the Beatles," in 
 late January of 1964. That event was followed by the Beatles 
 themselves, who arrived in New York February 8, 1964 for three 
 appearances with Ed Sullivan. The first show was scheduled for Sunday, 
 February 9, the second was telecast from Miami a week later, and the 
 third pre-taped for an airing in March. These concerts were the most 
 watched television programs ever (70 million viewers) until recently. 
 The Beatles' arrival in the United States was presaged by a deluge of 
 advance publicity. Newsweek, Time, and Life have chronicled 
 Beatlemania, UPI, and the AP(Associated Press) had done their part for 
 the cause (including an AP wirephoto of J. Paul Getty sporting a 
 Beatle wig), and even Vogue shoved high fashion aside momentarily in 
 it's January, 1964 issue and carried a full-page photo of the group. 
 Baltimore's respected Evening Sun took notice of the coming of the 
 Beatles on it's editorial page at that time. Said the Sun: "The 
 Beatles are coming. Those four words are said to be enough to jelly 
 the spine of the most courageous police captain in Britain... Since, 
 in this case, the Beatles are coming to America, America had better 
 take thought as to how it will deal with the invasion... Indeed, a 
 restrained 'Beatles, go home,' might be just the thing." Precisely 
 how, when, and where Beatlemania got started nobody- not even their 
 late manager Brian Epstein(who died of a drug overdose in 1967) can 
 say for sure. The Beatles are a product of Liverpool, which had a 
 population of some 300 rock and roll bands( or "beat groups," as 
 Liverpudlians are wont to call them). The beat groups hawked their 
 musical wares in countless small cellar clubs, old stores and movie 
 houses, even in a converted church, nearly all of which are in 
 proximity to the Mersey River. Out of all these groups came, somehow, 
 the Beatles. And they had to go to Germany to do it. In order to 
 better their Liverpool take-home pay of around $15. per week apiece, 
 John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo (so called 
 because of his penchant for wearing at least four rings) Starr took a 
 tramp steamer to Hamburg and a job which moved them up a bit 
 financially, if not in class. There, in a raucous and rowdy strip 
 joint, the Indra Club, the Beatles became the first entertainers to 
 play louder than the audience. There, too, they were "discovered" by 
 English promoter and talent agent, Brian Epstein, who has since become 
 deservedly known as "the fifth Beatle." Under Epstein's shrewd 
 guidance, the Beatles soon found themselves signing a contract with 
 Britain's giant Electric & Musical Industries, Ltd., the largest 
 recording organization in the world and major stockholder in Capitol 
 Records, Inc.; headlining concerts throughout Britain; and appearing 
 on television. Their first recording, "Love Me Do," was issued by 
 EMI's Parlophone label in October, 1962. It sold a respectable 100,000 
 copies, and it was the last time a Beatle single sold less than half 
 million copies. The first million-seller, "She Loves You," came out in 
 the spring of 1963. It was followed by two albums, "Please, Please Me" 
 and "With the Beatles." Both LP's sold over 300,000 copies.1 Then, 
 finally, came the unprecedented success of the newest single record, 
 "I Want to Hold Your Hand." In between there was three extended play ( 
 a 45 r.p.m. disk containing four tunes) recordings which also racked 
 up sales of several hundred thousand apiece. All this resulted in what 
 is universally known in Britain as Beatlemania and, as Newsweek said 
 of young Liverpudlians, "the sound of their music is one of the most 
 persistent noises heard over England since the air-raid sirens were 
 dismantled." Their popularity reached a head of sorts when, in 
 November of 1963, at the request of the Royal Family, The Beatles 
 headlined the annual command performance at the Prince of Wales 
 theater. It was a glittering affair and, probably out of deference to 
 attending royalty (including the Queen Mother-she found them "young, 
 fresh, and vital" - and Princess Margaret), notable for the absence of 
 even a small riot. Despite their apparent appointment as Purveyors of 
 Rock and Roll to the Crown, the Beatles have taken the whole thing in 
 stride. Said Beatle John Lennon to the lords and ladies at the command 
 performance: "People in the cheaper seats clap your hands, the rest of 
 you just rattle your jewelry." It was not only their good looks and 
 wonderfully unique music that made them so popular with the young 
 ladies (and men too!). It was their witty charm that was reflected in 
 the quote from the Royal Command Performance. Here is part of what was 
 said at LaGuardia airport on February 7, 1964: "Will you sing for us?" 
 someone asked. "We need money first," John Lenin shot back. "What's 
 your message for American teenagers?" "Our message is...buy some more 
 Beatle records," returned Paul 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 Starr. "Especially his poems." "Don't you guys ever get a 
 haircut?" "I just got one yesterday," retorted George Harrison. Added 
 Ringo: "You should have seen him the day before." There's a little bit 
 of Beatle history. One could say that they did not just come out of 
 nowhere , like many people believe. It took hard, diligent work to go 
 where they went. Because of this "Came out of nowhere to steal the 
 hearts of young girls" quote that was often used in the 1960's, many 
 psychiatrists felt the need to examine further. Anthony Corbett, a 
 noted English psychologist praised the Beatles as having provided "a 
 desperately needed release for the inhibitions which exist in all of 
 us."2
         Dixon Scott of the London Daily Mirror interviewed a 
 well-known psychiatrist (unnamed because of medical ethics) in an 
 attempt to get to the root of Beatlemania. "We are all chaotic and 
 mixed up inside," the psychiatrist told Scott. "We are anxious to have 
 a greater freedom to live. We have a greater feeling of the need to 
 express ourselves...in the past we have been controlled 
 automatons...but you cannot hold nature back forever. All the parts in 
 use had to seek an outlet and rhythm is one of these outlets...then 
 along came the Beatles with their fresh beat and fresh innocence." The 
 psychiatrist then came to the crux of the problem: "A revolution is 
 taking place," he said. "It amounts to freedom with a sense of 
 responsibility and honesty. The fans recognize the honesty that shines 
 from the Beatles." "While other pop stars have thought in artificial 
 terms of reaching out to their audiences, the Beatles are giving 
 honestly, as well as receiving." In a lengthy article in the New York 
 Times, Frederick Lewis of that paper's London bureau, examined the 
 sociological implications of Beatlemania and came up with other 
 theories. "They (The Beatles) are working class and their roots and 
 attitudes are firmly of the north of England. Because of their 
 success, they can act as spokesman for the new, noisy, 
 anti-establishment generation which is become a force in British 
 life," Lewis wrote. "The Beatles are part of a strong-flowing reaction 
 against the soft, middle class south of England, which has controlled 
 popular culture for so long." Beatlemania has touched all corners of 
 English and American life and all types of people. Obviously , it had 
 an enormous effect on America. The proof can be shown in the millions 
 upon millions of records they have sold in the last 32 years that they 
 have been making records (in the present tense because they are still 
 releasing records today). In the first Beatles fanzine in America, it 
 shows how crazy America was at this time over the Beatles. It has life 
 stories, full page pictures, how to do the Beatle dance, and the 
 Beatle haircut. The big contest was to win a call from the Beatles. 
 And at the end there was some wallet size photos for the girl's 
 purses. It is obvious that the Beatles influenced everyone's lives. 
 From the shrieking girls, to the parents of those girls, and the 
 police officers that tried their best to contain the 
 uncontrollable(girls). Their popularity diminished after they stopped 
 touring in 1966, which was due to the strain and stress of touring 
 that they had endured. But their impact was to last forever. The 
 wanting of the reunion has been so big that they are reuniting to 
 collaborate for a new album. It will undoubtedly be a best seller. 
 After all these years, people still love them. 1 According to "The 
 Beatles"- The first American Beatle Fan-zine. 2 All quotes courtesy of 
 "The Beatles"- The First American Beatle Fan-zine.  

