| − | '''The Beatles''' were an [[England|English]] rock band from [[Liverpool]], UK. They were influential in popularizing a soft style of rock music, selling around a billion records worldwide. The Beatles played and recorded many genres of [[rock and roll]], from Tin Pan Alley and psychedelic rock to heavy metal and pop-rock. They were also key figures behind the 1960s [[counterculture]] as some of their songs popularized harmful drugs, while others are just idiotic images like "the fool on the hill" and "yellow submarine." Multiple Beatles songs were based on plagiarism of prior works by others,<ref>https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rec.music.beatles/5F7JWZTLwz4</ref> while other songs are knock-offs of popular hits (compare "Ukraine girls" to "California girls" by the [[Beach Boys]]). [[Elvis Presley]] opposed the negative influence on [[American]]s by the [[Beatles]].<ref name="Guardian">https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/oct/14/popandrock2</ref> | + | '''The Beatles''' were an [[England|English]] rock band from [[Liverpool]], UK. They were influential in popularizing a soft style of rock music, selling around a billion records worldwide. The Beatles played and recorded many genres of [[rock and roll]], from Tin Pan Alley and psychedelic rock to heavy metal and pop-rock. They were also key figures behind the 1960s [[counterculture]] as some of their songs popularized harmful drugs, while others are just idiotic images like "the fool on the hill" and "yellow submarine" that dumbed culture down. Multiple Beatles songs were based on plagiarism of prior works by others,<ref>https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rec.music.beatles/5F7JWZTLwz4</ref> while other songs are knock-offs of popular hits (compare "Ukraine girls" to "California girls" by the [[Beach Boys]]). [[Elvis Presley]] opposed the negative influence on [[American]]s by the [[Beatles]].<ref name="Guardian">https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/oct/14/popandrock2</ref> |
| − | The four Beatles were [[John Lennon]] (1940-1980), [[George Harrison]] (1943-2001), [[Paul McCartney]] (1942- ), and [[Ringo Starr]] (1940- ). Most of the Beatles' songs were co-written by Lennon and McCartney, though George Harrison penned one of their most critically acclaimed lyrics, "Something". In the latter half of the 1960s the majority of their songs were written individually, but retained the "Lennon/McCartney" (orig. "McCartney/Lennon") writing credit. Lennon's songwriting was harder in nature and often had a political bent, while McCartney primarily wrote lighter love songs. Harrison, who later converted to [[Hinduism]],<ref>https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-21938027</ref> frequently utilized the sitar in his songs. Starr rarely wrote music, but would usually sing one song per album except ''A Hard Day`s Night'' and ''Let It Be''. His most famous song is ''Yellow Submarine'' and is usually sung in schools. | + | The four Beatles were [[John Lennon]] (1940-1980), [[George Harrison]] (1943-2001), [[Paul McCartney]] (1942- ), and [[Ringo Starr]] (1940- ). Most of the Beatles' songs were co-written by Lennon and McCartney, though George Harrison penned one of their most critically acclaimed lyrics, "Something", which is one of the few quality love songs by the group. In the latter half of the 1960s the majority of their songs were written individually, but retained the "Lennon/McCartney" (orig. "McCartney/Lennon") writing credit. Lennon's songwriting was harder in nature and often had a political bent, while McCartney primarily wrote lighter love songs. Harrison, who later converted to [[Hinduism]],<ref>https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-21938027</ref> frequently utilized the sitar in his songs. Starr rarely wrote music, but would usually sing one song per album except ''A Hard Day`s Night'' and ''Let It Be''. His most famous song is ''Yellow Submarine'' and is usually sung in schools. |
| | Having evolved from the high school band known as The Quarrymen, around 1962 the Beatles began playing in Hamburg, Germany, and became very popular there. A year later, thanks to underground radio, they were the biggest band in their native land of the UK. In 1964, the Beatles made their historic trip to the United States<ref>http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19782/m1/</ref> to perform on ''The Ed Sullivan Show''. To date, this performance is one of the highest-rated television events in history. | | Having evolved from the high school band known as The Quarrymen, around 1962 the Beatles began playing in Hamburg, Germany, and became very popular there. A year later, thanks to underground radio, they were the biggest band in their native land of the UK. In 1964, the Beatles made their historic trip to the United States<ref>http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19782/m1/</ref> to perform on ''The Ed Sullivan Show''. To date, this performance is one of the highest-rated television events in history. |