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Why do you think The Beatles were so popular?
18 June 2010
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kingjjj8
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Why do you think The Beatles were so popular? Why their music exploded all over the world into Beatlemania the way it did??? blue-meanie

 

I think it was because they brought ppl in with their cover versions of popular artists. Then they created a whole new and unique music and ppl would like and would think “Hey isn't this those four lads that did a cover version of a Carl Perkins song?”a-hard-days-night-john-7 

Rap music is just computerized crap. - George Harrison

18 June 2010
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Celebrated_Mr_K
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When they exploded onto the scene, it was completely unexpected.

First of all, American rock & roll was absolutely the unchallenged king.

Second, even in the British pop scene, ignored as it was, Liverpool was a joke. 

The Beatles came in with a fresh new sound.  I don't know if it was because they couldn't read musical notation and didn't know what the rules were supposed to be.  Songs like “Please Please Me ,” “It Won't Be Long,” “She Loves You “, and “I Want To Hold Your Hand ” sound like simple teen love songs but were innovative and groundbreaking. Other bands and performers were following standard blues chord changes and structures (and by and large, still do).  The Beatles crashed the party with rapid chord changes that NOBODY was doing.  That's why these songs jump off the record when you listen.

Even Bob Dylan, who had exploded on the folk music scene some time earlier with his incredible talent for lyrics, was wowed.  His folkie friends dismissed the Beatles as teenie-boppers, but Dylan told anyone who would listen that these guys were outrageous in their approach to music.  It pointed him in his new direction and he turned his back on folk and went electric, prompting literal cries of “traitor!”  His songwriting depth then inspired the Beatles to dig deeper and write from the heart and mind.

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18 June 2010
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HammerDealer
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Simply, they're very good, and the timing was excellent, but it is a wonder, because The Who could have exploded on the seen, and they should have, but it just wasn't great timing, and The Kinks had horrible timing, thanks to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Zombies, The Animals, and some other british, and american bands.

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18 June 2010
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Sun Queen
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I think it was part just what the generation needed/good timing, the whole new sound they brought to the table (being the rebellion the kids needed) and their good looks. Yes, the latter may be the most important- where would they be without their fainting girls?

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18 June 2010
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For some reason, I cannot explain this.

Er, wait! Simple answer:

Brian made them popular!brian-epstein

 

 

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18 June 2010
3.26pm
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Zig
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From what I’ve read (mostly on this site), their popularity can be attributed to the fact that they played to a vast array of clientele in Hamburg. Their audiences had varied tastes and musical preferences. They may have had a request for a rock & roll song followed by a request for a country song followed by a request for a bluesy or jazzy number, etc… Therefore, they appealed to a very wide audience and became adept at playing all of the different styles.

You can clearly hear that on their first two albums. PPM had numbers on opposite ends of the spectrum like A Taste Of Honey and Twist And Shout . WTB had rockers like Money, an R&B number like You Really Got A Hold On Me (my favorite cover!) and a show tune in Til There Was You.

I shudder to think what would have happened if they went in a direction other than Rock & Roll. I am sure they could have excelled in any musical genre but doubt they would have been as popular.

To the fountain of perpetual mirth, let it roll for all its worth. And all the children boogie.

18 June 2010
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c64wood
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A lot of hard work in Hamburg.  Willing to ride the bus across town to learn B7.  Meeting the right people at the right time.

I think the music moguls at the time need credit too.  Since Rock and Roll was trying to be “tamed” in the late 50s and early 60s, there was a void created that was filled by The Beatles.

But, I believe the main reason is because they were good, very, very good.  And the fact that they never “settled” on a sound.  They always wanted to expand and try new things

Look Up The Number

18 June 2010
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mithveaen
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Because Jesus wasn't popular enough?

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18 June 2010
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Zig
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mithveaen said:

Because Jesus wasn't popular enough?


 

I love it – well done!!

To the fountain of perpetual mirth, let it roll for all its worth. And all the children boogie.

13 May 2014
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Mr. Kite
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Their music was so revolutionary, all the techniques they invented lead to a sound that everyone loved. They started with popular music then their fans grew with them. Timing an connections were also very important to their popularity.

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13 May 2014
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Zig
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Wow, Mr. Kite – that’s a major thread bump. Prior to your post, the last one was mine 4 years ago – on Macca’s birthday, no less.

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13 May 2014
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Mr. Kite
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Zig said

Wow, Mr. Kite – that’s a major thread bump. Prior to your post, the last one was mine 4 years ago – on Macca’s birthday, no less.

It was on one of the last few pages of Yesterday and Today so definitely been some time!

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13 May 2014
10.03pm
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Von Bontee
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Celebrated Mr. K gets it – he was there at the time and has firsthand knowledge of how unusual those sounds were on radio in 1964. (Or in 1963 too.)

Also, their trousers. Can’t forget the trousers.

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13 May 2014
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Starr Shine?
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Because they are good to look at is definitely a factor

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14 May 2014
11.54pm
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Necko
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…because they’re great.

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15 May 2014
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Beatleva
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They had the looks, humor, likability, but most important of all… talent

They were completely different from what people were used to at that time, they also wrote their own songs. They invented new techniques and experimented with new things (no, I don’t mean drugs.)They changed the way people looked at music completely. Also they went from Please Please Me to Abbey Road in less than 10 years… They had so many genres, so many fans! They were just different, which apparently people really adored. I mean they did so many things in just 10 years. Almost all music from today (however s**tty it may seem) all originates from The Beatles. 

In the US, they were popular because of the reasons above, but also because the crowd needed to be cheered up after the loss of Kennedy. They needed a boost, which they got from The Beatles. I mean like really, who does not get happy from listening to Beatle songs?

Beatles forever! 

15 May 2014
10.17pm
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C.R.A.
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In addition to everything else that’s been mentioned in this thread (or the combination of those) it was their broad appeal; they were viable to those who just wanted to rock and they were (after coming under Epstein’s hand) acceptable enough to the masses.  Once they were visible on a larger stage, it was their sheer charisma that attracted the masses.  Their music justified their popularity (because it was exceptional) and from there, it all just exploded.

It’s been said The Beatles were the salve the world needed to help heal from a generation of war and loss and a need for the next generation to identify themselves.  It’s true that, at that time, something was needed.  Why The Beatles, then?  Refer to the first paragraph.  Right place, right time… right people.

I was someplace on the net, youtube or somewhere, and reading comments where someone said they were just another boy band.  A troll, obviously.  But I practically seethed at reading this.  They were superior musicians, first.  They logged countless hours of stage time and honed their craft far beyond anyone else back in Liverpool and they feared no one coming out of London.  Before they were The Beatles (as the world remembers them), they were a killer rock band.

11 June 2014
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thisbirdhasflown
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th

kingjjj8 said
Why do you think The Beatles were so popular? Why their music exploded all over the world into Beatlemania the way it did??? blue-meanie

 

I think it was because they brought ppl in with their cover versions of popular artists. Then they created a whole new and unique music and ppl would like and would think “Hey isn’t this those four lads that did a cover version of a Carl Perkins song?”a-hard-days-night-john-7 

i think it was that their songs were simple love songs that appealed to teenage girl audiences. And considering there were plenty of those, they rose to fame. After that, they were able to record songs that appealed to all sorts of audiences and that’s why they’ve stuck in the public’s mind for 50 years.

By hook or by crook, I'll be last in this book.

30 November 2018
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Ahhh Girl
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Change “were” to “are” in the title of this thread, and you get this article.

https://www.app.com/story/opin…..072329002/

Snippets

A recent Monmouth University poll found that the Beatles were far and away the most popular rock band of all time.

Three times as many people named The Beatles their favorite band as the runnerup, The Rolling Stones. And only five other bands were named by 2 percent or more as their favorite — AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, Aerosmith and Queen.

In many of these cases you will find that a large number of people are big fans of each of these groups but will still acknowledge the Beatles as a cut above in terms of their impact on the trajectory of rock music.

…a Pew poll in 2009 individually asked about nearly 30 different music acts. The Beatles easily surpassed every single one of them in popularity, including timeless classics like Elvis, Sinatra and Aretha.

The Beatles rock, but I think you all already know that. a-hard-days-night-john-1a-hard-days-night-paul-7a-hard-days-night-george-10ahdn_ringo_09heart

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30 November 2018
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TheWalrusWasBrian
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Wow, I knew they were the best, but by that much? That’s amazing. 

I think it’s because of the just plain likable people they were, along with musical talent, of course.

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