The 1960’s Through ‘The Beatles’

When examining the variety of musical works in the Post-Modern era, there is such a wide variety that it is impossible to just pick one to define the era overall. It would be much easier to do so in a previous era where only certain types of tonal music were accepted, therefore resulting in a majority of the music sound, not the same, but quite similar. An article that definitely has a variety of works that can represent just part of the musical world which was blossoming in the Post-Modern era, more specifically, the 1960s would be the well know and famous Beatles. The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which was released in 1967, depicts the changing social and political climate of the 1960s through references of drug use and universal love.

Love has been the inspiration for a large fraction of music for a long time. In fact, romantic love was the main backbone of marriages since the 1800s in the western culture as it is a natural phenomenon (Campbell 111). That was, until the 1960s and 70s. This isn’t to say that this idea of “romantic love” completely fizzled out by any means, but the younger generation began following a different path. A path down the road of drugs, increased sexual activity, and meditation to a lesser extent. This changed the concept of marriage, both being legally recognized and an unofficial marriage which would be cohabitation without a traditional bonding ceremony (117). Although Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band does not have many obvious sexual references, there are several songs that point to the idea of love in a more general sense. This idea of a “universal love” can be seen in songs off of the album such as “Within You, Without You,” “She’s Leaving Home,” and “When I’m Sixty-Four.” “Within You, Without You” contains the lyrics, “We were talking, about the love we all could share.” And “With our love we could save the world, if they only knew.” “She’s Leaving Home” is a song about two parents being brokenhearted when the daughter they love runs away. “When I’m Sixty-Four” is a song representing a young man singing to someone he loves and wants to grow old with. Though lyrics can be interpreted in endless different ways, it seems that these songs definitely hold the subject of love, not sexual, but of several different kinds, as they were expressed during the anti-war era.

The most obvious aspect of this album is the references to drug usage in several of the tracks. According to Paul McCartney, the plan of the Sgt. Pepper album was not to write about what they wanted to write, but what they believed that the audience would like to express (Gilmore). Of course, the younger generation was a majority of this audience he was talking about. Throughout this decade, the popularity of experimentation with drugs, more particularly marijuana and LSD, showed through in this album. It is no secret that the tracks “With a Little Help From My Friends,” and “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” have lyrics related to drug use that are difficult to avoid (Gilmore). “I get high with a little help with my friends,” likely refers to drug usage while “the girl with kaleidoscope eyes” likely refers to the effects experienced while tripping on LSD. McCartney even refers to this entire album as a “drug album” as the band members had been actively using drugs, including marijuana and LSD (Gilmore).

The active disapproval of the success of The Beatles definitely points towards political drama, especially as the Cold War between the United States and USSR was taking place. There was attempts of banning John Lennon from getting permission to work and perform in the United States, as he was a foreign musician. Although it is stated that “unique” or “cultured” entertainments that could not be replicated by an American could be allowed to work, the loophole was the definition of “unique” and “cultured.” Those in favor of the ban had the claim that Rock n’ Roll was not “unique” and that mass entertainment was not “cultured” as it was a job that an American could do, therefore a foreigner would be coming into the country and taking a job from an American (Roberts 7). This has politics written all over it. At one point Lennon stated that The Beatles were more popular than Jesus Christ and that Christianity, along with Rock n’ Roll would fade out eventually (Sullivan 313). As a response, many radio states across the “bible belt” banned The Beatles from playing on their stations and KKK members would burn The Beatles’ albums at the cross (313). Anti-Beatles campaigns such as the radio station bans were said to be done to protect the youth from “corruption,” which likely had to do with anti-communism beliefs which were taking place at the time (316). Anti-Communism and Anti-Christianity were practically synonymous (316).

At this time in the history of music, the outline of what “real music” was had expanded into something so much greater. There were no boundaries, not matter what anyone claims. The disapproval of one generations music by and older generation seems to have always happened and will not stop anytime soon, as most people have seen from personal experience and criticism. No matter what any given person believes is the greatest music, whatever is created in a pluralistic society will be supported by someone, as art is entirely objective (Meyer 42). It was time for a new music with a new following in the 1960s, and that is exactly what had happened. Through Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles are able to fill this need for variety in a growing pluralistic society by depicting the changing social and pollical climate through tracks in relation to drug usage and universal love.

Bibliography

Campbell, Colin. “'All You Need Is Love': From Romance to Romanticism: The Beatles, Romantic Love and Cultural Change.” Etnofoor, vol. 19, no. 1, 2006, pp. 111–123. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25758113.

Gilmore, Mikal. “Inside the Making of the Beatles' 'Sgt. Pepper'.” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 25 June 2018, www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/inside-the-making-of-sgt-pepper-125417/.

Meyer, Leonard B. Music, the Arts, and Ideas, Edited by Robert P. Morgan, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1998, 224-228.

Roberts, Michael. “A Working-Class Hero Is Something to Be: The American Musicians' Union's Attempt to Ban the Beatles, 1964.” Popular Music, vol. 29, no. 1, 2010, pp. 1–16. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40541475.

Sullivan, Mark. “'More Popular Than Jesus': The Beatles and the Religious Far Right.” Popular Music, vol. 6, no. 3, 1987, pp. 313–326. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/853191.