There are many factors that contributed to The Beatles and their fame. I believe that there are some prominent and reoccurring themes that I have noticed throughout my education of The Beatles. These factors being family, their music talents, their age, Liverpool, and the bands that they were influenced by.
It is well known that Paul and John’s mothers both had died when they were relatively young. This was a huge bonding subject for John and Paul. John’s mother’s death was a bit more traumatic I would say because John never really had his mother in the first place like Paul did, and Julia dies of a sudden car accident that could have been prevented. Paul had his mother in his life and she died of cancer, which was a slower process and Paul had time and a relationship with his mother. Nevertheless, Paul and John really hit is off. They were able to be emotionally vulnerable with one another, which made for good music and songs.
Something that not just Paul and John had in common, but all The Beatles, was their love of music. It seemed that most of them weren’t really talented in anything else or were passionate in anything else. They had nothing else to do with their time or life that they were interested in. To become a famous musician, you have to give yourself to writing music and any other aspirations need to be pushed aside. It seems obvious that this is what needed to happen, but most of the Beatles didn’t have much of another choice. Ringo was sick and missed school, John did terribly in school. Paul and George actually did very well in school, but they were in music school; similar to a performing arts school. Again, more music! They all had a passion for music, and for different reasons. I think John’s love of music was an escape and was more valuable to him than the other Beatles.
The very start of The Beatles was with the Quarry Men. John was the first Beatle that was in the Quarry men and he was 16 at the time. From then, Paul and George joined along with Pete Best at a later date. All of these boys were relatively young at this point in time. They certainly were not done growing up, even when Ringo joined the band they were still not fully grown up. I think that this band was a family that all of The Beatles grew up in and with. They experienced fame and fortune together and that made them close. They all grew to discover who they were, as every adolescent does, together. They were the only men in the entire world who understood what being a Beatle was like. Growing up with your band mates and making music together heavily influenced the development of The Beatles. It is very important to be comfortable in order to write a raw and exposing song. I think that the fact that these guys were so close because they started so young was crucial. They needed support and stability in a chaotic world of Beatlemania. Throughout their lives, one thing stayed steady and that was the four members were always there, and they knew who those people were. They could trust one another because they had all risen to fame together.
Liverpool was another thing that The Beatles had in common. From what I have read and learned, Liverpool was a great environment to develop a band and try your hand at it. It wasn’t too big of a town where no one cared, but it wasn’t too small that no one noticed you. There were bars and pubs that would allow these boys to play there were schoolgirls and friends that would show up to support them. When I was in Liverpool at least, and I am assuming that the atmosphere was similar to that of the 1960’s, it was so much fun! Everyone was supportive and happy and just wanted to have a good time. That could just be the England way of life, but it was very nurturing to an aspiring band of schoolboys. Some of their songs were also based in Liverpool, like Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields. It is clear that Liverpool as a town played a huge role in what The Beatles were about. It was their home and their comfort that they all had in common. Although, it is when The Beatles went to Hamburg that they learned how to become performers because of the slight rejection and the push to keep peoples attention. Liverpool possibly could have given them the confidence and comfort that was needed to go to Hamburg.
My last two points have to do with the music scene during the early 60’s. Elvis opened the way for rock and roll. He was the first ladies man and the first guy to really give a show on the stage. The Beatles were known for giving a show on the stage, thanks to Hamburg. Elvis was an inspiration to almost every aspiring band. He was different and everyone loved it. Because of Elvis’s story, I think that it gave people the idea that anyone could try their hand at music and be unique. Elvis was John’s, Paul’s, George’s and Ringo’s icon just like the Beatles became other bands’ icons.
( Elvis's Shoes)
Going along with inspirational music, skiffle bands were very important to the formation of The Beatles. These bands made it seem easy, cheap, and accessible to form a band of your own and have it sound descent. They used makeshift instruments that anyone could make; they did not use expensive guitars that you had to take lessons for. These skiffle bands were the start of rock and roll. Even though the Quarry Men started out as a skiffle band, it transformed into a rock and roll band. Without skiffle, we might not know the rock and roll that we know today.
These are just a few things that inspired The Beatles. Of course, many things shaped them and changed them after Liverpool. But this was where it all started. It was very cool to see this place, and probably a once in a lifetime chance. I saw where one of the greatest bands rose to their amazing fame and where they produced some of the best songs on the Earth in my opinion.
