1

Jordan Caldwell
Zack De Piero
Academic Writing 2
18 April 2016
The Evolution of the Beatles Revolution
It was the year 1962. The world had changed forever with the release of The Beatles
first hit, Love Me Do. Having been playing at low-key pubs and nightclubs prior to their
explosion, the Liverpool locals finally hit it big when their song hit the top of the charts in
America. Beatlemania spread rampantly across the world, initially stealing the hearts of teenage
girls in the U.S. and Europe and eventually sending messages of peace and love to every
corner of the globe. Despite their temporary religious controversy, the band remained a major
world influence for the duration of their career. Their legacy is still continued today, as shown in
the making of the 2007 Grammy- and Golden Globe-nominated musical Across the Universe
(imdb.com). The Beatles essentially created a new genre of music. Not only were their first few
hits revolutionizing to the music industry, but their sound kept straying more and more from the
norm throughout the years until they completely redefined the limits of rock-and-roll, ballads,

Comment [1]: This is an A++++ start for a

musicology course. For our writing/rhetoric
course, it's erring too much on the not-directlyrelated-to-writing side. Remember the focus of
this assignment: *identifying and describing
textual genres.*

and psychedelic. Their unique and unpredictable style made for a fluid genre that changed with
the times and seemingly with every new album, so much so that their nine-year career can be
separated into three distinct eras defined by entirely different musical contexts. These eras
exhibit how genres have associated features, but these features can change even as the
nature of the genre remains (Dirk, 21). Understanding the techniques that set these eras apart
and those that tie them together can allow one to fully appreciate the fluidity and adaptation of
genre through time. Analyzing a genre can also provide clues into a certain historical context,
indicating significant social discourses of a time period.
Please Please Me, the first album released, set the tone of The Beatles new image. The
four barely-21-year-olds came across as sweethearts in search of love, which immediately
appealed to younger female generations. This teenage fan-base became the primary audience

Comment [2]: Alright, so you've got the "so

what? who cares" questions addressed, but I'm
a little uncertain as to what you're basing this
argument on. What specific techniques will you
be analyzing? And based on what
sources/examples? (Songs, albums?)
The more direction you give me at the get-go,
the more deliberate and focused I'll be in my
reading of this piece.

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of their first era, vaguely defined from 1963with the release of the first albumto 1965. The
same boy-band style was incorporated into the sequential albums of the time period: With the
Beatles, A Hard Days Night, Beatles for Sale, and Help. Of course, every album had its unique
features separate from the others (the band would have quickly lost popularity had that not been
the case), but they shared many surface-level features in common. Most of the songs were
about love or relationshipseither John, Paul, George, or Ringo would reminisce about the girl
who broke his heart or express his desire to win the heart of another. In Please Please Me, Paul

Comment [3]: Again, this is fanTASTIC for an

"analyze the band" paper; this assignment isn't
quite that though. For this assignment, this is a
little too much fat/fluff. I need you to get right to
an argument about textual genres and their
conventions.

discusses his encounter with a potential woman of interest: She looked at me, and I, I could
see, that before too long Id fall in love with her (I Saw Her Standing There). Other songs were
also related to love but had unfortunate, lesson-learning endings, such as in Beatles for Sale
when John found his girlfriend hand in hand, with another man, in my place (No Reply).
Again, these songs capture the hearts of the girls who sympathize with their situation or would
do anything to be the inspiration behind the lyrics. These albums contain mostly upbeat, simple,
and repetitive rhythms that are catchy and easy to follow as opposed to the more methodical
and complex beats of later creations. The music provides fun and easy listening, meant to
entertain more than anything. The lyrical and rhythmic techniques of The Beatles Era One
music were fairly similar to those of other popular artists at the time, including Buddy Holly and
Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons. The Beatles divergence from mainstream pop culture did not
start to progress until 1965.
The second era of Beatlemania was a time when the band truly started to experiment
with their sound. By 1965 they had well-established their iconic reputation, which gave them
some wiggle room to deviate from current trends. The concept of the hippie lifestyle was just
emerging, people were getting tired of the Vietnam War, and psychedelic drug use was starting
to become a popular hobby. This allowed The Beatles to switch gears, to direct their music
towards their own taste and towards matters significant to them. This Era should be considered
one of experimentation and realization; The Beatles were either trying to find their true selves or

Comment [4]: OK, you're laying down some

textual evidence -- woo hoo! What I'm
wondering a bit, though, is how this directly
relates back to your argument.
(I'm not saying that it *doesn't* relate back; I'm
saying you might need to remind me. The more
awesome/insightful/the-Beatles-ruuuuuule
factoids you bring into this, the more it kind of
buries the meat of your argument.)
Comment [5]: Nice! Two great aspects here:
(1) This is directly tied to written language and,
thus, adheres to the assignment (2) you're
telling me how all the pieces fit together -- that
little phrase "as opposed to the.." goes a long
way towards helping me see how it connects to
your larger argument.
Comment [6]: Yes ma'am!
Comment [7]: This comment is in reference to
the whole paragraph:
When I see thiseven before I start readingI
think, Ahhhhhhh! Attack of the page-long
paragraph!
See if you like this metaphor:
Pretend your whole paper is a big, juicy steak.
Do you want your reader to enjoy that steak in
easy-to-chew, digestable bites? Or do you want
them to start gnawing away at whole thing in
one piece (think: zombie).
Paragraphs are like those bites. Give your
reader your argument in little, digestable, oneidea-at-a-time bits.
Readers need to be able to see the different
parts/pieces/bites of the argument that theyre
chewing on.

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simply explore their musical potential. Albums Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt Peppers Lonely
Hearts Club Band, and Magical Mystery Tour were produced in a span of three years (1965
67). This Era is unique in that each of these albums had their own distinct lyrical style and
sound, separate from albums of other eras and from one another. Rubber Soul was the first

Comment [8]: Which was?

album created after Era One and had the closest resemblance. However, it incorporated more
modern rock as opposed to 50s style rock-and-roll. It also introduced song topics new to the

Comment [9]: So they had new thematic

conventions? What were they? (Get to it!)

groups repertoire. The subject matter was becoming less about women and more about selfreflection. Revolver switches more rapidly into uncharted territory. Some of the musical
techniques were taboo, unheard of at the time. In Im Only Sleeping, the group made use of
the then-unique reversed guitar technique, running the tape backwards to fit the dreamy mood.
It brought up the topic of a self-absorbed society, with people in a rush to get somewhere rather

Comment [10]: I'm OK with a little bit of this

(and by "this," I mean sonic conventions) -- just
don't overdo it.

than enjoying life. The albums concluding track Tomorrow Never Knows stresses the
importance of using self-reflection to discover ones purpose. Sgt Peppers also had its own

Comment [11]: Textual evidence?

original sound, with its most musically complex and leading-edge hit Being for the Benefit of Mr.
Kite! making use of theatrical carnival sounds and the organ. This might be there most
uniquely-inspired song, in that they basically revised a circus advertisement poster and used the
words as their lyricsThe celebrated Mr. K performs his feat on Saturday at Bishops Gate.
There was no single tone or context to the music in these albums. Each album portrayed a
different story, sometimes for the purpose of encouraging transcendentalism (Revolver) and
other times for no other reason besides providing fresh new sound to the general public.
However, the use of musical innovation is the major convention that interconnects these albums
but separates them from all the others.
The final Erafrom 1968 until their official separation in 1970of The Beatles career
seemed to solidify all of the groups hard work. They had experimented, redefined, and
enlightened. The final albums signified the worlds entry into the decade of rock. Though The
Yellow Submarine was somewhat reminiscent of their Era Two style, their three other albums

Comment [12]: Jordan, I'm not super-clear on

what your 3 sources/examples. Are you doing 3
time periods? That isn't really a textual
source/example....

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The White Album, Abbey Road, and Let it Becontained musical styles that would become
significant features of 70s hard rock. The songs showed a hint of the simplicity that was evident

Comment [13]: None of this is really relevant.

in their very first albums. Most were upbeat and provided easy listening. However, much of the
content was abstract, as exemplified in songs like Glass Onion (The White Album) or Across
the Universe (Let it Be). Glass Onion made several references to songs written in the past,
such as I told you about the fool on the hill, I tell you man hes living there still. The fool on the
hill refers to a song in their Magical Mystery Tour album titled The Fool on the Hill. The lyrics
served as something to be interpreted, whether they actually had meaning or The Beatles just
wanted to keep people questioning. The conventions of these last four albums seem to be the
summation of those from the two previous time periods, symbolically representing the finale of
the bands career as the Fab Four.
Though the eras were quite distinct in lyrical style, there are certain features that
interconnect all of The Beatles albums. Pathos is the single rhetorical device used in all of their
music. Because its difficult to incorporate logos in a smooth, lyrical fashion, the band used the
power of emotionprimarily empathy and relatabilityto connect with its listeners. Most of the
audience could undoubtedly relate to feelings of infatuation heartbreak, and desired peace.
Sometimes ethos was used to make people question social issues; this device was used in Era
2 and 3. Each of their later albums also incorporated instances of original Era 1 subject matter.
The central themes of Era 2 and 3 albums deviated from earlier styles, but there were always a
couple songs in each album that reverted back to earlier topics of relationships.
Breaking down their lyrics into sensible categories and understanding the features that
separate each categorythe style, the audience, the direct content, and the interpretable
messageprovides us a way of indirectly analyzing social trends and political issues of the time
period. Knowing what The Beatles sang about and why it appealed to such a huge fan-base,
why they stood out among all artists of the time, gives us clues as to what attributes truly
defined the 60s. Whereas in the earlier parts of their career they focused on feelings of love

Comment [14]: This is on-point. We can work

with this in Writing 2. I need (a lot) more of this.

5
and heartbreak, their later career consisted of lyrics with arguably more critical exigence. Such
as in Let it Be (Let it Be) and All You Need is Love (Magical Mystery Tour), the lyrics
communicated a slight urgency for peace and understanding. The White Albums Revolution
addresses concerns about radical protests against the U.S. government actions toward global
conflicts. It is a unique song in that it actually references a political figure, in this case
communist Chairman Mao (Britannica.com). These messages testify to the majority of the
United States feelings about war and the government. The Beatles gradually broadened their
audience from teenagers to all generations by broadening their lyrical focus. They never
abandoned their adored boy-wants-girl theme, but rather expanded the range of their content
to target a larger group. By appealing to the whole nation, their lyrics have the power to speak
on behalf of it. This is why listening to and interpreting the messages within The Beatles lyrics
will give one insight into the lives of those living in the 1960s.
It is true, however, that their lyrics cannot explain all the components of The Beatles
shining decade. Their songs do not explicitly discuss many specific events of the period; The
Vietnam wara 20-year battle that led to the American distrust of the U.S. governmentalong
with Dr. Martin Luther King Jrs death and the ongoing civil rights issues in America were never
actually mentioned in any of The Beatles songs. Discussing such matters was a risky topic, a
lyrical constraint. As Laura Carroll stated in Steps Toward Rhetorical Analysis, Constraints limit
the way discourse is delivered or communicated (Carroll, 41). These controversial issues put
a constraint on the extent to which the band can sing about them. Expressing their opinions on
these events may have divided up their audience due to differing political opinions. Instead, they
preached about love and equality and made messages subject to each listeners own
interpretation. They did not talk about the intense drug use that became a norm in the 60s but
rather created songs that would cause listeners to interpret certain topics as being about drugs
and hallucinogens. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, for example, has a title referring to the
drug LSD (only the words L, S, and D are capitalized). It also contains lyrics that depict

Comment [15]: Over the limit! (Not reading

anything beyond p. 5. Sorry, sister.)

6
someone potentially hallucinating and describe a very colorful situation, such as in the words
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies, Somebody calls you A girl with kaleidoscope
eyes. The Beatles songs do not specifically address social discourses and concerns of the time
but ambiguously paint a bigger picture through their diction and more general themes.
As demonstrated through the interpretation and compartmental breakdown of The
Beatles lyrics according to their content, context, exigence, and intended audience, as well as
through the separation of their albums into categories based on differences in those features,
analyzing genre to the highest degree truly provides insight into a certain time in history: what
people liked and disliked, what they really cared about, what they wanted to change. We can
recognize redundant patterns in certain genres throughout history and also see how others have
adapted with time. We may also observe the emergence of new genres, such as those created
with the advent of technology. By noticing these patterns and adaptations, we too may create
our own unique genre and change literature, music, social media, or any aspect of society as
we know it. The Beatles revolutionized music with their raw, interpretable lyrics and unique
sound; they became a whole new genre of music by initially enhancing traditional lyrical
conventions and eventually creating their own lyrical structure. Their style deviated not only from
other artists but differed also from album to album.

Works Cited
Carroll, Laura B. Steps Toward Rhetorical Analysis. Writing 2 Course Reader. SBprinter.com.
Page 41.

Dirk, Kerry. Navigating Genres. Writing 2 Course Reader. SBprinter.com. Page 21.

IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.

<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0445922/awards?ref_=tt_awd>

Schram, Stuart. Mao Zedong: Chinese Leader. Britannica.com. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.,
2016. Web. 17 Apr. 2016. < http://www.britannica.com/biography/Mao-Zedong>

Did Not Meet

Met Expectations

Expectations

Expectations

X/X-

Thesis Statement

Use of Textual Evidence

Exceeded

from Genres
Use of Course Readings

Analysis

Organization/Structure

Attention to

Genre/Conventions and
Rhetorical Factors

Sentence-level Clarity,
Mechanics, Flow
Other Comments

Caldwell,
It pains me to say this -- and maybe I shouldve discouraged
you more from doing this at the start -- but I think you
majorly missed the mark on this assignment. I <3 The
Beatles -- probably not as much as you do, but I really do -but this wasnt really the assignment to tell me about how

much their music evolved as much as how the textual

elements within their music evolved. You got there a few
times, but not too often.
For your portfolio revision, hone in more on our fundamental
course terminology: genre, conventions, exigence, audience,
purpose, discourse communities, visual literacy, affordances,
constraints, context, etc. These are the ideas that need to
provide the backbone to your paper.
I also need you to make more use of the course readings.
Use them to help drive your analysis.
Please dont be too discouraged here. On a sentence-level
level this paper is tremendous. Your word choice,
phrasing, and sentence structure is all very strong -- on that
front, youre golden -- but it just didnt cover our course
goals in the way that I had expected.
Z
6.5 / 10 - (no feedback matrix) = 6/10