Profile + Playlist: The British Invasion
Kaitlin Nunez | Profile + Playlist
British Invasion Playlist (click here to listen)
In 1964, a group of four mop-topped young men from Liverpool, England, stepped off a plane and onto American soil. Later that night, the same young men were televised performing live on The Ed Sullivan Show. Seventy three million people turned on their television sets that night to watch the group perform their famous songs such as “All My Loving” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” Overnight, The Beatles had taken over America and a historical British Invasion was soon to follow.
Following the success of The Beatles’ albums and chart-topping singles in America, American youth were eager for more similar sounding groups to make their musical debut. As “Beatlemania” swept the nation, more British musicians began making their way up the American music charts, as well as gaining millions of fans along the way. Rock n’ roll artists such as The Who, The Kinks, and The Rolling Stones, found just as much fame in The United States as they did in Britain and became defining artists of the 1960s British Invasion. Television performances, radio shows, and fast-selling vinyl records of these bands influenced not only the Baby Boomers of the 1950s/1960s, but also generations to come.
British rock of the 1960s had the influence of blues, pop, and traditional British folk. The “beat boom” sound, also known as Merseybeat, originated in Liverpool, where famous bands such as Gerry and the Pacemakers popularized the style of music. The music style was popular among British youth while Americans had been brought up on rock n roll musicians influenced by blues and country, such as Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, and Bob Dylan. British rock, because of its unique sound, almost immediately found its way into the vinyl collections of Americans. The British Invasion also brought new fashion and trends across the Atlantic. British Mod fashion influenced American women to begin wearing hip outfits with knee-high boots and miniskirts. American men began to don the shaggy hairstyle, known as the mop-top, and stylish Edwardian-style suits popularized by musicians.
British rock is still enjoyed by music lovers of all ages today. The genre continues to inspire music and fashion, as well as carry on the legacies of British musicians from the ‘60s. The British Invasion will always be the soundtrack for the Rock n Roll revolution that defined a generation.
Playlist Highlights (click here to listen)
- “Eight Days A Week” (Beatles For Sale) by The Beatles. 1964.
- “My Generation” (My Generation) by The Who. 1965.
- (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction (Out Of Our Heads) by The Rolling Stones. 1965.
- You Really Got Me (The Kinks) by The Kinks. 1964.
- She’s Not There (Begin Here) by The Zombies. 1965.
- How Do You Do It? (Away From You) by Gerry and The Pacemakers. 1963.
- Do Wah Diddy Diddy (Groovin’ With Manfred Mann) by Manfred Mann. 1964.
- House of The Rising Sun (The Animals) by The Animals. 1964.