The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool, England in 1960 and they are still regarded as the most influential band of all time.
Though they are what they are because of the quality of their music, there are factors without which their influence might not have been as great.
To begin with, their popularity (they became mainstream in the UK in 1962) overlapped with the growth of TV in the UK and the US.
TV became the primary medium for influencing public opinion in the late 1950s.
And so, it was easier for them to become mass as compared to the bands who reached their prime before the growth of TV.
And they got an early-mover advantage over bands that came in after them.
Also, they arrived at the scene when the baby boomer generation was at the right age to enjoy music and cement its favourites.
Research suggests most of us form our favourites (teams, bands, politicians) between the age of 5 to 18 yearsFor boys to cement their favourite sports team, the age is 5 to 15; for girls, it was found to be 22. For political views, the age was found to be between 14 to 24 years). Source: Everybody Lies Seth-Stephens-Davidowitz, and the baby boomer generation would be this age during the bands’ prime.
Baby boomers (those born between 1946-1964) was an important group for the popularity of any brand, business, music group, etc. because A) their numbers were hugeFor the period 1946-1964, on average 4 million babies were born per year as compared to 3 million per year in the previous years. and B) they were the first generation after a long time that lived in prosperous times.
The last 30-40 years before 1946 had been very difficult (World Wars I & II, economic depressions, etc.), so the main focus for people was survival.
The second factor could be the assassination of John F Kennedy.
A Democrat, JFK was a very popular President (still considered one of the most popular); he was shot dead on 22nd November 1963.
Americans were inconsolable after the tragedy and the music by The Beatles was seen as just right to lift the spirits of the nation up – it was upbeat and had emotion and joy.
In fact, in January of 1964 (2 months after JFK’s death) their first single for the label, “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” sold a quarter-million copies in the U.S. within three days of its release.
While the British press coined the term Beatlemania to describe the phenomenal interest in The Beatles in the UK, it was America that put them on the world map, and so, these “American” factors contributed immensely.
But then they were not the only band to have these favourable circumstances — they rose because their music was extraordinary (thanks to their unstoppable practice).
John Lennon & Paul McCartney started playing in 1957 and by the time they saw their first big international success in 1964 (first trip to America), they had performed live an estimated 1200 times.
Most bands don’t play 1200 times in their entire careers.
