"A hundred years from now," Paul McCartney told the press in 1992, "people will listen to the music of The Beatles the same way we listen to Mozart." The Beatles, comprised of John, Paul, George and Ringo, "were more than a group. They were a cultural phenomenon." Mark Lapidos made the point in 1979, "They were the most important social event of the (20th) century. The music is the most important thing. But it's more than music. It's a whole feeling of being at a certain place at a certain time."
The time was the 1960s. It was a decade of musical revolt. Milton Okun recalled, "In the '60s, this new generation of writers overturned the commercial restraints on subject matter and taste, and created an art form that is one of the most important cultural revolutions in history." Tommy Roe remembered, "Among all the protest songs and psychedelic rock, I made hit records (such as 'Dizzy' and 'Sweet Pea'). What I did was the exact opposite of what was going on in the ‘60s with hippies, everyone dropping out and all that.
"I used to get really upset when they said the songs I made were bubblegum but I realized I had a knack for writing 3-minute formula songs. I admit that. It was like selling a bar of soap. I wrote for the market. That was my business. I made a lot of money doing that." By 1981, Sir Cliff Richard told Lennox Samuels, "I'm happy there are bands that think that way (of finding the perfect 3-minute pop song). If you can't do it in 3 minutes, I’m almost inclined to say you shouldn't be attempting it at all."
"I used to get really upset when they said the songs I made were bubblegum but I realized I had a knack for writing 3-minute formula songs. I admit that. It was like selling a bar of soap. I wrote for the market. That was my business. I made a lot of money doing that." By 1981, Sir Cliff Richard told Lennox Samuels, "I'm happy there are bands that think that way (of finding the perfect 3-minute pop song). If you can't do it in 3 minutes, I’m almost inclined to say you shouldn't be attempting it at all."
Mark Hertsgaard told Ron Hayes of 'Palm Beach Post' in 1995, "I believe The Beatles will be remembered as some of the most important artists of the (20th) century, ranked up there in terms of influence and artistic accomplishment with people like Picasso and Hemingway. What makes their music so special is that they were simple without being simplistic, and sophisticated without being obscure. And that's not easy."
Tim Riley wrote the 1988 book, 'Tell Me Why' argued, "We think if a song is popular, it can’t be artistically rich, and if it's artistically rich, it shouldn't be popular. So when a phenomenon like The Beatles emerges, and quality and commerce commingle, we reach to comparisons with Mozart to try to do them justice." It was for that reason, "It's preposterous to say that in 100 years people will listen to Mozart, just as it's preposterous to say we read F. Scott Fitzgerald the same way we read Shakespeare. F. Scott Fitzgerald is making no claims to being Shakespeare, but he can tell us certain things about how it feels to be alive in 20th century America that you'll never get from Shakespeare."
Glenn Gass taught music believed, "The Beatles created a whole new level for people to strive for, just as Beethoven did and the way he (Beethoven) cast a shadow over the whole 19th century, they (The Beatles) did over everything that's come since the 1960s. No one captures the spirit of the '60s more, and no one has transcended their time better than The Beatles."
Geoff Baker told the Associate Press in 2000, "Since The Beatles split up (in 1970), everybody has gone around wondering who would be bigger than The Beatles. It turns out that the only band to be bigger than The Beatles is The Beatles. They appear to be bigger than they were in the 1960s, even though they are a non-functioning band."
The Beatles reportedly created a sensation everywhere they performed in the United States in 1964. It was mentioned, "During the middle and late 1960s, The Beatles helped to give rock music a new direction. Most earlier rock music has been based primarily on a strong beat, but The Beatles' music contained a new sense of melody. Their chord progressions were also more complex and the lyrics of their songs were more imaginative and meaningful."
In 1966, radio stations tried to ban The Beatles when John Lennon made a "sacrilegious remark" that "There is no doubt The Beatles are more popular than Jesus Christ in some people's minds." Rev Harold Craw from the First Congregational Church reassured the press, "The honesty of The Beatles will help Christianity. Whereas if The Beatles were suppressed, Christianity would suffer most." George Harrison stated in 1974, "In regards to causes and charities, it's up to each individual to do what he can. I can do it through music. But I've found in the past that it's hard to give money away . . . I can generate money, but it's a different thing trying to get it to whom it's intended for."
