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beat.ThiswasmanifestlythepaththatElvisPresleywaseventuallypersuadedto
take,asheevolved,likemanyarock‘n’rollerwhocameafterhim,into
aconventionalnight-clubballadeer.Inasimilarwayeffortsweremadeto
transformthe“popidol”,asMellycallssuchperformers,fromtheoriginal
masculinerebelintowhathereferstoas“amasturbationfantasyobjectfor
adolescentgirls”(quotedbyHudson,1983:45);for,ashesays,“massshrieking
andsolitarymooningare,fromtheauthorities’viewpoint,preferabletothe
growthofmaleaggression”(ibid.).Inotherwords–toemployMelly’sown
graphicdescriptivestyle–onecouldsaythat“screamandwetyourself”music
wasconsideredpreferableto“screwandsmashmusic”.Anditwasaboveallby
findingasuccessfulwayof“squaringthiscircle”,thatisofgivingteenagers
whattheywantedwithoutactuallyprovokingoutrageamongadults,thatthe
Beatlescametobethemostsuccessfulpopgroupofalltime.
EffectivelywhattheydidwastobuildontheexampleprovidedbyBuddyHolly
andtheCricketsandmarrylyricsthatdealtalmostexclusivelywithlovetovery
loudandstirringbackingmusic.Inthiswaytheywereabletobringromance
intorock‘n’rollwithoutcausingthemusictoloseitsbasicpowertoexcite.
Theyachievedthisfeatbycombiningenoughoftheoriginalfeaturesofrock‘n’
rollmusic,inparticularthebasicbeat,thevolume,andthevocal“hysterics”
(suchasyeah,yeah),whiledealingwithromanticconcernsinthedirectand
simplelanguageofteenagersthemselves.Inaddition,theimagetheyprojected
wasthatofquirkybutloveablemopheads,ratherthanthatofeitherdelinquents
orsexobjects.Hencetheycameacrosstotheirpublicasindependent-minded
andself-sufficient,whileatthesametimebeingfreeofany“subversive”
associations.Ineffecttheyweredisarmingyetnotinanysensedeferential.That
istosay,asArnoldShawputsit,theBeatles“wereforadolescentswithout
beingagainstadults”(1968:188).Itwasaformulathat“disarmedtheolder
generation”(ibid.)andenabledtheBeatlestoreachabroaderaudiencethanany
previousrock‘n’rollgroup.However,eventhoughtheBeatleswerefarmore
successfulindealingwiththeinherentdifficultiesofmakingthetransitionfrom
arock‘n’rollbandtoapopgroupthananyperformerseitherbeforeorsince,it
wasstillthecasethatthetransformationtheyunderwentbetween1957and1960
wasnotuniquetothem.Bycontrast,thatwhichfollowed,intheyears1964/5to
1967/8,wasunprecedented.
TheBeatlesgrowup
ItwasnotedabovethattheinfluenceofBobDylanandtheexperienceoftaking
LSDhavefrequentlybeencitedastwokeyfactorsinhelpingtoexplainthis
dramaticmetamorphosis,andasfarasthefirstoftheseisconcerned,thereis
littledoubtthatDylanpointedtheBeatlesinanewdirection,helpingthemto
realizethatthelyricsofpopularsongsdidnothavetobeeithertriteorsimplis-
tic,eitherinlanguageorincontent,butcouldinsteadbepersonal,revelatory
