Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Colin Lowther.
Voice 2
And I’m Alice Irizarry. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where int the world they live.
Click here to follow along with this program on YouTube.
Voice 1
In many ways, it all started with them. Generations of children grew up dreaming of being just like them. They wanted to play music just like they did. They wanted to be rich and famous. They wanted to travel the world singing to excited fans. And they wanted to do it with their friends just like they did. They wanted to be like four teenage boys from Liverpool, England who grew up to change the world.
Voice 2
On today’s Spotlight, we look at the music group the Beatles. We examine their great success. We discuss their cultural impact around the world. We will talk about their influence on other musicians. We explore a sound that will be remembered for generations to come.
Voice 1
Rock and Roll is a popular form of music that formed in the United States. Many songs are fast and repeat key phrases. Some of the first Rock and Roll musicians to gain success were Bill Haley and the Comets, Buddy Holly and the Crickets, and Elvis Presley.
Voice 2
John Lennon, one of the founding members of the Beatles, said:
Voice 3
“Nothing really affected me until I heard Elvis. If there had not been Elvis, there would not have been the Beatles.”
Voice 1
John Lennon’s first band was called the Quarrymen. He invited his friends Paul McCartney and George Harrison to join. Over the next few years, the band played their music around Liverpool and Hamburg. A few other musicians joined and then left the band.
Voice 2
Ringo Starr became their fourth and final member. He played an instrument called drums. These were round instruments with thin plastic stretched over them. Ringo hit the drums with sticks. John and Paul did most of the singing for the band. John also played an instrument called a guitar that had six strings. He played it with his fingers or with a pick. A pick is a small plastic tool shaped like a triangle. George also played guitar and sang sometimes. Besides singing, Paul played an instrument called the bass guitar. It only had four strings and made low notes. He played it with a pick.
Voice 1
They decided on a new name, the Beatles. It was spelled:
B – E – A – T – L – E – S. It was connected to the word “beat.” Beat was another word for what Ringo played on the drums. The musicians had to play consistently with the drummer’s beat.
The insect “beetle” is spelled B – E – E – T – L – E. During the band’s early years, other people sometimes misspelled their name like the insect.
Voice 2
Brian Epstein saw the group play and offered to manage them. He thought they could become successful. He thought that many people would like their music. He was able to get them a contract with a recording company. A recording company is a business that makes and sells music. The band started recording songs in professional studios. One of their songs called “Love Me Do” became successful in the United Kingdom. Epstein traveled to the United States. He got them a spot on the popular TV program The Ed Sullivan Show. By the time the Beatles performed on The Ed Sullivan Show, many people in the United States had heard their music. They wanted to see them in person. Everyone was excited. When the Beatles played on the show, over seventy million people watched it. Ed Sullivan said:
Voice 4
“I have never seen anything compared to the wild behavior and uncontrolled excitement they caused. The streets outside our studio were filled with people. They screamed, yelled, and stopped traffic. It was impossible to describe. There has never been anything like it in show business.”
Voice 1
The Beatles began playing shows all over the world. They recorded more of their music. Many of their songs became very popular, including “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “A Hard Day’s Night,” and “We Can Work It Out.” They were always in demand for interviews and shows. Their pictures appeared on the covers of many magazines. They traveled all the time. Fans chased them whenever they spotted a band member. At their shows, it was difficult to hear their music over the audience shouting so loudly. Slowly, the Beatles were tired of being away from home. Traveling endlessly and dealing with very intense fans became too exhausting. They decided to focus on making recordings in the studio. They stopped playing in front of people.
Voice 2
This extra time allowed the Beatles to experiment on studio albums. An album is a collection of songs that are recorded and released together in a single group. The Beatles’ next two albums, Revolver and Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, are considered two of the most influential albums ever recorded. The Beatles began using the studio to invent recording styles never tried in popular music. Many of their new songs were impossible to play at a live concert. These songs had too many parts to recreate outside of the studio. The words in their songs also became more thought-provoking. They spoke about important issues in society. These albums were very successful. It was the first time that music writers considered Rock and Roll great art. Other popular musicians of the time like the Beach Boys, Jimi Hendrix, and the Byrds copied the Beatles’ new recording methods.
Voice 1
The Beatles even influenced fashion. If they wore one kind of clothes, everyone wanted them. When they grew their hair long, fans and other musicians grew theirs, too. When John Lennon spoke in interviews about his political beliefs, many listeners changed their minds. They were the first band to make videos for their songs. They even made two films to advertise their music.
Voice 2
The Beatles recorded twelve albums in the studio. But they decided to end their band after only seven years together. All four members wanted to release albums with their own songs. There was not enough room on a Beatles album for all four members’ songs. They had tried to release a double album with twice as many songs, but there still was not enough room. Also, the world’s passion for the Beatles was too much for its members. Each was known more for being a Beatle than for being a musician.
Voice 1
It was time for the Beatles to go their separate ways. Despite their enormous, unmatched success, the Beatles broke up. Their fans begged them to stay together, but it was over.
Voice 2
However, they were not done. Each member began writing and recording albums on their own. Some of them were very successful. They each continued playing shows around the world. They inspired future generations of musicians. Every band was influenced by the Beatles.
Voice 1
The Beatles were the first rock band to become globally successful. Solo artists like Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry had achieved success before the Beatles. But there had never been a band as famous as the Beatles. For the first time, people grew up wanting to play in a band. They wanted to write their own songs like the Beatles. Followers liked the fact that the Beatles were friends from the same hard-working town. They did not seem mean or prideful. They played fun, exciting music. They had the courage to take chances with their music. They did not repeat the same style that had already worked for them. They changed Rock and Roll from simple dance music to more creative music. Famous singer David Bowie said:
Voice 5
“The Beatles opened the door for everybody else.”
Voice 2
Only two of the Beatles are still alive as of this writing. They are Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. They each continue to make music. When they play a show, many fans come to hear them. Some are new followers. Others have cheered for them since those seven short years when four boys from Liverpool changed the world.
Voice 1
Have you ever heard any Beatles songs? If so, which are your favorites? Have you ever dreamed of being in a successful band? Have you ever played an instrument? You can leave a comment on our website at www.spotlightenglish.com. You can also find us on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and X. You can also get our programs delivered directly to your Android or Apple device through our free official Spotlight English app.
Voice 2
The writer of this program was Peter Anderson. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom and the United States. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. No AI or artificial intelligence was used in this program. Spotlight programs are written, voiced, and produced by real people for real people, no matter where in the world they live. This program is called, “The Beatles.”
Voice 1
We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.
Question:
Have you ever heard any Beatles songs? If so, which are your favorites? Have you ever dreamed of being in a successful band? Have you ever played an instrument?
