How the Beatles Rocked the World

How The Beatles influenced British society and social history in the post-war, oppressive era.

When the Beatles burst onto the pop scene in 1962, they not only took the music world by storm but they also brought with them a counter culture that was to have far-reaching effects. With their long hair, humour and irreverent attitude towards authority, they were a breath of fresh air to a generation who had grown weary of the greyness of the post-war years.

Beatlemania was to unleash a revolution against an outdated age. The 1950s with its oppressive and authoritarian attitudes was ready for change and young people, desperate to escape suburbia with its stifling formality, were set to lead that rebellion.

In politics, fashion, education, the arts, religion, television, women’s rights and universities, the time had come to challenge the old order. And in came the swinging sixties with its more liberal attitudes offering hope of change and a more peaceful and just world. The introduction of the contraceptive pill, legalized abortion, gay rights, easier divorce and the relaxing of censorship were all part of this social revolution.

And it wasn’t just in Britain. The influence of the Beatles reverberated across Europe and, most of all, in America where teenagers not only campaigned against a war in Vietnam but also for civil rights in their own country.

This book tells the story of the Sixties and how the Beatles’ influence had such an impact on British society. It’s a social history of Britain told by Stephen Kelly who regularly watched the Beatles at the Cavern and experienced first hand the changes that were to take place.

Stephen F. Kelly is a journalist and academic. He is the author of more than 20 books, many about football, as well as a number of oral histories. Born on Merseyside he idled his teenage years away at the Cavern, following the Beatles, and after finally getting around to studying, went to Ruskin College, Oxford and the LSE. He subsequently became a political journalist, joining Granada Television in 1978, before going on to hold a number of academic posts. He lives in Manchester – but his heart remains in Liverpool!

Stephen F. Kelly is a journalist and academic. He is the author of more than 20 books, many about football, as well as a number of oral histories. Born on Merseyside he idled his teenage years away at the Cavern, following the Beatles, and after finally getting around to studying, went to Ruskin College, Oxford and the LSE. He subsequently became a political journalist, joining Granada Television in 1978, before going on to hold a number of academic posts. He lives in Manchester – but his heart remains in Liverpool!