The Beatles were good -- very good. Four decades after their break-up, their music continues to fill a special place in many millions of hearts.
But did sheer talent alone carry them to stratospheric levels of success?
Well, few people realize how truly hard-working they were, or know the unique circumstances that brought John, Paul, George and Ringo together. These factors contributed greatly to the Beatles' rise.
That said, EWI's Robert Prechter says the most important dynamic which ignited "Beatlemania" was the social mood of the day.
When the public finds individuals or ensembles (such as sports teams or musical groups) upon whom they can project their positive or negative feelings, those people become public figures.
Exertion alone cannot do it; many people try and fail to become famous. Circumstance alone is rarely enough; talent and effort must be part of the package. But once these factors combine for a person at the right time with the trend of social mood, he or she can achieve fame. Thereafter, such people’s popularity is strongly, if not exclusively, buffeted by social mood."
Robert Prechter, July-August Elliott Wave Theorist
In 1962, social mood was bubbling with happiness. The stock market was rising again -- strongly suggesting that a positive psychology was already in place. The public was more than ready to bestow massive adoration upon the Lads from Liverpool.
By the time the Beatles played Shea Stadium in 1965, "Beatlemania" was in full force. A New York Times reporter who attended the concert described the deafening hysteria of screaming fans as "pandemonium -- the region of all demons."
Prechter again from the July-August Theorist:
"...the radical shifts in the Beatles’ fortunes followed quite precisely the radical shifts in the stock market’s fortunes. Contrast the years of struggle and frustration, ending at the bottom of the bear market of 1962, with their career-making breakout when the trend turned up. Contrast the spectacular rise in their fortunes as the stock market rose from 1963 through 1965 with the string of stunning setbacks during the bear market of 1966. Observe that the rally of 1967-1968 brought a return to success, but, being a bear market rally...it had plenty of stresses and negative aspects. Finally, contrast the events attending the 1967-1968 stock market rise with those of the 1969-1970 bear market. The changes in their experiences are so stark—and the role of society so obviously important—that one cannot fail to see the trends of social mood at work."
Mood changed in 1966 as the stock market turned down, and so did the tone of the Beatles' songs. For example, the early upbeat sound of "Please Please Me" was replaced by the somber tone of "Eleanor Rigby."
Reflecting on the Beatles' burst of productivity in 1968 -- which paralleled a stock market rebound -- Prechter quotes George Harrison:
“'This was the period when everything was going up and up and up—and rosier—and suddenly it reached that point when it started to go down. Everything goes in a cycle, and once it starts going down—as anybody can tell you—when you get knocked to the ground, then they start kicking you.'”
After that time the 1969-1970 bear market took hold. And again, the Beatles songs "Let It Be" and "The Long and Winding Road" reflected the bearish mood.
Beyond musical changes, Prechter also describes changes "behind the scenes," including how "ups and downs" in the lives of the Beatles mirrored the stock market.
The July-August issue of the Elliott Wave Theorist is sure to show you an important chapter in the Beatles' story you didn't know. Plus you'll gain insights into the connection between mass psychology (sometimes mass hysteria), and major cultural trends.