The Beatles' Influence on Pop Culture The Beatles were one of the most influential musical groups of the rock era. They have been able to conquer and influence pop culture with their music. They initially influenced the post-war baby boom generation of Britain and the WS during the 1960s, and subsequently the world's demand. They were certainly the most successful group, with global sales exceeding 1.3 billion albums. During the 1960s, the Beatles, using revolutionary ideas in their music, inspired a generation of young adults around the world to look at life from their perspective. Although they were originally famous for light pop music, their later works achieved a combination of popular music. and critical acclaim perhaps unmatched in the 20th century. Eventually, they became more than just recording artists, branching out into film and particularly, in John Lennon's case, political activism. They have achieved an iconic status that goes beyond mere celebrity, with far-reaching effects that are difficult to exaggerate (Mack 41). The members of the group were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. In the Boston Globe, Geoffrey Stokes raises the idea that the Beatles were different from their contemporaries, the Rolling Stones. The Beatles were rarely directly influenced by the blues. Although they drew inspiration from an eclectic variety of sources, their sound was closer to pop music. Their distinctive vocal harmonies were perhaps most influenced by early Motown artists and Chuck Berry (Stokes). When the Beatles' music was first released in the United States, it didn't catch on at first. In fact, they didn't become popular until their second American single, "I Wanna Hold Your Hand", was released. With this......middle of paper......up, the influence of their music will never be forgotten. Works Cited"The Beatles - A Biography". .Cockrell, Dale. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Ed. Stanley Sadie. vol. 2. London: Macmillan Publishers Limited, 1980. 321-22.Cross, Craig. Beatles-discography.com: day by day, song by song, record by record. November 5, 2004 .Mack, Lorrie ed. Rock Encyclopedia. New York: Schirmer Books, 1987. 40-2.Rebecca. "The Beatles Biography". .Romanowski, Patricia and Holly George-Warren eds. The new Rolling Stone encyclopedia of rock & rock completely revised and updated. New York: Fireside, 1995. 58-61.Stokes, Geoffrey. “The Beatles and the Culture They Influenced.” Boston Globe, December 28. 1980.