The Beatles will always be the big name in the world of music. The Beatles have totally changed the culture of the globe. With the formation of the Beatles in 1960 in Liverpool, they have been a reference to look up to creating millions and millions of fans. The frenzy way they came on the rise gave a whole new meaning to their fandom which still prevails.
Now, everything after their success and breakthrough was Beatlemania.
Beatlemania was the fanaticism surrounding The Beatles in the 1960s. It was the name given to the frenzy surrounding the Beatles after their appearances on television. The Beatles were talented and charming. The Beatles made their fans go crazy for months and in October of 1963, ‘Beatlemania‘ was created. The term circulated around the British media in late 1963 like fire and captured excitement.
After many references, seems like ‘Beatlemania’ was first printed in The Daily Mail all the way back on October 21, 1963. It was a feature by Vincent Mulchrone under the headline “This Beatlemania.” Later on in the scene came, the Daily Mirror whose headline screamed “BEATLEMANIA!” on November 2, 1963.
This pop fandom was way more complex and the troupes it had has been seen even in the current world, revolving around some other bands and stars. The start of their world tour in 1964 started the trend. With female fans screaming their lungs out, worshipping them like deities and whatnot. Beatlemania was close to British people only until the world tour.
Beatlemania exploded internationally when the Beatles arrived in the US in February of 1964 to be on the televised performance of The Ed Sullivan Show. It is estimated that it was approximately watched by 73 million people. It is without a doubt all because of the media circulation that happened around the term.
The madness revolving around the Silver Beatles was a big thing back then. The teenagers back then created a new youth phenomenon that surrounded the Beatles. They would go around and buy specially published fan magazines, boots, lunch boxes, wigs, games, and everything. The intimate goal of them all was to meet the band. The fans also stormed the barricades at the concerts and caused trouble for the authorities. Other fans created ploys to get into the hotels where the band stayed during their tour. Novelist Linda Grant explains one phenomenon which surrounds Beatlemania. She says, “I didn’t understand why you had to scream and I didn’t have an impulse to scream but it was what you did, It was mandatory. There was this cult-like element to it.”
The Beatles era of fan culture was unlike any other. The phenomenon of Beatlemania surely set the footing for the marketing of “Boy Bands” from the Backstreet boys, One Direction to BTS. The screams and the madness they had for the Beatles were immense. The scale of Beatlemania was so huge, that it was a big surprise for the band.
In an article by The Guardian revolving around Beatlemania back in 2013, there is a section where Linda Ihle, a Beatles fan explains what it was like back in the day. “All the girls talked about marrying their favorite Beatle and I think that terrified our parents, It was very sexualized. We weren’t at the age yet when we were permitted to date. We liked boys but boys were still a bit less mature than girls. These were young men but they seemed very attainable in some way. They were adorable, they were different, they were irreverent and our parents didn’t approve of them, which made it even better. Boys tended not to like them as much. I think they were intimidated by the fact the girls were so attracted to these young men.”
With such craziness around them, The Beatles still live up to their name with countless fans still existing today. They have had sold-out tours throughout America, Europe, and South-East Asia region. During the tour of Japan, the Philippines, and the US, they were entangled in violence, political counterblast, and threats. This led to frustration, and the group stopped touring and became a studio-only band.
They still went on to create many more albums after that, but the Beatlemania era ended with a final stadium concert at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park on August 29, 1966.
