The Beatles were one of the most influential bands in pop culture history. As musicians, they innovated rock music by embracing a wide variety of sounds and styles in their recordings. As personalities, they helped define 1960s counterculture by being smart, playful, and irreverent. Their songwriting partnership of Lennon and McCartney produced hits that set new standards for commercial and artistic success in pop music.

2. The Beatles
No band has influenced pop culture the
way the Beatles have. They were one
of the best things to happen in the
twentieth century, let alone the Sixties.
They were youth personified. They
were unmatched innovators who were
bigger than both Jesus and rock & roll
itself.
2

3. Harrison, McCartney, Lennon
3

4. The music
As musicians, the Beatles proved that
rock & roll could embrace a limitless
variety of harmonies, structures, and
sounds; virtually every rock experiment
has some precedent on Beatles
records.
4

5. The impact
As personalities, they defined and
incarnated Sixties style: smart,
idealistic, playful, irreverent, eclectic.
Their music, from the not-so-simple
love songs they started with to their
later perfectionistic studio
extravaganzas, set new standards for
both commercial and artistic success in
pop.
5

6. 1.
The Beatles Songs
An everlasting legacy

7. “
“The Beatles songwriting is
unsurpassed. They were more
productive, more successful, more
creative, and more influential than any
other songwriting team in popular
music history. For me, quite simply, the
Beatles songwriting is one of popular
music's greatest treasures.”
Brian Hartzog
7

8. Lennon / McCartney
They were the main songrwriters
in The Beatles. Later on they
would be considered one of the
best songwriting partnerships in
history.
Even though sometimes it was
only one of them who wrote the
song they would still signed the
song as “Lennon / McCartney.”

9. 9

10. The Beatles Lyrics
They covered a wide range of themes and
ideas. However there seems to be a
progression that unfolded in three defined
periods.
10

11. Generally speaking, those periods are:
Early Period
Pop songs with
juvenile themes.
Some songs are
quite simple in form
and theme.
The harmonies and
arrangements are
not complex either.
Experimentation
Later, they experimented
with different themes,
points of view and
reached for more forms
of expression.
Sonically, each album
grew more and more
ambitious.
Maturity
In the last years of the
band, they became
accomplished songwriters
who covered virtually
every theme and style
proficiently.
11

12. Themes
◂ Perception and self-awareness
◂ Love and relationships
◂ Spiritual quest, transcendence
◂ Joy
◂ Community
12

13. Time for music!
We will listen to some examples of Beatles
songs. Try to identify the periods in which
they were written and the themes they cover.
13

14. 14
Period?
Themes?

15. You will find the chart attached.
You can download the lyrics if you want.
SONG TITLE THEMES PERIOD
Paperback Writer
I Want To Hold Your Hand
Blackbird
15

16. SONG TITLE THEMES PERIOD
Here Comes The Sun
I Saw Her Standing There
In My Life
16