The Beatles WRITING
Content The Beatles are one of the most famous bands of all time. The Beatles have influenced the music world greatly since their first album in 1963. In this lesson, look for new adjectives used to describe the Beatles and their style of music. Learning Outcomes Review and discuss who The Beatles are and what you know about them. Learn vocabulary used to describe The Beatles. Complete writing and speaking activities based on what you have learned in this lesson. www.english-maestro.mn 1
The British Invasion The British Invasion was a phenomenon that occurred in the mid-1960s when rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom, as well as other aspects of British culture, became popular in the United States. This was significant to the rising "counterculture" on both sides of the Atlantic. Pop and rock groups such as The Beatles, The Dave Clark Five, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, Herman's Hermits and The Who were at the forefront of the invasion. www.english-maestro.mn 2
The Beatles were an English rock band that formed in Liverpool in 1960. With members John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they became widely regarded as the greatest and most influential act of the rock era. Rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock and roll, the Beatles later experimented with several genres from pop ballads to psychedelic and hard rock, often incorporating classical elements in innovative ways. In the early 1960s, their enormous popularity first emerged as "Beatlemania", but as their songwriting grew in sophistication they came to be perceived as an embodiment of the ideals shared by the era's sociocultural www.english-maestro.mn 3 revolutions.
What is Skiffle? Skiffle is a type of popular music with jazz, blues, folk, and roots influences, usually using homemade or improvised instruments. Originating as a term in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century, it became popular again in the UK in the 1950s, where it was mainly associated with musician Lonnie Donegan and played a major part in beginning the careers of later eminent jazz, pop, blues, folk and rock musicians. www.english-maestro.mn 4
Influences The band's earliest influences include Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Little Richard and Chuck Berry. During the Beatles' co-residency with Little Richard at the Star-Club in Hamburg, from April to May 1962, he advised them on the proper technique for performing his songs. Of Presley, Lennon said, "Nothing really affected me until I heard Elvis. If there hadn't www.english-maestro.mn been Elvis, there would not 5
Beatlemania On 7 February 1964, the Beatles left the United Kingdom with an estimated 4000 fans gathered at Heathrow, waving and screaming as the aircraft took off. Upon landing at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport, an uproarious crowd estimated at 3000 greeted them. They gave their first live US television performance two days later on The Ed Sullivan Show, watched by approximately 73 million viewers in over 23 million households, or 34 per cent of the American population. www.english-maestro.mn 6
Accolades According to the RIAA, the Beatles are the best-selling music artists in the United States, with 178 million certified units. They have had more number-one albums on the British charts and sold more singles in the UK than any other act. In 2008, the group topped Billboard magazine's list of the all-time most successful "Hot 100" artists; as of 2015, they hold the record for most number-one hits on the Hot 100 chart with twenty. They have received ten Grammy Awards, an Academy Award for Best Original Score and fifteen Ivor Novello Awards. Collectively included in Time magazine's compilation of the twentieth century's 100 most influential people, they are the best-selling band in history, with estimated sales of over 600 million records worldwide. Being at the top of the charts for years, their longevity www.english-maestro.mn 7 is unprecedented.
1) forefront 2) widely regarded 3) greatest 4) influential 5) innovative 11) successful 12) award-winning 13) to hold the record 14) longevity 15) unprecedented 6) enormously popular 7) eminent 8) uproarious 9) accolade 10) best-selling www.english-maestro.mn 8
John Lennon British Invasion Beatlemania George Harrison Paul McCartney counterculture Ringo Starr The Ed Sullivan Show www.english-maestro.mn 9
Students notes vocabulary they have further questions about www.english-maestro.mn 10
Text 1. The Band John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr 2. British Invasion The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who 3. Accolades award-winning, best-selling, hold the record 4. Influences skiffle, 1950s rock and roll, Little Richard, Elvis Presley The Beatles were one of the most influential and successful bands ever. They continue to be relevant, even today. Now you can talk about, arguably, the greatest band of all time! www.english-maestro.mn 11
Speaking The Beatles were part of a cultural invasion, where certain aspects of British culture became popular in the United States. 1) Do you agree or disagree with this statement? 2) Discuss other cultural invasions you can think of. Has there ever been a cultural invasion in your country? www.english-maestro.mn 12
Writing Answer the questions Who had a major influence on the Beatles? a) The Rolling Stones b) Elvis Presley c) The Kinks In what decade did Beatlemania start? a) The 1950 s b) The 1960 s c) The 1970 s Internationally, how many albums have the Beatles sold? a) over 100 million b) over 178 million c) over 600 million www.english-maestro.mn 13
Speaking Match the columns John Paul George Ringo Beatle Ed Sullivan British counter Invasion Starr Culture McCartney Mania Show Harrison Lennon www.english-maestro.mn 14
Writing Complete the sentences According to the text, the Beatles experimented with genres like? a) Indian and pop b) Classical and jazz c) Hip-hop and psychedelic Bands at the forefront of the British Invasion included? a) The Kinks b) The Cure c) The Who On 7 February, 1964, the Beatles were greeted at JFK airport by? a) Ed Sullivan b) 3000 fans c) 300 fans www.english-maestro.mn 15
Speaking Employ the following expressions cultural invasion influential award-winning enormously popular best-selling to hold the record www.english-maestro.mn 16
Writing Decide if these statements are true or false. Rewrite the false statements. Skiffle was a popular style of dance in the 1950 s. a) True b) False Approximately 23 million Americans watched the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show. a) True b) False The Beatles won an academy award. a) True b) False www.english-maestro.mn 17
Speaking Give your opinion about each of these questions or statements 1) The Beatles are the greatest band ever. 2) What characteristics make a singer or band popular world-wide? 3) Why do you think the Beatles were so popular? 4) Who is the greatest band ever, in your opinion? 5) Explain why you chose the band you did. www.english-maestro.mn 18
Writing Use the vocabulary you have learned to write a descriptive paragraph about The Beatles. www.english-maestro.mn 19
Writing List all of the Beatles accolades that were mentioned in the text 1.- 2.- 3.- 4.- 5.- 6.- 7.- 8.- www.english-maestro.mn 20
Speaking John Lennon was quoted as saying, If there hadn't been Elvis, there would not have been the Beatles. Discuss the influences of some of your favorite bands or performers. Discuss the importance of musical influences from the past. www.english-maestro.mn 21