Lecture 5: Rose Traill

Lecture 5 Review – ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ by Rose Traill Lecture 4 was based around ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ directed by Richard Lester in 1964. The film stars The Beatles during the height of their fame also known as ‘Beatlemania’ and features many of their songs, perhaps at the time made to be a frivolous comedy or a ‘mockumentary’ with a loose plot and designed to make money, today it has become a classic which opens a window into 1960s British culture and society at that time. It could also be described as one of the first music videos, a ‘Hard Day’s Night’ being one of their most famous songs; this was a time before the MTV generation but a time when the cinema was an extremely popular pastime for many as televisions at the time were very limited for choice. The concert scene is perhaps the most interesting aspect because it created a viewing platform for all fans who could all get a chance at seeing the band play from the comfort of the cinema. We also discussed how The Beatles have become a part of what Theodore Adorno describes as the culture industry, how popular music such as that of the Beatles has become Standardised, meaning much of the music is really the same, as if it was coming off a production line in a factory. This encourages passivity among listeners and fans that go along with whatever is thrown at them, be it the music or merchandise or films such as a ‘A Hard Day’s Night’. We also analysed how The Beatles were marketed at the beginning of their careers, identical haircuts and suits, most of their early songs based on love and breakups etc and rather repetitive many based around a 12 bar blues set up; making them not only memorable but also appealing and relatable to many young listeners at the time and thus creating the phenomenon that was ‘Beatlemaina’ during the 1960s.