Revised FP 4: The White Album by The Beatles

In 1968, one of the most famous bands of all time, The Beatles, released their ninth album The Beatles.  Although this album is officially titled The Beatles, it is more commonly referred to as The White Album because the album cover is plain white and has no pictures or words other than “The Beatles”.  After enormous success from their album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club, released only a year earlier in 1967, The Beatles came back and did it again with the extremely popular The White Album. This album topped the charts in both the United States and the United Kingdom when it was released in 1968, and soon became legendary. 

When this album was released it was an eventful time for the Beatles because of their continuing success, but it was also an eventful time for the rest of the world.  The sixties were a very interesting decade because although there was lots of war and violence going on in the world, this decade is also known for love, peace, and good vibes.  The Beatles were formed in 1960 so their rise to fame was happening simultaneously with the progression of the 1960’s.  The Beatles are known for their carefree, dream-like sound and they had the ability to reference violence, war, and other serious issues while still keeping their distinct sound. Many people found solace in The Beatles’ music because they discussed society’s issues in a peaceful and almost comforting way.  The Beatles’ music encompassed the 1960’s time period by creating music that dealt with the events and issues that surrounded the sixties decade while still keeping their personal style.  By listening to their music listeners from every generation can get a better understanding of what the world was like in the sixties. 

The Beatles are an interesting band because although their music reflects the culture of the 1960’s, The Beatles themselves were an important part of the culture of that era.  When you ask someone to describe things related to the sixties its very likely that they will mention The Beatles because they were a phenomena at that time, and they still continue to be long after the band’s existence.  The Beatles were so popular that even though there were so many things happening during that time, they stole the spotlight and were the topic of conversation by the media and the people. Today in modern times we can listen to The Beatles’ music and understand what it was like in the sixties because The Beatles were the culture of the 1960’s.  People enjoyed listening to The Beatles and they were also eager to listen to what they had to say and what their music had to say about the world.  The Beatles could take things going on in the world and discuss them to mass audiences because the world basically revolved around them. 

The White Album opens with the song “Back in the U.S.S.R.” and tells the story of a man returning to his home of the Soviet Union after fighting in a war.  When this album came out in 1968 the world was in the middle of the Vietnam War.  The lyrics “I’m back in the U.S.S.R, you don’t know how lucky you are boy, back in the U.S.S.R.” allude to the conditions of the Soviet Union and its people during the war.  This song is somewhat of an oxymoron because the lyrics describe the U.S.S.R. as a great place and the upbeat and light tempo produce this positive feeling of the U.S.S.R during the war, but in reality it was a terrible place to be.  The lyrics allude to the situation of the Soviet Union during the Vietnam War, but in an almost-joking way because of the way the lighthearted lyrics contrast with the oppressive and violent atmosphere of the Soviet Union.  Even though they discuss a very gloomy and depressing part of history the Beatles are able to remain true to their sound with their upbeat tempo and light tone.  Although this song sounded happy and pleasant, after listening to the lyrics many people were not happy with the song or The Beatles.  The Beatles were labeled to be “pro-Soviet” and many anti-communist groups were enraged that they would jokingly praise the United States’ enemy.  Although this song created many controversies it was still a popular song.  “Back in the U.S.S.R” shows how much of an influence The Beatles had that their ideas could spark such interest and anger from people.  It also shows how popular the band was because even though they seemed to support the United States’ enemy it didn’t ruin their reputation at all, after this song The Beatles would still continue to produce legendary music and their popularity would only increase. 

 The album continues with the song “A Hard Day’s Night” which keeps the same carefree sound and quick tempo.  Even though the lyrics describe being a hard day of work, The Beatles present it in a way that makes the listeners still feel happy.  Another song on The White Album is “All You Need is Love”, which brings the album back into harmony with both lyrics and tone that give off a chill, peaceful feeling.  While there are many themes in The White Album, “All You Need is Love” really encompasses the Beatles sound.  The Beatles are famous for being peaceful, anti-violent people and with the lyrics “love is all you need” repeated over and over, listeners can see what The Beatles stand for. Even during this time of war and violence, The Beatles stayed true to their peaceful beliefs and served as comfort and an escape for many people.

While The Beatles are known for their relaxing style, they were also famous for their connections and references to drug use.  During this time period of the 1960’s the world was full of hippies that participated in lots of recreational drug use and had the same ideas of peace that The Beatles had.  The drug LSD was legal in the 1960’s so as a result the culture went through a sort of psychedelic revolution, and The Beatles were right in the middle of it.  When The Beatles were formed they created this new kind of psychedelic music that no one had ever heard before.  As the Beatles became more popular and as the 1960’s went on, hallucinogenic music and the psychedelic rock genre gained an enormous following and became one of the most legendary musical time periods in history.  

The Beatles were the founders of psychedelic rock and many of their songs reference psychedelia and this mind-altering experience that results from taking LSD or other drugs.  On The White Album, the song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” is just one example of this.  Lyrics like “a girl with kaleidoscope eyes” and “where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies” make absolutely no sense to the average person.  The lyrics describe things that aren’t logical and make you question what is really going on, much like the mind-altering experience of LSD that causes your reality to be distorted.  Another song on this album, “Strawberry Fields Forever” makes the listeners feel like they are experiencing a psychedelic experience themselves just from listening to this song.  With lyrics like “nothing is real” and “but you know I know when it's a dream” it makes listeners question if what they are experiencing is real or if it all is really just a dream.  While these two songs have hallucinogenic lyrical factors, the quick tempo and harmonious melodies really transform listening to these songs into a psychedelic experience.  

After “Strawberry Fields Forever”, The White Album ends with the song “The Fool on the Hill.”  Continuing with the psychedelic sound that The Beatles knew so well, “The Fool on the Hill” draws listeners in one last time and leaves them wanting more as soon as the song ends.  With the relaxed tone and slowed down tempo it brings The White Album to a quality ending.  This song includes mesmerizing flute solos and harmonious piano chords that help to produce this peaceful and happy feeling that The Beatles were so famous for. “The Fool on the Hill” is the perfect song to close out the album and leaves listeners with this joyous feeling that only The Beatles could produce. 

Soon after it was released, The White Album quickly became one of the Beatles' most popular albums.  Even today, fifty years later, this album and the Beatles have earned a legendary reputation that no other band can even come close to.  When this album was released in the 1960's it encompassed the culture of the sixties but today, even in our modern culture, people still listen to it and enjoy it.  The Beatles had a unique trait that set them apart from other bands, they were the culture of the 1960's and they have continued to appeal to people throughout the following decades.