"Revolution" by The Beatles

Amidst the early 1960s was much resistance in reaction of the Vietnam War. This resistance came from people of all ages but especially occurred from the youth at the time. The sense of rebellion was exciting to them and from this excitement emerged many art forms. Music, paintings, and films all emerged to portray a specific perspective on what was happening at the time.

Many bands formulated strong opinions about the Vietnam War and produced memorable music because of these opinions. One of the most famous bands of all time, The Beatles, made incredible protest music at this time that continues to define them to this day. The youth of the 60s really connected with them because “the Beatles exemplified a refreshing distrust of authority, disdain for conventions, and impatience with hypocrisy. Kids sense a quality of defiant honesty and admire their freedom and open mindedness. “ Thus, The Beatles music was highly influential on the youth of that time. One song that clearly states where The Beatles stand in terms of war is “Revolution” from the White Album. The lyrics state, “If you want to talk about destruction you can count me out” meaning they were against any form of violent resistance. The Beatles were essentially hippies that pushed for peace and love amongst everyone in the world.

Many argue, “The Beatles did more for the break up of Totalitarianism in the USSR than Alexander Solzhenitsyn and Andrei Sakharov”. This is saying a lot considering they were political leaders were simply musicians. The Beatles’ form of protesting through music identified with influential people more closely than political leaders. Because of this the new hippie movement swept the world.