Why did groups like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones have such great impact during the 1960's.

Socially, Britain was changing. Old-fashioned views were coming to an end and this meant there weren’t as many restrictions and there was more freedom. There were more young people due to the baby boom after the war. They were ready for a good time, as they had been a lot more restricted in the conservative 1950’s. By the 60’s the ‘baby boomers’ were teenagers and in their early 20’s. They were ready to live a more liberal, freer lifestyle than their parents and this was what bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones seemed to be singing about. So, again it increased the popularity of the pop music scene.

The political changes of the time also contributed to the development of the pop scene. The government was moving away from conservatism, which meant greater openness and less censorship. For example abortion was made legal, homosexuality was made legal and the hanging punishment was abolished. Musicians took on some political issues, such as the civil rights movement and the women’s liberation group campaigned for equal opportunities for women. Most musicians were encouraging the new, more liberal and open lifestyle.

Finally, there were some particularly talented musicians at the time such as Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Mick Jagger. There were also musicians like Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan who did sing about political issues.

Without the musicians the music scene wouldn’t have existed as we know it, however if it hadn’t been for the other factors they might not have had an audience or fanbase, issues to sing about or the freedom from censorship to do that.