Why do we still cherish the Beatles?

Director Peter Jackson’s recently released documentary series, The Beatles: Get Back, has prompted debate around the Fab Four’s legacy as pioneers of popular music.

Fifty-two years following the Beatles’ breakup, it’s worth examining what made their vocal harmonies and arrangements so innovative and enduring. But understanding the Beatles requires context; it requires understanding the era in which they bloomed.

Still reeling from the Second World War, the U.K. in the 1950s was draped with a dreary aura that permeated most facets of life and culture. While war-time rationing persisted and unemployment soared, rock-and-roll was still inchoate. In its primal state, pop music was channeled by such American artists as Buddy Holly, Elvis, and Check Berry; in Britain, reams of angsty teenagers still looked for a cultural unifier.

Source: Harry Khachatrian/ washingtonexaminer.com