Moral Panics

the term moral panic was created by stanley cohen, the beatles can be classed as one. a moral panic is "A sudden increase in public perception of the possible threat to societal values and interests because of exposure to media texts." (http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/article565.html)

During the 1950s and 1960's there was widespread concern over the influence of rock 'n' roll music with fears that it led to promiscuity and anti-social behaviour.

If a moral panic is a sort of hysterical mass paranoia, then its opposite might be a mass hysterical enthusiasm. the bealtes caused teenagers (and some adults) to simply loose control, if you look at video footage from beatles concerts in the early 1960s you will see that you can hardley hear the band all you can hear is screeming fans.

tomorow never knows


has been called to most socialy influenced song that they had released - it is all based around A lsd trip that john lennon took - listen to the lyrics "turn of your mind and float downstreem" this song reflects the drug culture at the time. the beatles were at the front of this, they had songs banned by the BBC because they mentioned sex, it is amazing that the BBC did not ban this song.

a defining moment of seeing the beatles as a moral panic took place in america, in 1969 John Lennon gave an interview in which he appears to have been misquotes but he did say that at that moment the beatles were bigger than god/jesus. this created a backlash against the group. not so much in the UK but in america there were mass beatles burnings of records, books, posters and everthing with there faces.
ringo starr said about the incident on the beatles anothologgy that people were buying beatle records to burn or burnt them and bought them again so in many ways it worked out ok for them. but lennon has death threats to him self and his young son julian because of it, the media took it and used it as a way to bring them down. america being a relgious country used it to say see we were right they are nothing more than ordinary. nothing can challenge the authority of religion.