The British Invasion: everything you need to know

Hello,

Do you hear what I’m hearing? London’s calling my dear!

So grab your passport and let’s cross the ocean among our English friends to talk about the British Invasion. And believe me, it’s going to move!

DISCLAIMER: This post is based on some of my knowledge and is backed up and supplemented by research done before its writing. You can find the sources at the bottom of the page.

Note: Bands/ artists I quote in the posts, I only mention them to give you an idea of the sounds you find in the different genres. But I want to be clear that over time it has become more and more complicated to do it with style blends and so on.
In addition, my goal is not to categorize artists, but to present them to you so that you discover the different possibilities that there are in rock and metal. And even make you enjoy those genres.

THE BRITISH INVASION, WHAT IS IT?

It’s used to describe the huge phenomenon that emerged in the mid-1960s. This is explained by the colossal number of British bands entering the American music market at that time.

This term, created by journalists, coincides with the arrival of the Beatles in the USA.

However, this British invasion is global.

In this post, we’re going to simplify things and split it into two categories: the USA and the EU.

HOW WAS CREATED THE BRITISH INVASION ?

The movement is based on a generation of young Englishmen with a particular attraction for America and its culture. It can also be said that many artists of this kind have attended art schools.

Many of these young people claim a strong attachment to African-American music: blues, rhythm and blues, soul and rock n’ roll of course! They walk in the footsteps of their idols.

On the music level, some start to play skiffle (I tell you all about it in this post), others go directly to an electrified sound.

In 1963, many artists and bands met on the market: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks, The Yardbirds, The Animals, The Small Faces, The Spencer David Group, The Troggs, Them, and many more.

Caricature The Beatles, the british invasion

Caricature The Rolling Stones, the british invasion

THE BRITISH INVASION IN THE USA

The Beatles in the USA

When they arrived in the USA on February 9, 1964, THOUSANDS of people were waiting for them to land. As for their appearance on the Ed Sullivan show, 50 000 seats have been requested while there are only 700 seats available! And during that event, over 70 million Americans gathered to watch the show.

Three months later, the Beatles flood the charts.

Today, the appearance of the Beatles at the Sullivan show is considered as an iconic event that has led to the emergence of important cultural changes.

And yet, a year before, no one could imagine this scenario! In 63, when George Martin approached Capitol and Vee-Jay (another record company) in America, he was ignored. Over this year, they will be going through failure after failure on the other side of the Atlantic.

The situation changed in December 1963, when the Beatlemania exploded in England and the latter was covered by the American press.

American teenagers, intrigued by these 4 young men, rushed to the record stores to buy one of their single. Unfortunately, the record stores had no stock and they found themselves faced with increasing demand.

This led, in December 1963, in the middle of the Christmas holiday, to a huge number of people plundering their single. This is how the British invasion and Beatlemania in the USA began.

In the wake of the Beatles

Dozens of English bands follow the path set by the Beatles. We can include The Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Yardbirds, The Kinks, or The Who. But those bands will have a success that will come more slowly, if not much more. We can mention the Who, whose success took off only 3 years later.

Caricature The Yardbirds, the british invasion

THE BRITISH INVASION IN EUROPE

In Europe, except in England, it’s more nuanced. The popularity of bands is measured by record sales.

We find, of course, in many countries the phenomena Beatles and Rolling Stones, but they are confronted with other phenomena and musical genres.

I speak mostly of these two bands, because the others, as in America, are very far behind or are known for one or two titles.

In France

At this time, it is the ye-ye who take the country by storm. The Beatles and The Rolling Stones meet Claude François, Adamo, Sheila, Richard Anthony, or Johnny Halliday.

Note :

In French-speaking countries, the success of English bands is also reflected in the phenomenon of translation. The success of the Beatles was such that artists will adapt and make their own versions. From then on, Francophone/local productions will be much more successful than the original ones.

Examples :

Please, Please Me → Tu perds ton Temps – I. Trovatori
All My Loving → Toi L’Ami – Richard Anthony
She loves You → Elle t’aime – Jimmy Frey

At the same time, Johnny Halliday (a French rock star afterward) also starts by proposing an adaptation of a Beatles song. But he’ll be much more known for his cover of the Animals’ song The House of The Rising Sun which becomes Les Portes du Pénitencier.

Others will choose to adopt the attitudes and postures of English groups like Antoine or Jacques Dutronc.

In Italy

It’s the same thing. However, it is the Italian variety that is in the spotlight with artists like Adriano Celentano, Gianni Morandi, Dalida, and Adamo (again).

An exception comes from the Nordic countries, where most English hits are at the top of the charts.

THE INFLUENCE OF THE BRITISH INVASION

The British invasion, just like the rock n’ roll when it began, gives a sense of belonging to teenagers.

This movement will greatly influence modern rock, the one we listen to today. Especially on Garage Rock bands. We can also see the first rockstars, guitar hero as well as the first rock composers.

THE FALL

The movement died out around 1967, leaving room for the Swingin’ London and the Hippie movement, which reached the pinnacle of its success.

SWINGIN’ LONDON

Swingin’ London, also called Swingin’ Sixties overlaps with the British Invasion.

It is a musical and cultural revolution generated by young Londoners. Everything goes : music, fashion, cinema, etc. For the first time, young people have money to spend and are free enough to unleash their creativity and free themselves from morals. They value modernity and the hedonistic lifestyle.

It is located in King’s Road, Kensington, or Carnabary Street. There are many art galleries, clubs, shops, and concert venues. Stores are becoming more than sales places, they are also meeting places. As for the venues, major groups like The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd make their debut.

We can mention various symbols belonging to this period:

The Beatles, who initiated the British invasion;
The appearance of the mini-skirt;
Some popular models (e.g., Twiggy or Jean Shrimpton);
The anti-nuclear movement;
The sexual liberation

If you really want to see what the Swingin’ London was like, I invite you to watch The Avengers (TV show) or the first James Bond. These give a good representation of gender because they were created in relation to that period.

Swingin’ London died a year after the British Invasion in 1968. It will also stop with the arrival of American psychedelism and the hippie movement.

Conclusion

The British Invasion had a MAJOR influence on current music. Whether rock, metal, or even pop! Still today, many people listen to the artists of this period (and I included myself in it).

So if you want to dive back into those years, you can listen to the Spotify playlist dedicated to this article right here.