Sgt. Pepper And The Beatles Analysis

The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, are known for the utmost devotion expressed by their fans, especially in the form of hysterical screaming that they provoked in large crowds of teenagers. The article, “Sgt. Pepper and the Beatles” discusses how the incorporation of Indian culture may have contributed to what is known as “Beatlemania”. Their music quickly became a staple for the drug scene, as the Eastern elements conveyed a sense of trippiness. This soon became a limiting definition of Eastern, specifically Indian, culture. It is evident in today’s Western culture how prominently the Hindu culture has been incorporated. This then begs the question of how the Maharishi went about the deculturization of Hindu principles without stepping on the toes of people of his own culture. Julian’s descript writings effectively convey the point that the Beatles functioned as pioneers of a cultural awakening, aided by the strong presence of drug culture, and their own discovery of Indian music styles. The first aspect of Julien’s discussion that I found particularly interesting was how the Beatles’ Indian infused music became a staple of the drug experience …show more content…
Both the obsession over eastern religion and over indian music were part of a much larger infatuation with the east (Julien, 64). Commonly recognized terms today, like karma and nirvana, came straight from Indian culture. Unfortunately, there was no room in this vision of awakening for factories, computers, or normal people going about their lives. While the idea of drugs, meditation, and the pursuit of supreme knowledge seemed to define India for the general western culture, the Beatles respectfully dedicated a great deal of time learning how to properly play the instruments and reading books on Indian religious