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England was viewed as the epitome of happiness and joy by Americans in
the 1960's. There was a sense of youth attached to their fashion and
their music, which rubbed off on the American public as their culture
invaded the United States & took ahold of the country. Being
considered Mod was the in thing, meaning that you were hip with the
times and were fun to be around. "I'm English" was a popular catch
phrase amongst the youth of the decade.
- The irony in all of this is the fact thatt less than two centuries prior to this, America was fighting to get out from under Britian's thumb and to become it's own country. The British Invasion in the 1960's was no doubt something that the people fighting during the American Revolution would have looked down upon and been outright confused about, wondering why we were once again taking cues from the country that we had to go to war with in order to gain our independence? This, of course, was ignored during the time & the British Invasion was looked upon as good & exciting; bringing new life to the American public & influencing the American culture.
- But why England? Why not some other counttry? England was seen as being free, which was something Americans felt like they didn't have. They coveted the attitudes of the British & mimicked them, hoping that they could gain the freedom & joy the British people had. Did they succeed? It all depends on how you look at it. Some people might say that Americans never really gained a sense of themselves in the 1960's, since all they did was copy the British. Others might say that the United States really broke out of it's mold & the culture of the country splintered into many fascinating new directions, which might not have happened if it wasn't for the British Invasion. Personally, I take the latter standpoint. Without the British Invasion, it might have taken decades for America to catch up in terms of cultural enlightenment & other areas, which would make the United States today a completely different place to live-- one that might not be all that enjoyable. Besides, if it wasn't for the British Invasion, how else would Americans have gotten to experience Beatlemania?! *
* [I have to admit that I'm somewhat biased here, because I think the Beatles are the greatest band that ever existed & I can't imagine what America would have been like if we had not gotten to take part in the craziness that encompassed Beatlemania. I think that Beatlemania in itself helped shape the 1960's & without it, things might have turned out competely different. It's quite obvious that there will never be another phenomenon quite like that again, which is why I'm glad that America got to experience it. ]
- The irony in all of this is the fact thatt less than two centuries prior to this, America was fighting to get out from under Britian's thumb and to become it's own country. The British Invasion in the 1960's was no doubt something that the people fighting during the American Revolution would have looked down upon and been outright confused about, wondering why we were once again taking cues from the country that we had to go to war with in order to gain our independence? This, of course, was ignored during the time & the British Invasion was looked upon as good & exciting; bringing new life to the American public & influencing the American culture.
- But why England? Why not some other counttry? England was seen as being free, which was something Americans felt like they didn't have. They coveted the attitudes of the British & mimicked them, hoping that they could gain the freedom & joy the British people had. Did they succeed? It all depends on how you look at it. Some people might say that Americans never really gained a sense of themselves in the 1960's, since all they did was copy the British. Others might say that the United States really broke out of it's mold & the culture of the country splintered into many fascinating new directions, which might not have happened if it wasn't for the British Invasion. Personally, I take the latter standpoint. Without the British Invasion, it might have taken decades for America to catch up in terms of cultural enlightenment & other areas, which would make the United States today a completely different place to live-- one that might not be all that enjoyable. Besides, if it wasn't for the British Invasion, how else would Americans have gotten to experience Beatlemania?! *
* [I have to admit that I'm somewhat biased here, because I think the Beatles are the greatest band that ever existed & I can't imagine what America would have been like if we had not gotten to take part in the craziness that encompassed Beatlemania. I think that Beatlemania in itself helped shape the 1960's & without it, things might have turned out competely different. It's quite obvious that there will never be another phenomenon quite like that again, which is why I'm glad that America got to experience it. ]