Recently, I saw a social media post where Swifties said Taylor Swift is bigger than The Beatles. In the Martin Scorsese-produced Beatles '64, a new Disney+ documentary, he debunks that theory.
“I don't think The Beatles were particularly influential,” one Swiftie said.
Before Taylor Swift and the cult of Swifties took over pop culture, The Beatles created a similar craze in 1964 with Beatlemania. Their appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show remains iconic (even Boygenius paid homage to it during their SNL appearance).
Records couldn't be produced fast enough for fans to buy, as they were flying off the shelves. Girls were fainting and even going as far as sneaking into their hotel to get a glimpse of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.
Their impact goes beyond the money. The Beatles created a frenzy that resulted in fans with borderline obsessive parasocial relationships (sound familiar, Swifties?). Six decades later, Scorsese and director David Tedeschi caught up with McCartney, Starr, and Beatles fans who were a part of the craze.
Even McCartney did not expect this level of success. During an interview in 1964, McCartney laughs off a question about the band's place in Western culture.
We will see in 60 years whether or not Swift and her pop culture presence will get as much attention as The Beatles. The band just received a Grammy nomination (for “Now and Then”) over five decades after their break up. Odds are she will, but there is no doubt who did it first.
Beatles '64 review
Six decades after their appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, fans still remember where they were when it happened. Beatles '64 features several fans from all walks of life — mostly writers and music producers — who participated in Beatlemania.
From Fab Four-inspired wigs to wild erotic dreams, The Beatles lived in their fans' heads rent-free. There was an obsession with the joyous music they made, especially with the JFK assassination looming in the background.
The world needed something positive. After the hip-shaking Elvis Presley, young men and women gravitated towards The Beatles' music, which made them “Twist and Shout.”
Parents rolled their eyes, but clearly, they couldn't stop their kids from buying the band's records and crowding their hotels. Seeing and hearing the fans, now six decades older than they were when chasing the Fab Four, opens your eyes to the band's impact.
I don't know if Taylor Swift's impact goes as far as The Beatles. Sure, she can release a dozen re-issues of The Tortured Poets Department, but I doubt we will ever see anything as special as Beatlemania.
In Martin Scorsese we trust
While Scorsese is only a producer of Beatles '64, his impact goes beyond the role of one. He appears on screen several times, usually interviewing McCartney or Starr.
His interactions with them are so interesting. Clearly, he is a fan, as he sports a wide grin whenever talking to the remaining Beatles. At the same time, he asks them interesting questions.
But you watch Beatles documentaries for remastered footage and resurfaced interviews. The Beatles' performances on The Ed Sullivan Show and in Washington, D.C., from 1964 look amazing.
Most of the concert footage is as crisp as it will get. Make no mistake: Beatles '64 is not a concert film, so the footage is interspersed throughout the 106-minute runtime.
It is probably tempting to make the documentary into a concert film. Tedeschi and Scorsese smartly navigated that balance, making it more about the fans' response to Beatlemania than remastering footage.
Is it as detailed as Get Back?
The balance struck by Tedeschi and Scorsese is a blessing and a curse. The biggest problem with Beatles '64 is it does not offer anything diehard fans wouldn't know.
The documentary is largely risk-averse and a celebration of the band's first trip to the United States. But it is not nearly as detailed as Get Back, likely because it is not a three-part, 468-minute series. That is just a limitation of a documentary like Beatles '64, which is as long as a feature film.
The beauty of Get Back was how mundane it was. It was the rock documentary equivalent to Ingmar Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage.
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Seeing Paul McCartney compose “Get Back” based on a simple bass riff is mesmerizing. On the surface, seeing the band members interact in the studio sounds boring. I assure you, if you haven't seen it, it is extremely engaging.
But that is not what Beatles '64 set out to do. Tedeschi and Scorsese wanted to observe the impact of the band's The Ed Sullivan Show, not put the genius of the group on display.
Should you stream Beatles '64 on Disney+?
Despite its limitations, Beatles '64 is an engaging celebration of the Fab Four's lasting impact 60+ years on. It does not display the band's recording process or much of their concerts, frankly, but shows the band's resonance with their fans.
Get Back was a special experiment, exploring the band's creative process of one of their most famous albums (Let It Be). Beatles '64 features similarly remastered footage — which is especially evident in the concert footage from Washington D.C. — but it doesn't explore them as a group. A Hard Day's Night may show more of the band members' dynamics.
Perhaps the documentary's function is for all the Swifties who try to minimize the Fab Four's pop culture impact, as Beatles '64 is for them. If nothing else, it disproves any idea that they were not important. Without The Beatles, there would be no Taylor Swift.
Stream Beatles '64 on Disney+ on November 29.
