What Did Your Parents Think of The Beatles?
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I know Im way too young but the tradition will always continue for new Beatles fans to come in. So old and new Beatles fans what did your parents think of The Beatles and what did they think of you liking the Beatles? Please share your stories.
As for me, my mother had gotten me into the Beatles after she told me the Beatles wrote the song Yellow Submarine after hearing it on the radio so much. I became a Beatles fan from then on. My dad bought me the Beatles One cd and kept playing it over and over and he said "You've been playing that all day long without stopping." And my mother claimed I was over obsessed about the Beatles. However my parents do like the Beatles but they are not a really big fan of them like I am however. They are more Pink Floyd fans than Beatles fans. I guess Im the unique one lol. 
My mom says Ringo is her favorite Beatle. My dad I think just likes all four. Me I have two favorite Beatles George and Paul. But my parents were okay with me liking the Beatles. My mother used to say "Im glad I have a daughter that doesn't listen to rap music or hip hop music lol. -
I pretty much have my parents to thank for my love of The Beatles. They've told me that they played the music constantly when my mother was pregnant with me, so I'm convinced that explains my strong feeling of connection to them. It was the first music I heard when I was a baby as well. I was always asking for 'Beatles' on car journeys, so my dad would play the Red and Blue albums he had on cassette.
I just got more and more into them as I got older and started my own collection, so my dad has pretty much accepted that I'm now the Beatles authority in the family! He's been with me when I've seen Paul live, so it's nice to share something like that. He told me that my grandmother wasn't keen on The Beatles but thought they were a better option than the Rolling Stones! -
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yeah I have to agree with your grandmother there. I was never a Rollingstones fan either. My parents raised me on oldies music and it stuck with me as I got older. Don't care for modern music now a days. My dad likes the Beatles later albums like The White Album and Abbey Road. My mom says Ringo is her favorite Beatle. I got her to listen to Ringo's stuff again. See? Listening to the Beatles can be addictive -
My dad was a music major in college and poo-pooed the Beatles at the time in favor of classical music. When I was growing up, he changed his tune saying they are more interesting than 80s music.
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My (deceased) father was a fan of the Beatles. My mother isn't. They have no problems on me liking them.
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I remember when I saw The Beatles on Ed Sullivan, my parents acted like they were aliens. They did not like the music, nor their looks. They did not understand my reaction and my passion for them.
50 years later my mom (age 91) thinks it is "silly" that I still love Paul and I have a large collection of Beatle memorabilia. -
I'm a much bigger fan than either of my parents, who were born in 1939 and 1950. My mom is an average fan and remembers seeing them on the Ed Sullivan show, and what a huge event it was. She had a few records (still to this day, and I've borrowed some of her vinyl from 1963 and 1964) and was mostly into their earlier stuff, dislikes a lot of the 'hard' stuff like Revolution and Helter Skelter. When I was a teen in the 90's she went to some Beatles tribute band shows with me, but I haven't been able to convince her to go see Paul or Ringo live with me as of yet. Her favorite Beatle is Paul too and she likes some of his solo/Wings stuff, also likes some of George's solo music. I recently made her a set of 5 mix CDs of a lot of Paul's less popular music that she wouldn't otherwise find on the radio or his greatest hits albums, including some unreleased material.
My dad doesn't dislike them or listen to them in particular, but has always been supportive of me enjoying them. He's mostly into classical and jazz, maybe I could introduce him to Paul's classical works... I grew up listening to 'oldies' on the radio, and didn't really zone in on the Beatles in particular until 1995 but had always liked the few of their songs that I heard on the radio. I'm just thankful that I could grow up listening to music from the 50's/60's/70's instead of the music that was current when I was actually growing up. -
My parents were born in 1929 and 1932, respectively. When they saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan in 1964, they thought they sounded like the were screaming and that they looked weird.
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Yeah most parents who were born in the late 1930's or later thought that the Beatles looked and sounded weird when they first came to the States I remember hearing stories about that. They just don't understand what we see in the Beatles I guess. We see love and fun in the Beatles. And they make us dance. And we think they are absolutely adorable and cute.
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Their Ed Sullivan appearance (not sure which one) is just on the outer fringes of my memory--we were at my mother's aunt's home and I remember the general consensus was that it was a bunch of crazy noise...they didn't like the long hair and they characterized as just singing a lot of "yeah, yeah, yeahs...". When I was listening to some Beatles in the mid 70s my mother (born in 1930) made some derogatory comment about the lyrics. Later in the 80s after driving me to college several times and listening to The Doors, Pink Floyd, and The Beatles she became familiar with all the bands and told me that she *loved* all the music by the Beatles. She laughed at her earlier reaction when I reminded her. I have fond memories of sharing that music with her and watching her appreciate it. My mom and dad are sadly both gone now and I miss them terribly!
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My grandmother had the very same attitude regarding the length of their hair and things like that. My dad recalls that she would tut whenever he played I Am The Walrus because she disapproved of the line about letting your knickers down!
My grandad didn't mind them, but there was a related story about Bruce Springsteen performing on TV, I think it was the Old Grey Whistle Test? he was playing harmonica and my grandad said, "Jaysus, he can't play that thing at all." -
maccasfangirl30:
Yeah most parents who were born in the late 1930's or later thought that the Beatles looked and sounded weird when they first came to the States I remember hearing stories about that. They just don't understand what we see in the Beatles I guess. We see love and fun in the Beatles. And they make us dance. And we think they are absolutely adorable and cute.
My parents did end up liking the Beatles. The turning point for my mom was the song "Yesterday" she still loves that one.
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My Mom (born in 1930) was very supportive and went to see Paul with me 3 times. Dad (born 1926) never had an opinion one way or the other. Both my parents are still alive and Mom still buys me Beatles related stuff for Christmas & my birthday. Well, she says "Just pick what you want on Amazon and charge it to me!"
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well some of the parents in 1964 were Upset that Rock and Roll had succeeded, according the the "Establishment". they were very upset. in the 50's they said Rock and Roll has Got to go! so ALLEN FREED had Saved us, from all the Our Parents worries! then Dick Clark, came along and the "establishment " accepted Him, and his Music. found out it did Not Corrupt the kids of the 50's who now were the "Flower Power Generations of the 69. which was fine with us. My Dad worked Hard, but he still managed to get us into Municipal Stadium on the 17 of Sept, on the cold rainy Night, to see MY BEATLES" witch I shall Cherish Forever and ever! if you ask Parents that were in their late 40's in the 60's, they will tell you now, that in 1964, the Beatles SAVED AMERICA from it's Grief! of the Tragedy in 1964. they brought us out of the Oppressive Depressive times! and Paul and Ringo Still are at it! keeping the Peace round the world, and making us smile, brighter each day! May they Play on! peace love and light and healing to you all! Including Paul!
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Im greatful that both my parents raised me on listening to older music and not the modern junky stuff. And they both like the Beatles although they are not as crazy about the Beatles as I am. My family members still buy me Beatles stuff for Christmas and birthday
Been a Beatles nut since I was 13 and still going strong about it at 30 years old! Im a Beatles fan for life no matter what anyone else thinks of me about liking them. -
When the Beatles were on Ed Sullivan, my parents thought they were dumb and just another fad (as did most adults at the time), and I was too young to really appreciate them at age 7 and a half. But as the Fabs matured and started doing more complex music, my parents reluctantly accepted that they had some talent, even if they didn't always care for their music. I remember one night circa 1971 or so John was on the Dick Cavett Show -- one of the shows where Cavett would devote the whole 90 minutes to one guest -- and my folks were surprised by how smart and funny he was.
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We always watched Ed Sullivan, so it wasn't unusual to have the show on that night. I did know the Beatles were going to be on. My parents thought they had long hair and couldn't sing. My 90 year old father to this day thinks that and that my loving Paul and listening to the music of the Beatles has been the downfall of my life
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maccascruff:
We always watched Ed Sullivan, so it wasn't unusual to have the show on that night. I did know the Beatles were going to be on. My parents thought they had long hair and couldn't sing. My 90 year old father to this day thinks that and that my loving Paul and listening to the music of the Beatles has been the downfall of my life
That's sad!
I'm glad neither of my parents were like that. (Dad is 88, Mom is 83) -
I can't even say Paul's name in front of my dad without him going ballistic. I have to make up an excuse about why I'm going to Lincoln and I have no idea of what I will tell him. I could tell my mom, but she passed away last week. She would always tell me not to let dad know.
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Maccascruff, Please accept my sympathies on the loss of your mother. This is one of life's toughest junctures. I hope you have many good memories to comfort you. As to my own mother (who's no longer alive), she loved music of all kinds and while she was initially skeptical of The Beatles, she grew to love them. I don't know if she had a favorite, but she always seemed to grow wistful when she mentioned John. She used to say how nice looking he was until he let his hair grow so long and met up with "that woman." My dad still has little use for them. In fact, one of my earliest childhood memories is of my father yanking my older brother's original copy of the "I Want to Hold Your Hand" 45 off the turntable, and saying to me, 'It's bad enough your brother is listening to this. You're not going to start." I've always wondered what he would've said if I'd played "I Saw Her Standing There" instead!
