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British Invasion
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images
The Beatles perform on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964; Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and John Lennon sing and play guitars at the front, with Ringo Starr on drums in the back. Paul McCartney at the Cavern Club, c. 1960 The Searchers Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and John Lennon run down a cobblestone alley in London, wearing suits, in a scene from the Beatles movie A Hard Day's Night.
At a Glance
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British Invasion summary
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the Beatles. Rock and film. Publicity still from A Hard Day's Night (1964) directed by Richard Lester starring The Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr) a British musical quartet. rock music movie
Phenomenon From Across the Pond

British Invasion: References & Edit History

Additional Reading

Nicholas Schaffner, The British Invasion: From the First Wave to the New Wave (1983), views the era from a well-informed American fan’s perspective. Colin Cross, Paul Kendall, and Mick Farren (compilers), Encyclopedia of British Beat Groups & Solo Artists of the Sixties (1980), goes wider and deeper, covering many colorful obscurities. Chris May and Tim Phillips, British Beat (1974), brings a we-were-there British sense of history to a fascinating if sketchy analysis complete with excellent discographies.

Representative Works

  • The Animals, “House of the Rising Sun” (1964)
  • The Beatles, Meet the Beatles (1964)
  • Petula Clark, “Downtown” (1964)
  • The Kinks, “You Really Got Me” (1964)
  • Peter and Gordon, “A World Without Love” (1964)
  • The Searchers, “Needles and Pins” (1964)
  • The Swinging Blue Jeans, “Hippy Hippy Shake” (1964)
  • The Zombies, “She’s Not There” (1964)
  • Herman’s Hermits, “Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter” (1965)
  • The Rolling Stones, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (1965)
  • The Yardbirds, “For Your Love” (1965)
  • The Hollies, “Bus Stop” (1966)
  • The Troggs, “Wild Thing” (1966)
  • Lulu, “To Sir with Love” (1967)
  • The Small Faces, “Itchycoo Park” (1967)

Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Add new Web site: BBC - British invasions: How do UK bands break the US? Sep 12, 2026
Add new Web site: University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo - The Original British Invasion (PDF). Jan 23, 2025
Media added. Oct 15, 2024
Mentioned the “Second British Invasion” that began in the 1980s. Oct 15, 2024
Add new Web site: Independent - Mini-skirts, bouffants and forgotten hits: The unsung women of the British Invasion. Sep 07, 2024
Add new Web site: ScholarWorks at GVSU - Indian Resonances in the British Invasion, 1965-1968 (PDF). Jul 12, 2024
Add new Web site: Sam Houston State University - The British Invasion. May 17, 2024
Add new Web site: Humanities LibreTexts - British Invasion. Dec 22, 2023
Add new Web site: American Heritage - A British-invasion Time Line. Oct 27, 2023
Add new Web site: GRAMMY Museum - Revisit: The British Invasion: How 1960s Beat Groups Conquered America. Aug 01, 2023
Links added. Apr 05, 2023
Add new Web site: Sam Houston State University - The British Invasion. Jan 26, 2023
Changed “syles” to “styles.” Jan 23, 2021
Add new Web site: All About Blues Music - The British Invasion. May 01, 2020
Media added. Dec 03, 2018
Media added. Aug 18, 2017
Add new Web site: Fact Monster - Entertainment - Motown Elvis and the British Invasion. Oct 25, 2011
Video of the Beatles' arrival in New York City added. Sep 02, 2009
Changed Singing Blue Jeans to Swinging Blue Jeans. Feb 09, 2009
Article revised. Feb 15, 2001
Article revised. Feb 14, 2001
Article revised. Feb 09, 2000
New article added. Nov 08, 1999
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