On February 9, 1964, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, otherwise known as the Beatles, made their first North American television appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Despite having had their music released in North America just two weeks before, the Beatles played on live television that night to about 74 million people—about 40 percent of the American population.
Although people at the time may not have realized it, they were watching one of the pivotal events in the history of pop music. Pop music, from the Beatles to popular artists today, has had a large impact on the society we live in. We may emulate the fashion trends of our favorite pop artists or find ourselves humming a catchy tune that we hear on television or over a store intercom. Regardless of whether we listen to pop or another genre of music, we have all been exposed to pop music in one area or another of our lives. In this unit, we will examine some of the history of pop music, as well as the characteristics that separate pop from other music genres.