7 Ways The Beatles Changed Boomer Childhood Overnight
1. The Beatles made music a necessity.
Kids went from listening to Disney records and Alvin and the Chipmunks to "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You." Many boomers heard music at home and at school, but it was someone else's music. After 2/9/64, their ears were opened in a new way and they wanted this new music, made by and for young people. As one fan, age eight at the time, recalled, "Beatle music was ours. It became central to our lives." Children as young as six didn't want to be separated from their transistor radios. These young fans remained closely tuned in throughout the 1960s, with ears -- and minds -- wide open.
2. The Beatles displaced traditional childhood pastimes.
Children started spending more time listening to music, and records became the gift of choice. Cowboys and Indians, sports, Lincoln Logs, jacks, pickup sticks, and Chatty Cathy were pushed to the periphery. Boys who had just been playing army games were suddenly playing Beatles, with tennis racket guitars and trash can drums. Millions of boys (and a much smaller number of girls) begged for and got real instruments.
