Includes bibliographical references (pages 275-328) and index.

The band that changed popular culture forever has become so shrouded in cultural mythology that it is difficult today to really understand how or why. Stark puts their impact into perspective by revealing both the personal details and the larger events, examining the ways in which the Beatles' own lives were inextricably tied to the cultural, youth, and gender revolutions they helped create and lead during the 1960s. Based on more than a hundred new interviews, this book offers a fresh interpretation of their story, beginning with their childhoods in England and the effect of the deaths of Paul's and John's mothers when they were young. It documents their special bond with women; the central importance of drugs, both for them and the counterculture they led; why their hairstyles set off a revolution; and the conditions that allowed these four to conquer America.--From publisher description.

SACFinal081324