Love and Let Die: James Bond, The Beatles, and the British Psyche

Love and Let Die: James Bond, The Beatles, and the British Psyche by John Higgs

On Friday, October 5, 1962, the first Beatles song, Love Me Do and the first James Bond movie, Dr. No, were released. Both represented an important long lasting part of British culture that spread across the world. The Beatles represented the power of working class blokes to come and dominate the music industry with their own deamer and artistic skills. Bond was the opposite and represented the traditional upper-class culture. The Beatles were "life" wile Bond was "death".

The book interleaves the stories of the Beatles with that of Bond. Both have expanded beyond their initial creators. Ian Fleming had written the Bond stories. However, many of the movies have taken nothing more than a name from Fleming's stories. The character of Bond has evolved significantly from what Ian had initially written. (Fleming died just as the movies were started in the 1960s).

The Beatles helped launch youth culture, the 1960s and the key role of music in society. They were only together for a decade. Rather than adhere to a formula, they changed and experimented. They were able to explore different philosophies, musical styles and way of living. About the only thing they could not do was go back to being private citizens. Each of the Beatles went on to explore their own interests and a solo musical career. They helped influence culture and society, even when they were not trying to. Even the 2012 Olympics ceremonies were heavily influenced by the Beatles.

How long will these pop culture icons last? We will see.