My .02
I don't think that it is a cultural thing as much as it is an age thing. Picture the world specifically the US in 1964 when the Beatles were on Ed Sullivan. President Kennedy was just assassinated. The baby boomers were teenagers and looking for a voice. Along comes the Beatles which was perfect timing. They were young, cute, British, and rock stars. Teenagers went wild. Those teens are now in their 50s, and the Beatles defined their adolescence. I think that explains Beatlemania. Maybe someone who remembers the 1960s could comment.
In terms of music, I think that the Beatles are brilliant. Lennon & McCartney are still considered one of the best music writing pairs ever. Their talent developed throughout the 1960s to create some of the most beautiful songs ever written. Individually they were great, too. George Harrison wrote "Something" which Frank Sinatra called the greatest love song of the 20th Century. Musically, they were innovative and distinct. It might be difficult to hear that in 2004, but picture them in the context of the 1960s.
I grew up hearing, knowing, and singing Beatles songs when I was a girl after they had broken up. I "discovered" the Beatles on my own after John Lennon was assassinated in 1980. I still listen to them. I agree with midwesterngirl, 33girl, and lovelyivy. Listen to their albums, not the greatest hits. They tell a story. It really is art. I was in the car the other day, and the Beatles come on. I just thought that the music sounds very pretty.
