Next month, Loughborough University will host the biggest conference on The Beatles this century. The conference will take place on October 4 and October 5, the latter date marking fifty years to the day that The Beatles released their first hit single, Love Me Do.
The conference, Love Me Do: The Beatles at Fifty will be hosted by the School of Political, Social and Geographical Sciences and will feature talks from a variety of historians, art historians, social scientists, musicologists and cultural critics from Britain, Europe and the USA.
The critics will discuss the bands impact on the sixties to the present day. Topics will include an analysis of their first single Love Me Do, an examination of “Beatlemania” and Brian Epstein’s business acumen.
Dr Marcus Collins, a Lecturer in Modern British History at Loughborough University and Conference organiser said in a press release: “It is virtually impossible to understand the sixties without understanding the Beatles, and vice versa. That is a large part why they commanded attention from fans and critics then, and why they deserve sustained academic appraisal now. ”
He also mentioned The Beatles having a significant cultural impact at this year’s Olympics: “The Beatles’ on-going symbolic resonance was recently seen at the Olympics. The songs played at the opening and closing ceremonies – Hey Jude, Because, Here Comes the Sun, I Am the Walrus and John Lennon’s Imagine – perfectly captured London 2012’s inclusiveness. These anthems are at once quintessentially British and recognised worldwide. They help to create the community about which they sing.”
Dr Collins also stated that this conference would be a great opportunity to see how “Beatlemania” happened and how it has changed us culturally. However, he also cheekily admitted that once the serious business of the conference is complete, there’ll definitely be room for a pub quiz and a sing-along.
The conference, Love Me Do: The Beatles at Fifty will be hosted by the School of Political, Social and Geographical Sciences at Loughborough University from Thursday 4 to Friday 5 October 2012.
