Can’t Buy Our Love: Prime Minister Harold Wilson and His Attempts to Woo The Beatles

Authors

Austin Aldag '15, Illinois Wesleyan UniversityFollow

Abstract

The monumental influence of the Beatles, their music, and “Beatlemania” deeply penetrated into many facets of British lifestyle during a substantial portion of the 1960s, and the dynamic political landscape of this waning world power was no exception. The resurgence of the Labour Party in Parliament, following fourteen long years of being situated in the opposition, simultaneously materialized during the reign of the Beatles. Subsequent to the 1964 General Election, the Labour Party narrowly achieved a legislative majority in Parliament despite achieving a total net gain of fifty-six seats.¹ Leading this movement and a man who advocated for a “New Britain” was a skillful politician by the name of Harold Wilson. Wilson tactfully and strategically utilized many tools at his disposal to push his own political agenda while also promoting his Labour Party, with one of these tools being the Beatles. I intend to analyze the factors that facilitated the rise of the Labour Party, in the context of Beatlemania, along with what led to and what was produced by the interesting relationship of the Fab Four and the Prime Minister.

Recommended Citation

Aldag, Austin '15 (2015) "Can’t Buy Our Love: Prime Minister Harold Wilson and His Attempts to Woo The Beatles," Res Publica - Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 20
Available at: https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/respublica/vol20/iss1/6