В связи с отмечаемым ежегодно 25 июня Всемирным днем «Битлз» (Global Beatles Day) предлагаю читателям краткий топик уровня elementary об истории группы. Топик можно использовать на уроках при обсуждении темы «Музыка».
В этот день в 1967 году, в разгар войны во Вьетнаме, группа «Битлз» приняла участие в программе BBC «Our World», которая транслировалась на 25 стран мира с охватом аудитории по разным оценкам от 400 до 700 миллионов человек. «Битлз» исполнили песню All You Need Is Love как символ борьбы за мир. Песня стала гимном сторонников движения flower power («сила цветов»), проповедовавших ненасильственное сопротивление и выступавших против войны во Вьетнаме.
Global Beatles Day был придуман поклонницей «Битлз» Фэйт Коэн (Faith Cohen) в знак благодарности группе за то памятное выступление и впервые отпразднован в 2009 г.
1. The Beatles are regarded as the most influential and highest-selling band of all time.
2. Their best-known and classic line-up comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
3. The band explored different music styles and revolutionized many aspects of the music industry.
4. The Beatles were formed in Liverpool in 1960 and built their reputation playing in Liverpool and Hamburg clubs over three years.
5. Manager Brian Epstein and producer George Martin greatly contributed to their international popularity that soon grew into the intense fan frenzy called Beatlemania.
6. The Beatles’ first hit single was Love Me Do recorded and released in late 1962.
7. It was followed by such hits as I Want to Hold Your Hand, Can’t Buy Me Love, A Hard Day’s Night, Yesterday, Yellow Submarine, All You Need Is Love, Hey Jude, Let It Be and others.
8. At the same time, the band heralded the album era, a period from the mid-1960s to the mid-2000s when the album was the dominant form of recorded music expression and consumption.
9. Their “core catalogue” includes such best-selling albums as Please Please Me, Help!, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Abbey Road and others.
10. Let It Be was the twelfth and the final studio album released in May 1970, almost a month after the group’s break-up; it also topped record charts in many countries, including the UK and the USA.
11. The Let It Be documentary, the band’s final original film, followed later that month.
12. The film documented the process of rehearsing and recording songs during the period of tense relationships between the band members and included an unannounced rooftop concert, the last public performance of the Fab Four together.
13. The documentary won the 1970 Academy Award for Best Original Song Score.
14. Besides that award, the Beatles received various awards and nominations during their career as a band and have received more since they disbanded.
15. In 1965, Queen Elizabeth II appointed John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr Members of the Order of the British Empire.
16. After the break-up, all four members enjoyed success as solo artists.
17. Today, only McCartney and Starr remain musically active.
18. Lennon was shot and killed by an American Beatles fan in New York City in 1980; Harrison died in 2001.
19. Nevertheless, the Beatles continue to be viewed as artists who had a huge impact on many aspects of world society - culture, art, fashion, business, politics, social equality and environmentalism.
20. In 2009, Global Beatles Day was established to celebrate the band's music and social message.
21. The annual event takes place on June 25th.
22. The date was chosen to commemorate the performance of All You Need Is Love in the BBC programme «Our World» in 1967.
По традиции приглашаю читателей вступить в мою группу ВКонтакте. Участникам группы доступны бесплатные консультации по английскому языку небольшого объема. О платных услугах можно узнать в разделе «Информация» группы.
