他们改变了20世纪的流行文化,开创了流行音乐的新纪元,打造了摇滚史上罕见的盛世。他们特立独行、个性十足的曲风和作品,为摇滚乐烙上了鲜明的时代印记。他们离经叛道、革变求新的主张,鼓舞了那个动荡年代里无数青年的斗志。他们不是音乐的起点,也不是音乐的终点,而是漫长音乐旅途上一支燃烧着的蜡烛,照亮了整个音乐的旅程。他们就是史上最受欢迎、最成功的音乐组合之一——披头士乐队。
The Beatles were one of the biggest influences on music during the 1960's and 70's. They brought new sounds and ideas in their music and they revolutionized the idea of Rock & Roll. They marked their career with controversy1), chart-topping2) hits3), unique lyrics and calls for change.
披头士乐队是20世纪六、七十年代对乐坛影响最大的乐队之一。他们将新的声音和思想融入他们创作的音乐中,使摇滚乐发生了革命性的变化。他们为自己的职业生涯贴上了“争议”“排行榜冠军金曲”“别具一格的歌词”以及“呼吁变革”的标签。
Pioneer of British Invasion 英伦入侵先行者
The Beatles were a rock band that originated in the United Kingdom. The band consisted of John Lennon (rhythm guitar, vocals), Paul McCartney (bass guitar, vocals), George Harrison (lead guitar, vocals) and Ringo Starr (drums, vocals). They first started playing small shows in Hamburg, Germany in 1960. By 1962, the band had a single that made it to the charts; the title of this song was "Love Me Do", which reached number one on the U.S charts in May of 1963. The Beatles' fame began to spread to the United States, and they were invited to play on The Ed Sullivan Show in February of 1964 and again in September of 1965. The Beatles' first appearance in particular is considered a milestone in American pop culture and the start of the British invasion of music itself. The show captured a 60% share of the night time audience, 73 million people (This remains, by percentage of population, one of the largest viewing audiences ever in the US). This large number of viewers ensured the booming popularity of the Beatles in the United States. This sudden publicity boom in the United States greatly aided the Beatles in their influence over Rock & Roll.
披头士是在英国发展起来的摇滚乐队,成员有约翰·列侬(节奏吉他,男声)、保罗·麦卡特尼(贝司吉他,男声)、乔治·哈里森(主音吉他,男声)和林戈·斯塔尔(鼓手,男声)。1960年,他们在德国汉堡举行了首场小型演出。1962年,乐队的首支单曲《我愿意》打进了排行榜,并于1963年5月登上了美国排行榜冠军宝座。披头士开始在美国名声大振,1964年2月,他们应邀在电视节目埃德·沙利文秀上演出,1965年9月再次受邀演出。披头士的首次亮相被认为是美国流行文化的一个里程碑,标志着英国音乐入侵美国的开始。那天晚上的收视率达到了60%,共计7300万人观看了演出(根据人口比例,这仍然是美国历史上观看人数最多的节目之一)。这一庞大的观众数量确保了披头士在美国的迅速走红。而他们在美国的突然走红也大大有助于披头士建立其对摇滚乐的影响。
Unique Sounds and Ideas 独特的声音和思想
The Beatles used unique sounds in their music; these sounds are most dramatically4) seen in the album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", released in 1967. They used many studio effects including reverberation5), echoes, and reverse tape effects. Some of the sounds on the album even came from recordings of a fairground organ6), which were spliced7) and inserted8) into the album. All these things were rarely used by bands in the 1960's, but none the less9), the Beatles experimented with the sounds and had made great success.
披头士将独特的声音运用于他们的音乐;这些声音在1967年发行的专辑《佩珀军士的孤独之心俱乐部乐队》中体现得尤为显著。他们使用了多种录音棚效果,包括混响、回声和倒带效果。专辑中收录的一些声音甚至来自一部自动演奏乐器的录音,这些声音被拼接并嵌入到专辑当中。20世纪60年代的乐队很少使用这些手法,但是披头士乐队敢于尝试,并且大获成功。
The Beatles are also known for incorporating10) drug references into their works of music. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is the most known song with this attribute11). The song describes many odd "fantasy", or "dream like" scenes. Many people believe the song describes hallucinations12) resulting from consumption of LSD13), the initials of the song. Lennon has denied that the song is about such things.
披头士也因为在音乐作品中提到毒品而出名。《缀满钻石的天空中的露西》就是具备这个特点的代表作。歌词描写了很多奇怪的“幻想”,或者“类似梦境”的场景。很多人认为这首歌描写了服用致幻剂LSD之后的迷幻状态,而LSD正好也是这首歌名的首字母缩写。不过列侬否认这首歌与毒品有关。
The Beatles' unique sound and interesting lyrics made their popularity spread throughout the world. Much of the popularity of the Beatles in US can be attributed to the rising rebellious14) youth in the 1960's and 70's, often times referred to as the hippie movement. Many youths began experimenting with drugs, which may have made the Beatles musical aesthetics15) relatable references for which the youth to link themselves to.
披头士独特的声音和有趣的歌词使其作品风靡全球。这主要是因为20世纪六、七十年代年轻人的反叛精神越来越强,人们常常称之为嬉皮士运动。很多年轻人开始尝试吸食毒品,这可能造就了披头士音乐审美学,年轻人常常把自己与之联系在一起。
Songs of Protest 抗议之歌
Like the Nueva Cancion16) music of Chile and Latin America, the solo works of John Lennon were often songs of protest. In June of 1969, John Lennon and his girlfriend Yoko Ono had a short "bed-in" in a hotel room bed in London during which they sang and recorded the song "Give Peace a Chance" in protest of the Vietnam War. Dozens of journalists were present to the recording of the song, making it a much publicized event. Lennon not only protested the war, he also released an anti-sexism song in 1971 called "Woman is the Nigger17) of the World". The song however was banned from airways18). Lennon only managed to play the song once to the public during an appearance on The Dick Cavett Show. These two songs played by Lennon were monumental accomplishments; he not only used his fame to try to change the world, but he risked his career in doing so.
正如智利和拉美的新歌谣运动一样,约翰·列侬的独唱作品经常是抗议歌曲。1969年6月,约翰·列侬和当时的女友小野洋子在伦敦一家酒店房间的床上进行了一场简短的“床上抗议运动”,期间演唱并录制了一首歌《给和平一个机会》,以抗议越南战争。几十名记者亲临歌曲录制现场,使这次抗议活动广为人知。列侬不仅反战,还于1971年发表了反性别歧视的歌曲《女人是世界上被奴役的人种》,不过这首歌遭到了禁播。列侬只在电视节目迪克·卡维特秀上露面时为公众演奏过一次。列侬的以上两首歌具有里程碑式的重大意义,他不仅试图用自己的声望改变世界,与此同时,他这么做也是在拿自己的职业生涯冒险。
Concert on Roof Tops 屋顶演唱会
The Beatles changed the context of a concert forever in January of 1969 when they played their final live performance on the roof of the Apple Corps19) building in London. The concert consisted of about 43 minutes of music before the police came as a result of a noise complaint. The Beatles sang on the windy day to people walking below as crowds gathered on top of adjacent20) buildings to see the unique scene. This concert is possibly on of the most momentous concerts in history, because of its location and its occasion. There have certainly been very few concerts performed on roof tops, and even fewer have marked the final concert for the band. The Beatles broke up roughly a year after the concert, and John Lennon died ten years later.
1969年1月,披头士在位于伦敦的英国苹果唱片公司的房顶上最后一次现场演出,这一举动永远革新了演唱会的场地。演唱会持续了43分钟左右,直到后来有人报警说太吵,召来警察制止了演出。当天刮着风,披头士为下面街上的路人演唱,有人聚集到附近建筑物的顶层,来观赏这独特的一幕。鉴于其地点和场合的特殊性,这次演唱会可能算是历史上最重要的一场演唱会了,因为在屋顶上表演的演唱会肯定不多,同时又标志着这个乐队最后一次演出的就更少了。这次演唱会后一年左右,披头士乐队就解散了,十年之后约翰·列侬逝世。
The Beatles were and are one of the most popular bands, and they have paved the way for other rock & roll groups. They have changed what people think of rock & roll, and how people play it. They tried to change the world with their songs, and they continue to influence people today.
披头士过去和现在都是最受欢迎的乐队之一,他们为其他摇滚乐队铺平了道路;他们改变了人们对摇滚乐的看法以及摇滚乐演奏的方式;他们试图用歌曲来改变世界。时至今日,他们仍然持续地影响着人们。
10. incorporate [In5kC:pEreIt] vt. 包含,加上
11. attribute [5AtrIbju:t] n. 属性;特性
12. hallucination [hE7lu:sI5neIFEn] n. 由幻觉产生的形象(或声音等)
13. LSD: abbr. lysergic acid diethylamide,麦角酸酰二乙胺(一种致幻药物)
14. rebellious [rI5beljEs] adj. 反叛的;桀骜不驯的
15. aesthetics [i:s5WetIks] n. 美学;审美学;美的哲学
16. Nueva Cancion: 新歌谣运动,拉丁美洲在上世纪50〜60年代间兴起的一场音乐运动,一般认为该音乐运动的先驱是阿根廷早期著名的民歌手Atahualpa Yupanqui。新歌谣运动中的乐手表达的题材大多是贴近民众的、底层的:贫穷、上帝赋予人民的权力、统治者的暴行、帝国主义、民主、人权和宗教自由等等。这也使得新歌谣运动更大范围地流行起来。
17. nigger [5nI^E(r)] n. 社会地位低下的人
18. airway [5eEweI] n. [~s] <美口> 电波;(无线电或电视)广播
19. Apple Corps: 英国苹果唱片公司,拥有披头士乐队的音乐版权。
20. adjacent [E5dVeIsEnt] adj. 邻近的,毗连的