The people responsible for the pop revolution were four Liverpool boys who joined together in a group and called themselves The Beatles. They played in small clubs in the back streets of the city. Unlike the famous solo stars who had their songs written for them, the Beatles wrote their own words and music. They had a close personal relationship with their audience, and they expected them to join in and dance to the “beat” of the music. Audience participation is an essential characteristic of pop culture.

　　发动通俗音乐这场革命的人是利物浦的四名男青年。他们组成一个小组，自称为“披头士乐队。”他们穿街走巷，在城市的小俱乐部里演奏。有名的独唱歌星们有别人为他们创作歌曲。披头士乐队却和他们不同，自己写词谱曲。他们与听众之间有密切的直接联系，他们欢迎听众参加进来，和他们一起随着音乐的节拍起舞。听众参加是通俗文化的一个基本特点。

　　Some pop groups, in particular the Rolling Stones, did more than just entertain. They wrote words which were deliberately intended to shock. They represented the anger and bitterness of youth struggling for freedom against authority, and for this reason they were regarded by some people as the personification of the “permissive society”.

　　有些流行音乐团体，特别是滚石乐队，并不只提供娱乐。他们写的歌词，经过精心推敲，有意使人震惊。这些歌词表达了为争取自由，与传统权威进行斗争的广大青年的愤怒和怨恨。因此有些人认为他们是“放纵社会”的化身。

　　The Beatles, on the other hand, finally won the affection—and admiration—of people of all ages and social backgrounds. As they developed, their songs became more serious. They wrote not only of love, but of death and old age and poverty and daily life. They were respected by many intellectuals and by some serious musicians. Largely thanks to the Beatles, pop music has grown into an immense and profitable industry.

　　另一方面，披头士乐队最终还是赢得了不同年龄、不同社会经历的人们的喜爱和赞赏。随着乐队的发展他们的歌曲变得更加严肃。他们不仅写爱情，也写死亡、老年、贫穷和日常生活。他们获得许多知识分子和一些严肃的音乐家们的尊敬。流行音乐成为一支庞大的、有利可图的行业，主要应归功于披头士乐队。

　　The influence of British pop in America was immense. American pop groups soon became as famous as British groups. Both British and Americans are experimenting with new ideas, and pop is developing and changing, and merging with modern folk music.

　　英国的流行音乐对美国的影响很大。美国的流行音乐团体很快也像英国流行乐队那样有名。英美两国人民都在不断地试验着各种新的思想，因而流行音乐也在不断地发展、变化，而且日益与现代音乐结合起来。

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（编辑：王美娇）