‘There are places I remember’

Abstract

This article explores the relationship between music, memory and place, with specific reference to the centrality of the music of the Beatles, collective and individual, to the heritage industry in their birthplace, Liverpool. Since its emergence during the early 1980s, the cultural heritage sector in Liverpool has arguably relied heavily on its claim as the cradle of the genius of the Beatles, and it is thought in some quarters that more could be done to exploit this lucrative link. However, it is suggested here that causal links between the city of Liverpool and the inception and development of the Beatles are limited and tenuous, and, therefore, the (over-)reliance on the band by cultural regeneration professionals is based on a false claim. Further, it is argued that the Beatles story, as told and retold in this urban regeneration context, is a partial one which prioritizes some elements over others, mirroring the broader story of Liverpool as a heritage site. This article was published open access under a CC BY licence: https://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0.

Are we living in a ‘Yellow Submarine’?

“…The Beatles represent an icon in culture (Tessler and Long, 2022) and it is no exaggeration to say that they influenced the whole world (Collins, 2020). In addition to being a world cultural icon (Lemonnier, 2016), the Beatles are an element of cultural heritage and an important element of tourism in Liverpool (Kinsella and Peters, 2022) and even an object of scientific and study interest (Howard, 2022).…”