with a little help from my friends

It's hard to imagine a world without youth culture. However, our culture of music, hanging out with friends, and all that stereotypically pertains to high school is relatively new. Only after the WW2, when mass consumption led to a major economic upturn did kids start to attend high school in the way we think about it. Only then did rock and roll emerge. All of a sudden, there was an entire market dedicated to the youth. I think this movement marks shows and marks many important phenomena in European history. The movement, particularly rock and roll, really started in the US. Even though it traveled to Europe what with the "British Invasion", it is important to note that now Europe was being influenced by the US culturally and not the other way around in what we now call "Americanization". I think a perfect example of all that I am talking about is the Beatles, more in particular, their song "With a Little Help from My Friends". The Beatles are obviously one of the most poignant examples of youth culture, mass media and consumption, and rock and roll. They did come from Europe, yes, but they were a product of the first wave of rock and roll that had occurred first in the US. "Across the Universe" is a recent movie that portrays what the 1960s were all about in the United States by using Beatles songs. This shows how, even though the Beatles came from England, American culture and problems could characterize their songs. In this clip, we see a bunch of all-American, Ivy-League boys singing the famous Beatles song that I referred to earlier. While there is a character who comes over from England, it is more of a story of America in the 1960s than anywhere else. Also, I think it is important to note that the lyrics are all about friends. These are obviously kids who have led leisurely lives and who have gone to high school and thus have what we think of as "friends". I think it is strange to imagine that this notion and this life style hasn't been around for more than 60 years or so.