The 1960s. When Europe's youth broke onto the 1960s cultural scene they provoked a veritable revolution the effects of which can still be felt today. The Beatles were the stars of the show. More than fifty years have gone by since the group lit the fuse under some fundamental hotbeds of cultural renewal but those fires are still burning and still contributing substantially to today's collective imagination. The Beatles revolutionised customs, fashion, images, writing and language. They pushed legions of creative talents to express themselves with originality in the worlds of cinema, literature and art. They made skirts shorter and hair longer. Society changed because the Beatles took youth ? a social category that was virtually inexistent before the group's arrival on the scene ? and put it centre stage. It may seem obvious but it is important to stress that the "Fab Four" literally revolutionised music. Not only did the shape of pop music change with the Beatles its contents and meaning were also profoundly altered. In other words, in just a few years ? starting in 1963, the year they recorded their first album ? the Beatles changed the world. Their adventure together ended with the recording of Abbey Road, exactly fifty years ago, in 1969. We would like to tell their story, year by year, through a collection of events, anecdotes, stories and songs. Because their legend lives on in all of us today. The Beatles are in our DNA. AUTHOR: Ernesto Assante correspondent for the "Repubblica" newspaper, is a music critic, author and radio and television host. Together with Gino Castaldo, he presents a program called Playlist on Radio Capital and another called Webnotte on Repubblica TV. He has written a number of books including "The Legends of Rock", "The Days of Rock. The Events that Shaped the Story of Music", "U2. The Story and Images of a Rock Legend" and "Woodstock '69. Rock Revolution" published by White Star Publishers.
