Popular beat combo

Popular beat combo

Popular beat combo as a synonym for "pop group" is a cliché phrase within British culture. It may also be used more specifically to refer to The Beatles, or other purveyors of Beat music.

The phrase may be used as a tongue-in-cheek synonym, or by someone to denigrate a pop group referred to, or may be used of another person's views to imply that they are "out of touch". It may also be used to ridicule legalese and antiquated courtroom practices. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4993862.stm BBC NEWS | Magazine | Why Sir Paul's 'genius' could save him millions ] ]

The phrase is frequently used in the BBC panel game "Have I Got News For You", making fun of Ian Hislop's supposed lack of knowledge about modern music.

Derivation

It is widely held that the phrase "popular beat combo" was coined in an English courtroom in the 1960s by a barrister in response to a judge's query (for the benefit of the court's records) as to who "The Beatles" were; the answer being "I believe they are a popular beat combo, m'lud." However, this attribution has never been verified, and remains the stuff of urban legend, despite the efforts of Marcel Berlins, legal correspondent for "The Guardian" newspaper, to track it down. [http://www.legalbanter.co.uk/uk-legal-moderated-legal-topics/24253-who-beatles.html "If anyone would like a magnum of champagne in return for a little literary sleuthing, Marcel Berlins, legal correspondent for the Guardian, has a competition. There are many references (check Google for confirmation) to a judge who once asked, during a case (perhaps in the 60s) "Who are the Beatles?". Berlins contends this is apocryphal and will award said fizz to anyone who proves otherwise."]

The phrase may have been influenced by events in the 1960 obscenity trial of "Lady Chatterley's Lover" in which the legal profession was ridiculed for being out of touch with changing social norms when the chief prosecutor, Mervyn Griffith-Jones, asked jurors to consider if it were the kind of book "you would wish your wife or servants to read". [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/10/newsid_2965000/2965194.stm BBC ON THIS DAY | 10 | 1960: Lady Chatterley's Lover sold out ] ]

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Beat music — Infobox Music genre name =Beat color =#ffffff bgcolor =#003366 stylistic origins = Skiffle, R B, rock and roll, soul, doo wop, celtic music (merseybeat) cultural origins =late 1950s to early 1960s in England instruments =Guitar, Bass guitar,… …   Wikipedia

  • Beat 'em up — Beat em ups (often called scrolling fighting games, fighting action games, scrolling beat em ups or sometimes brawlers) are video games where close combat fighting against multiple opponents is the main objective. Beat em ups based around mêlée… …   Wikipedia

  • Combo (video gaming) — Liu Kang after performing a 7 hit combo on Scorpion in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 In video games, a combo (short for combination) is a term that designates a set of actions performed in sequence, usually with strict timing limitations, that yield a …   Wikipedia

  • Beat them all — Cet article concerne le type de jeu vidéo à défilement parallaxe. Pour le jeu de combat à un contre un, voir jeu de combat. Pour l album d Iggy Pop, voir Beat Em Up. Le beat them all (anglicisme francisé depuis beat them up ou beat em up,… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Elite Beat Agents — The European box art for Elite Beat Agents, from left to right are characters Agent Morris, Agent J, and Agent Derek. Developer(s) iNiS Publisher(s) …   Wikipedia

  • The Beat (U.S. band) — The Beat, sometimes referred to as The Paul Collins Beat or Paul Collins Beat, were an American power pop group from Los Angeles, California that formed in the late 1970s. The Beat resurfaced in the 1990s and continues to tour and record new… …   Wikipedia

  • The 55's — (sic) are a popular beat combo from Edinburgh, Scotland. They consist of 5 string Al, Elvis Valentine, Blondass and Mother. They have released one EP; Before the Judge turned us to shadow and one album; Cobra both released on the SL Records label …   Wikipedia

  • Wally Hedrick — Infobox Artist bgcolour = #6495ED name = Wally Hedrick imagesize = caption = Wally Hedrick, c.1967, in studio working on The War Room (1967) birthname = birthdate = 1928 location = Pasadena, California deathdate = 2003 deathplace = San Francisco …   Wikipedia

  • The Masters Apprentices — Origin Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Genres R B, pop/rock, psychedelic/progressive Years active 1965–1972, 1987–1991, 1994–1995, 1997, 2001–2002 …   Wikipedia

  • Ossett — Coordinates: 53°41′N 1°35′W / 53.68°N 1.58°W / 53.68; 01.58 …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”