A Social History of the Early Rock and Roll Scene in Hamburg, West Germany

“Beatlemania” erupted with a force across the world in 1964, with Beat music rapidly becoming an international language of youth.  But before the Beatles became global stars, they were local heroes in Hamburg, the West German city that forged their sound and style.  Hamburg, in fact, was the hub of Germany’s most vibrant pop music scene in the 1960s – a scene peopled by bands and fans both German and British.  My contribution to this roundtable will explore the dynamics of that scene, from the teenagers who defied parental objections to experience the thrill of live rock and roll to the broader milieu in which that scene operated – Hamburg’s red light district, where “dance palaces for youth” sat cheek by jowl next to strip clubs, gaming halls, and myriad other mass amusements.  We will encounter students, blue- and white-collar youths, teenage runaways, “youth protection squads”, sleazy promoters, and fresh-faced musicians who grew up quickly on Germany’s “most sinful mile.”  We will also consider the instrumental role in this fan scene played by Germany’s first magazine devoted to rock music, the Star-Club News, published by the Hamburg venue that helped launch The Beatles’ career.  A look at this fan milieu promises to illuminate the contours of a burgeoning youth culture that was both distinctly German and that simultaneously worked to lend a German flavor to the international frame of references signified by rock and roll; the tensions between “authenticity” and commercialization in youth culture; attempts by the postwar generation to carve out a distinct identity; and changing notions of respectability and even citizenship, in terms of belonging and the everyday meanings of democracy.