No, I'm not talking about Paul Bunyan and Johnny Appleseed. I'm talking about potentially the most dynamic of all duos in history: Paul McCartney and John Lennon. The Beatles are an iconic band that signaled change, progressivism and a discarding of outdated morals. The Beatles rose to fame in the 1960s at the same time of much social turmoil in the states. During this time, the counterculture was thriving, people of color were demanding equal rights and the sexual revolution was in its peak. The 1960s were a time of creativity and lust — and maybe a little bit of the devil's lettuce. But I digress — Paul and John were drastically different individuals who helped each other succeed in the music industry until The Beatles dissolved.

The Beatles transformed society with their scandalously long hair, moving hips and pushy lyrics, and they helped to set America on track to becoming a more open-minded, free-thinking society. Up until this point in time, many songs did not have crude or drug-related lyrics and followed basic dancing structures. They told of love, journeys and offered beats to suit the mood of the lyrics if there were any. The Beatles talked about "strawberry fields," the USSR, "twisting and shouting," and upon many more topics that would not be suitable to the older generations.

The Beatles were the first "deviant" (I use this word loosely to describe nonconformist behavior) music group to receive international spotlight. The decade before The Beatles rose to fame — the 1950s — was a time of great conformity. Conformism was the rule due to an irrational fear of communism infiltrating the country. Everyone was expected to be clean cut, believe in God, and adhere strictly to gender norms. However, in the 1960s The Beatles came to the US with long hair, provocative and edgy song lyrics, and challenged the gender norms for men (through their long hair). The older generations of Americans were abhorred by their presence and wanted nothing but for The Beatles to return to the UK.

However, regardless of the elder's opinions on the topic the younger coming-of-age generation of the states fell in love quickly with the shaggy headed Brits. These people are our grandparents and parents. These people who loved The Beatles may have even passed that love onto us, but more importantly a lot of these people passed on open-mindedness to millennials. I know that a lot of the older generation is a little shady about transgender and other LGBT issues, but they're a lot more open minded than their parents and grandparents who were blinded by intense faith and conformism.