Golke 1 Sarah Golke Corriher English 116 4 November 2013 Rhetorical Analysis of a Photo The Beatles With each

step these four men took across this crosswalk, they delved deeper into legendry. If only this zebra crossing was aware of the icons that strode their feet on its painted lines. If only the white Volkswagen Beetle parked on the curb was aware that it was a few feet away from history. If only the man casually glancing from the sidewalk was aware that his unidentifiable figure would be linked to an eternal masterpiece. These four men, disguised in casual blue jeans and white collar suits, turned this crosswalk in the suburbs into a musical artifact and tourist haven with the flash of one photograph This photograph is perhaps one of the most iconic album covers in all of music history. Today, it is one of the most imitated images of all time. Fans, musicians, and celebrities alike have walked across Abbey Road to pay tribute to the band that made this quiet suburban street in London so famous. The legendary photo is The Beatles album cover for their album Abbey Road. Appropriately, it was taken on Abbey Road in London, England, at the crosswalk in front of The Beatles recording studio, Abbey Road Studios. Photographer Iain Macmillan captured the photo on August 8th, 1969 while standing on a ladder looking down on The Beatles as they repeatedly walked back and forth on the now famous crosswalk (The Abbey Road Cover Photography Session).

Golke 2 The Beatles hired a police officer on that day to direct traffic on Abbey Road so that Macmillan could take pictures without disruptions. Even so, Macmillan was only given a mere ten minutes to capture the winning shot. In total, Macmillan only took six photographs of The Beatles on Abbey Road (The Abbey Road Cover Photography Session). In most of the photographs, the group was not in full step, the traffic was too heavy, or some of the band members were walking too far apart. Luckily, however, the fifth photo that Macmillan took captured The Beatles in undisrupted synchrony, and was ultimately chosen as the cover for the Abbey Road album (see Fig. 1).

Fig. 1. The Beatles on Abbey Road; Iain Macmillan; Abbey Road Album Cover; consequenceofsound.net; 8 August 1969; Web; 13 October 2013.

Golke 3 Before this photograph was taken, the Fab Four, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison, huddled on the front stoop outside their recording studio and joked with one another while flinging cigarette butts from their fingertips to the pavement and grinding away the remains with the soles of their shoes. They conversed in small talk as they waited for their cue and leaned their heads together for informal pictures to document the making of their album cover. The photographer, Iain MacMillan, stood perched on the top step of a wooden ladder placed in the center of the road, examining his lighting and angles through a square made by his pointer fingers and thumbs. The midday sky resembled the waters of a remote Caribbean island, only disrupted in the photograph by the thick green trees lining the road. As Macmillan lifted his professional camera that hung from a strap around his neck into his hands, he hollered for the men to proceed to the sidewalk. The Fab Four slowly arose from the steps and brushed off the dirt on their pants and coattails. They took the final puffs from their cigarettes and savored the last clouds of smoke for as long as their lungs allowed. The Beatles lined up on the sidewalk and listened to the directions being kindly shouted by Macmillan over the sounds of car horns and roaring motor engines that passed. In a last minute beauty check, the men ran their fingers through their untamed hippy hair. Paul rustled his shorter tresses in his face while the others tucked their long strands behind their ears so their styles would remain in tact against the breeze. The residents of the neighborhood watched The Beatles from open windows of their flats, giddily pointing at the legends below them. Many lucky pedestrians who happened to be strolling Abbey Road at the time of the photo shoot stopped and stood a mere few feet from the biggest musical group in the world and watched as The Beatles prepared to make history yet again.

Golke 4 When the traffic was clear, Macmillan signaled for the men to proceed across the crosswalk with a wave of his hand. He gripped tightly to the camera held up to his eye and peered through the lens in preparation. The Beatles slowly graced the soles of their shoes across Abbey Road with each stride while Macmillan captured their movement with each snapshot. When The Beatles reached the other side of the sidewalk, Macmillan gave the command for the men to walk the crosswalk again, this time in the opposite direction. The men walked across Abbey Road in each direction several times, dodging cars driving by and avoiding traffic congestion in the distance. At one point in between strolls, Paul kicked off his sandals that ached his feet and lit a cigarette as they waited. When Macmillan was ready for their next walk, Paul refused to put out a newly lit cigarette and refused to allow his blistering feet to endure any more pain. As The Beatles once again walked across Abbey Road, this time with Paul barefoot and dangling a cigarette between his fingers, Macmillan captured the perfect shot that would later be elected as the album cover for Abbey Road. The shot displayed the Fab Four walking in nearly perfect synchrony. Each Beatle was almost equally spaced apart with their legs were in full stride. The road was clear of traffic, allowing the focus to the photograph to be strictly on The Beatles. Each Beatle expressed a unique image in the photograph. As seen earlier in Figure 1, no one was dressed perfectly alike; yet together they were a harmonious group. As Macmillan wrapped up the shoot, he placed his camera strapped around his neck at his chest and gripped the sides of the ladder as he stepped down back onto the pavement. A round of applause erupted for not only The Beatles, but for the photographer who captured The Beatles image so perfectly. When the photos were printed, Macmillan sat in a chair, anxiously clutching the envelope containing the prints inside. As he broke the seal of the envelope, he carefully pulled out the

Golke 5 photographs, making a point to avoid leaving fingerprints. He analyzed and criticized each shot. When he reached the fifth photo, he glared deeply at the masterpiece he had captured. The photo was a perfect musical representation of The Beatles. The simplicity of four men walking down the street was enhanced with mysteries and uniqueness that could not be understood by all. Macmillan and The Beatles both agreed that the fifth photograph would be used as the album cover of Abbey Road, but perhaps none of them at the time thought that that photograph would become so iconic and so imitated, now and eternally. The photographer of this album cover captured more in this photo than just a great a picture. Perhaps one of the reasons that this photo has become so legendary is because of the contrast between The Beatles and their surroundings. For nearly a decade, screaming and adoring fans swarmed The Beatles as they ventured out into the public. It was a pleasant view to see the global icons of The Beatles casually strolling across a suburban crosswalk as if they were average human beings. This picture represents who The Beatles were at the time. When the Abbey Road album was released, the band was closely nearing their break-up. Each member began to go their own path and focus on solo projects. Each Beatle in this photo expresses a different stylefrom their hair to their outfits to even the way they walkyet together, they walk in harmony. The Beatles, while all very musically unique and different from each other, were still able to compose a beautiful, historical album together. No album cover will ever be more iconic, more recognizable, and more meaningful than The Beatles Abbey Road album cover. Not only will the greatness of The Beatles music live on forever, but the greatness of their legacy in pop culture will live on as well. The Abbey Road photo is one of those legendary contributions that The Beatles made to pop culture history that will stand the test of time.

Golke 6 Rhetorical Analysis of a Photo Bibliography "The Abbey Road Cover Photography Session." The Beatles Bible. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.