Lost in adaptation

Between 1963 and 1970, the Beatles’ catalogue generated an exceptional wave of reinterpretations, with Italian cover versions playing a particularly significant cultural and commercial role. More accurately described as adaptations than straightforward translations, they transferred, reshaped or erased original meanings not only through their lyrics but also via musical arrangement, performance style and media framing. This article situates such practices within the broader cultural, media and institutional continuities that link Fascist-era policies to 1960s Italy, showing how a form of cultural domestication worked to reinforce traditional morals, themes and aesthetics, filtering both the Beatles’ songs and their public image through the lens of Italian sensibilities.

This article was published open access under a CC BY licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ .