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The story
A provocative thread title — “UK: ‘The Beatles! The Stones! Zeppelin! Zeppelin! Deep Purple!’ America: ‘Uh… um…’” — sparked a US-vs-UK rock debate in 5ch’s Nandemo Jikkyo (Live Commentary) discussion group. Names like Bon Jovi, Metallica, and the Eagles got floated, only to be shot down over their Billboard track records or musical style. The talk expanded to cover the roots of American music — blues, country, and 1950s rock pioneers like Chuck Berry — with the central question becoming “Did America really ever have anyone on the Beatles’ level?” Things eventually veered off course near the end into a tangent about global IP revenue rankings.
What people said
America had rock in the '50s too, but from the '60s on it doesn't really give off a 'rock' vibe.
What's the deal with country and folk, though?
Can Americans and Brits even read that well, though?
Oh right, country and folk were around back then too — I don't really know much about those genres, though.
It always ends up turning into some whole Vietnam War discussion…
Punk actually started from the Ramones and Television, you know — two bands with totally different sounds.
Cheesy pop-ballad rock doesn't count (歌謡ロック, a Japanese term for schmaltzy, hit-single-style arena rock).
It's basically Japan's version of enka (traditional Japanese ballads).
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys never actually hit #1 on Billboard.
What a fake fan, lol
Nope, the bullying within the band is too gross to overlook.
That awful Japanese localized title, "Hae Hae Kakaka Zappappa," lol
#1 Pokémon (Japan) — Total revenue: $92.1 billion (approx. ¥13.5 trillion)
#2 Hello Kitty (Japan) — Total revenue: $80 billion (approx. ¥11.8 trillion)
#5 Star Wars (USA) — Total revenue: $65.6 billion (approx. ¥9.7 trillion)
#6 Anpanman (Japan) — Total revenue: $60.3 billion (approx. ¥8.9 trillion)
#8 Super Mario (Japan) — Total revenue: $36.1 billion (approx. ¥5.3 trillion)
#9 Shonen Jump (Japan) — Total revenue: $34.1 billion (approx. ¥5.02 trillion)
#10 Harry Potter (UK) — Total revenue: $30.9 billion (approx. ¥4.6 trillion)
#12 Spider-Man (USA) — Total revenue: $27.1 billion (approx. ¥4.007 trillion)
#13 Gundam (Japan) — Total revenue: $26.5 billion (approx. ¥3.9 trillion)
#14 Batman (USA) — Total revenue: $26.4 billion (approx. ¥3.9 trillion)
#15 Dragon Ball (Japan) — Total revenue: $24 billion (approx. ¥3.5 trillion)
Did 'Gyudon' (lit. 'beef bowl,' apparently a poster's nickname) only know anime theme songs and still want to join the conversation?
If I had to pick one, I'd choose America over the UK.
More like The Carpenters, surely…
That's kid stuff, lol
Yeah, that's the lineup you don't keep listening to for long.
What even is the blues?
Speaking of blues, there's Bruce Springsteen.
It's the guitar music that both jazz and rock grew out of — known for its use of triplets.
Was there anyone in the '60s or '70s who was on the Beatles' level?
Why's the Beatles the benchmark anyway?
Isn't that like judging every baseball player against MLB's Shohei Ohtani?
It's not just about the Beatles.
The question is whether America had musicians with the kind of worldwide influence the thread title's talking about.
Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly were American musicians, and literally everyone you listed in post 1 was influenced by those two.
'Blues legend B.B. King dies at 89'
Dunno much about him, but I googled it and found this guy.
Don't go killing off Ohtani on your own, lol
Magma, Gong…
The French are so attached to singing in French that I doubt they could ever sell worldwide.
Bowie came along later chronologically, and his era overlaps with when American music started getting more aggressive/dominant, so he just doesn't leave as strong an impression.
Background and Key Points of This Topic
In response to the provocative thread title “The UK churned out world-famous rock bands, but what about America?”, replies pointed out that this isn’t a simple comparison — it’s more a mismatch of eras and genres. The gist: in the ’60s and ’70s, the UK led the rock scene with the Beatles and the Stones, while America at the same time leaned more toward soul, country, and folk, giving it a less distinctly “rock” face. It was also noted that 1950s American rock pioneers like Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly directly influenced the later British bands, so the story isn’t simply “America had nobody.” The late tangent into global IP revenue rankings is a side conversation that drifts from the main topic — the figures are claims made within the 5ch thread and haven’t been independently verified. A point readers might easily misread: the thread isn’t concluding that “America lacks talent,” but rather discussing a mismatch in genre timing.
*This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “UK: ‘The Beatles! The Stones! Zeppelin! Deep Purple!’ America: ‘Uh…’ ← this one.”
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