‘“Reelin’ an’ a-rockin’”: Adrian Henri and 1960s Pop
‘“Reelin’ an’ a-rockin’”: Adrian Henri and 1960s Pop

Summary/Abstract: Orality and performance are central to the Merseybeat movement, but it is popular music culture which is particularly relevant. This is not only evident from the works themselves: in 1967, Penguin Modern Poets 10: The Mersey Sound and Edward Lucie-Smith’s The Liverpool Scene anthology both deliberately cited pop culture in their packaging of the poets for a wider audience. This blending of pop and poetry has often led literary critics to dismiss the movement, but in fact the poets deliberately mixed genre, media, and register in an attempt to forge the most direct connection with their audience. This essay focuses on the work of Adrian Henri, a poet greatly influenced by his urban environment, and particularly by popular culture; his poems reflect his city’s “Liverpool Sound”, both in their references to people and place, and also in their construction, often imitating pop’s verse/chorus format. Alongside his poetry – and often overlapping it – was his role as vocalist for The Liverpool Scene. The paper focuses on how Henri utilised pop and other musical styles, as well as sound and noise, to connect to both local and national audiences.

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