Chris,

My immediate response is because it just happened.

The longer answer is that you need to reflect on the history of the time and the politics around the world.

It was probably the coldest period of the Cold War (Bay of Pigs etc.,) which is when we probably got nearest to the Third World War.

As ever, young people had fresh ideas about all the old, tried and tested methods of grey-suited grey-haired men - and I use "men" advisedly.

Furthermore, we in Europe had just recovered from a debilitating war and rationing of food and clothing had ended in the mid 1950's. Our parents and theirs had accepted their lot in life, but we youngsters wanted more.

We wanted peace above all - we wanted freedom. "Flower Power" in the US spread to the rest of the world and it was taken up enthusiastically!

The Beatles and The Rolling Stones exemplified the British contribution to the music scene - both groups having been heavily influenced by Elvis and many others.

Rock and Roll had arrived.

In the UK, we - and principally London - embraced the diversity because we had been fed conformity.

Carnaby Street, the King's Road Chelsea sprang to life and boy, let me tell you, London was really swinging. Believe me. I was there!

PS. I think you'll go far - the title of this thread is probably the best known of all albums by the Beatles! Good start laddie.

Because the needle of time is caught in a scratch of the vinyl, man. Nobody wants to nudge the needle cause that would bum us all out.

Because many of us have more money than sense. Because we all want what we can't have and what we can't have is our youth.

If we were to get the 60's back, I expect most of us would be quite disappointed because it isn't as we remembered. First off, most folks have selective memories. we remember the good things and (conveniently) forget about the bad. we remember the Stones but we have conveniently forgotten about all the really bad music that was also around (and popular).

Most of us thought we were cool back then (and probably weren't); now, we're just a bunch of creaky, old farts -- the kind of folks we used to laugh at.

We're also a bunch of hyprocrites. Back then, the watchwrod was "Don;t trust anyone over 30!" Well, I recently became twice as untrustworthy. Back then, everyone was spouting bromides about peace and love. Look at us: we've turned into the very things we railed against back then.

Back then, we had no responsibilities. Now, we have mortgages, kids, alimony, child support, and retirement. So it's natural we'd want to go back to a time when none of this mattered (because now it matters very much)

There is also what Brit said. I woul also note that it marked a turning point -- for better or worse -- between the traditional and the "modern." When I started college, men had to wear jackets and ties to dinner and women were allowed in the dorms a grand total of five hours a week. When I left, we barely had to wear clothes to dinner and women were living in the men's dorms.

You may mark this well, young Chris. My parents were nostaligic for their youth; we are nostalgic for our youth (in this case, the 60's - 70's for some of us here); and you will be nostalgic for your youth.

And that's the name of that tune!