I am somewhat embarrassed by my obsession with The Beatles. How banal and mundane. When asked what about music, I am hesitant to say that The Beatles is my favorite band, and that I still constantly listen to them. You can see the yawn being stifled, and the usually futile attempt to hold back the inevitable response of “Can you be any more boring?”.
I have often thought that I need to come up with a more eclectic response. Maybe assert my love of Folk punk (let’s put on some Violent Femmes, or The Pogues), or perhaps Instrumental Rock (tough to beat Jeff Beck, or Soft Machine). Better yet, disavow pop altogether and proclaim my love of Free Form Jazz (wasn’t the Free Form Jazz Odyssey the best part of The Spinal Tap movie?), or classical Futurist music (all hail The Art of Noise manifesto).
Alas, I am stuck with who I am. I am doomed to listen through the entire deluxe box sets of Sargeant Peppers, The White Album, Abbey Road and Let it Be (The White Album Esher demos are especially good). I was inexorably drawn to an 18 month “Masterclass” in Beatles lore, dissecting every album and controversy. (Did you know that the first British performance of the Beatles as a group was at the Casbah Coffee Club). I get mad when I perceive that my favorite Beatle (George) is being dissed (He was right to walk out!!!!!).
While I grew up on Beatles music, my obsession really started in college with The White Album. I listened to it over and over again, mesmerized by what I heard (unfortunately, so did Charlie Manson). I and my friends used a pencil to playing it backwards, listening for Paul is dead clues (John definitely says “Paul is Dead. Miss him. Miss him. Miss him.” at the end of I’m So Tired). I bought most of my Beatles albums used, and still anticipate skips in certain songs 40 years later.
I keep asking myself what keeps drawing me back to these songs. Some of it is no doubt nostalgia (oh no, there’s that word again). Beatles songs certainly evoke memories of a time and place. But then again, so do many other songs and I don’t listen to them repeatedly.
There is also the complexity of the songs, which reward multiple listenings. The Deconstructing the Beatles series by Scott Frieman (one of my Masterclass instructors) highlights the myriad nuances and influences embedded in these tracks. Those influences have led me other directions, like to an appreciation of Indian music (maybe I can use that as my go to response to questions about the music I like).
The incredible progression over the eight years of recording is definitely a factor. There are light years between I Want to Hold Your Hand and the Abbey Road medley and yet you can see the steps leading from one to the other. Witnessing that growth is fascinating.
Finally, there are the Beatles themselves. There personalities were established in A Hard Day’s Night (the best rock and roll movie ever), and built from there. Few have faced the glare of fame with as much humor, honesty and aplomb. Knowing those personas, even if it is through the lens of media, enhances the performances.
All of this is coming to the fore now because of the long anticipated (at least by me) Peter Jackson retelling of the 1969 Get Back sessions. I have watched the official trailer and all of the various promotional videos many times. I have read every interview I could find about the making of the documentary. I cheered the expansion from a 2-hour film to a 6-hour extravaganza. I am ready!!
I saw the original Let it Be movie at midnight showings when it was still available. I never bought into the narrative that it was a film of a band breaking up. After all, Abbey Road followed. I am looking to Peter Jackson to set the record straight.
Peter Jackson could not have been a better choice. While still best known for his Lord of the Rings, he vaulted to my list of favorite directors with his WWI documentary, They Shall Not Grow Old. I have mentioned this film before when discussing my preoccupation with WWI. It is the epitome of bringing the past alive, and I trust him to bring the same magic to this film.
More than anything else, this will be a chance to wallow in my obsession. I can spend multiple nights devoted to my favorite band, and justify it as witnessing a cultural event. Even if, for public consumption, my real love is Psychedelic Soul or Acid Jazz, there is no need now to hide my latent Beatlemania. I can put on my mop top wig, John Lennon glasses and Beatle boots and scream to my heart’s content. I can’t wait.
*This was actually written before Get Back premiered on November 25, but I got caught up in holiday planning (I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving), and have been in a bit of a tryptophan haze over the last couple of days.
You better believe. We watched the first 6 hours so far, and it’s just really fascinating. Probably get a better i sight to them as oriole and collaborators and yes friends than you ever will. And the organic talent – just watching Layla me John working together TK figure out these amazing songs in a few minutes that will last forever. Amazing
I agree. I just watched Part 2 last night. I thought I would watch them all in a row, but it is a lot to digest. Part 2 was especially fun. They were clearly so much more comfortable in the Apple studios. And watching them all put together a classic song like Get Back is just unreal.
Tom – on random note – why do you think the Beatles were so popular and iconic?
Also on WWI – why do you think we focus on the significance of that war when the Spanish Flu – starting in 1918 is estimated to have killed twice as many people? Was it the political realignment of Western and Central Europe and the Middle East or that the “flu” was accepted as given or not understood? Or some other reason? The vaccination hesitancy and anti-mask position seems so contrary to the historical record and success of vaccinations and public health advancements in the past 100 years .
I wish I k new why the Beatles lasted when so many did not. Certainly their phenomenon was unique, but so many other artists have exploded and then disappeared within a few years. It has to come back to the music itself. If the music was only a source of nostalgia they would not have remained so popular. So much of it, however, sounds just as fresh as it did when it first came out. A lot of music major friends of Cal are taking a Beatles course this semester at CMU. None of them went in Beatle’s fans, and now they listen to it all the time.
As for your question on WWI, a pandemic is just not as relatable as a war. There are many incredible memoirs of life in the trenches during WWI, but are there any of the Spanish flu? can you write a, All Quiet on the Western Front about a pandemic? Maybe it shouldn’t be that way, but I think as humans we are attracted to stories, and the WWI stories are just more compelling than stories of the flu.
I agree that the current anti-vaxx position ignores the success of vaccinations generally, but I also think it isn’t that simple. Medical science over the last 100 years is littered with wonder drugs that ended up having nasty side effects (Diethylstilbestrol, oxycontin, Vioxx, anything that Dr. Oz touts), so there is a reason to be skeptical about a vaccine so quickly developed. That being said, I think that the majority of anti-vaxxers are driven by political, rather than medical considerations.
Mike, you ask some tough questions, as you tend to do… I have no answers, but agree that these events are mysteries.
Gar and I went to a performance of “The Fab Four” about a month ago. We LOVE the Beatles. Funny thing is, we had purchased the tickets in 2019, and had forgotten that we bought 4, thinking it would be nice to invite two other people. Fast forward to the afternoon of the concert, when I checked the tickets (after two pandemic postponements) and discovered FOUR tickets! Lucky for us, Caroline and Danny didn’t have any plans that night – we had a great time and the band is terrific.
J.
I saw one of the Faux Fab groups a few years ago and they were fun. A nice way to hear the music live.
So funny. I hadn’t read this until now and I couldn’t sleep last night—I was thinking for so long about how my dad influenced my love of music. I loved the Beatles but so many other kinds of music. I can’t imagine life without music yet so few people listen? I think my 2-year old niece is just going to know Lizzo! Not that I don’t love Lizzo but there’s so much more!
I think the odds are greater that your niece knows the Beatles when she grows up than that she knows Lizzo. Think of all the popular music that has come and gone since the Beatles debuted in 1963, and how much of that anyone remembers. And yet the Beatles continue strong across all age demographics.
Tom, Here’s a link to a New Yorker article that gives a lot of background. Had me from start to finish.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/10/18/paul-mccartney-doesnt-really-want-to-stop-the-show?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=TNY_Recommends_101621&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&bxid=5be9de352ddf9c72dc2a25fb&cndid=24457074&hasha=c9711dc7d6db8658758983077b297fc4&hashb=befc5deaff050a5c7b8e3dc5cef4a21e6367da14&hashc=76ddcf15144f13d2079b378086989f0be0ec3fe1fe53127b2209474f6d407199&esrc=Order_Confirmation&utm_term=TNY_Recommends
Gary
Thanks again for the article. I read it, and it was very interesting. I have some mixed feelings about Paul shaping the history, and about his solo music, but he is always worth listening to.