A couple weeks ago, I started listening to The Beatles. Every time I listen to the Beatles, I get “Paperback Writer” stuck in my head for weeks. This time was no different. After a couple days, I started thinking about what The Beatles have to say about love–not just that it’s all you need. It would make a great post, but I can’t articulate it thoroughly. I guess it strikes me as simple, but not unreal. Potentially heart breaking, something that shapes you, but not something you’ll never recover from.
For whatever deeper meaning they might have, the songs also make sense literally. And I like that, because I prefer simple language and clear meaning over what sounds good and says nothing. I am all about ambiguous feelings, but there’s something to be said about lines like, “I want to hold your hand,” “when I’m home, everything seems to be right,” “help me if you can, I’m feeling down. And I do appreciate you being ’round,” “love you every day girl, always on my mind; one thing I can say girl, love you all the time; hold me, love me,” and “if she’s gone, I can’t go on.” Not to suggest the Beatles only ever said one thing about love–just that listening to their music gives me that transcendent feeling that makes me look at love differently.
As big of a place in my heart as there is for happy music, I tend to gravitate toward the depressing. Maybe that’s why between the Eddie Veder Cover and The Beatles version, I’ve listened to “You’ve Got To Hid Your Love Away” more than a hundred times. Maybe I don’t buy that love is all you need, but I tend to side with the theme that seems to underlie all of these songs: love is the most important thing. Definitely the most interesting and exciting as well.
The weird thing about The Beatles is that I grew up listening to them, so some songs I like because they remind me of a time in my life. But, I have never been obsessed with The Beatles like I have been obsessed with other favorite bands. They’re just there. That really stable person in your life you sometimes forget how much you love until you’re reminded. It annoys me when people say The Beatles are overrated.1 I guess it’s easy to say, because they were so huge, but it seems to me what people are saying is that they weren’t substantial. And they were, whether you like their music or not.2
A couple weekends ago, I started watching The Beatles Anthology, a documentary film that was put together in the nineties. Lucky me, the library owns the whole thing (there are six parts). The opening shots, a picture of each of the guys when they started quickly followed by a picture (I’m guessing) around the time they stopped playing together, suddenly made me feel nostalgic for a time I was never a part of. I guess the same way The Graduate makes me nostalgic for the 60s and The Big Chill for the 80s.3
Watching the documentary has basically been about correcting weird assumptions I have about The Beatles. Like that Ringo wasn’t very talented; he was actually in a more popular group first and he had a really cool beard. I always think that John was killed earlier than he was. I’ve never heard George Harrison, who for no reason at all has always been my favorite Beatles, talk so much. Somehow, and this is embarrassing, I thought George played bass and Paul played lead guitar; it was the other way around, of course, and apparently I’ve never looked too closely at them performing. I was also surprised at just how awesome their hair was in their earliest years; Robert Pattinson has nothing on The Beatles.
If you have one (or many), please do me the favor of naming your favorite Beatles songs, so that I can check them out if I haven’t already.
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
I am the same way with The Beatles, never really obsessed with them but always loved them. When the Anthology came out, Mom and Dad bought the CDs and that was my introduction to The Beatles, so they were the soundtrack to my childhood.
You know, as popular as the Beatles are, I don’t really know that much about them. I would love to watch that documentary.
“In My Life” is probably my favorite Beatles song. There’s just something about it that tugs on my heartstrings. I like what you have to say about the Beatles being that “stable” person in your life. I feel the same way. I love them, but I don’t obsess. I am, however, jealous that my mother got to see them twice in concert. How incredible would that be?
I love The Beatles, but they have always been a part of my life too. I remember teaching my brother to sing “Hello, Goodbye” with me in the car as a kid. Some of my favorite are “All I’ve Got to Do,” “A Day in the Life,” “Julia”, “Michelle,” and “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window.”
“Because.”
She Came in Through the Bathroom Window
Polythene Pam
Girl
Golden Slumbers
Octopus’ Garden
So many more!
I have loved them since the anthology came out while I was in middle school. My favorites are Because, Eleanor Rigby, Hello, Goodbye, Here Comes the Sun, I’ll Follow the Sun, In My Life, Let It Be, Michelle, The Long and Winding Road, While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
Have you seen the U.S. v John Lennon? I watched it over the holidays and it was kind of unbelievable. Also, the music from the Vegas show Love has some great arrangements (and the show itself is fantastic!).
YES! I love The Beatles.
Don’t Let Me Down, I’ve Got a Feeling, Something, Blackbird, Wait, Here Comes the Sun, She Came In Through The Bathroom Window, Dear Prudence, I Want To Hold Your Hand, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, In My Life….
Those are my fave songs. As far as album, definitely Rubber Soul.
I guess it’s true what you say that The Beatles are always just there. I’m a fan, but I can’t claim to have listened to everything, even though I’m hugely into music. Still, some favourites are ‘Paperback Writer’, ‘Get Back’, ‘Eleanor Rigby’, ‘ Norwegian Wood’, ‘Baby, You’re A Rich Man’, and ‘A Day in the Life’ (it mentions the place I was born).
I was in 6th grade when I first listened to the Beatles. Every afternoon after recess, the teacher would put on some Beatles for us. Yellow Submarine was a daily request.
You had recess in the 6th grade? I wanna go to that school…
I can’t really pick a favorite, but I grew up with the Beatles, too. A lot of the songs remind me of different times in my life and, like you, it’s like an old friend I can always go back to.
I wanted to recommend, since you don’t seem to be opposed to Beatles songs performed by other artists, that you watch ‘Across the Universe’ sometime – watch the extras, too. It’s great to see how an entire story was formed from Beatles songs, including romances, breakups, deaths and events in history. For the most part, it’s pretty cohesive.
Hey Jude is my favorite. I am so addicted to the Beatles. I love them. Across the Universe is one of my fave movies
The Beatles are comfortable. They’re like an old friend that you can go for months without talking, but pick things back up as if you never missed a beat. I’m a big fan of them. Have you ever seen “Across the Universe”? SUCH a good Beatles cover compilation!!
I love this post! I especially love when you said “They’re just there. That really stable person in your life you sometimes forget how much you love until you’re reminded. ” because I completely agree.
My favorite Beatles song is PS I Love You
Golden Slumbers. I loved this post.
A Day in the Life, Penny Lane, Something, And I Love Her, Day Tripper.
My favorite Beatles song is well known: “Ticket to Ride.” Yeah, I gravitate toward the depressing as well.
I also love “And I Love Her,” and “Strawberry Fields Forever.”
The overrated comment bugs me too. That’s like those people who look down on any popular music, what-so-ever, even looking down on their own favorites once they become “too popular.” It’s all silly.
The Beatles were influential and they made pretty music (gosh, I love their melodies). No one can really argue with that.
“Love Me Do” and “Come Together.”
Love that photo by the way!
I used to be a major Beatles fan when I was in middle school and high school. It’s all my old friends remember me for, I was literally obsessed with them. So I can’t really pick a static favorite song. I guess my favorites change depending on whether I’m feeling into old Beatles (which I categorize as 1963-1966) or new Beatles (1968-1970). Some of my most listened to in iTunes (it only counts total play count, and I rarely listen to a song all the way through these days because I’m too excited to get to the next song).
Here Comes The Sun
Don’t Let Me Down
If I Fell
The Long And Winding Road
The Fool On The Hill
and basically the entire Help album (if you haven’t seen the movie, I highly suggest it)
The Long And Winding Road always makes me cry. I don’t know exactly why. Not the sobbing kind of cry, just the My Eyes Can’t Hold All These Tears So They Silently Stream Down My Face kind of cry.
I loved The Beatles Anthology (I’ve had the CD’s since they came out) and watched it over and over and over again after we’d taped it off cable when I was a teenager. I haven’t seen it in years, and I’d really love to watch it again.
I started listening to the Beatles as an adult, because my mother hated them and I was never exposed as a child! My favourites are I Want to Hold Your Hand and I’ve Just Seen a Face :)