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I Love You Yeah Yeah Yeah!
Was it really was really forty years ago
that the greatest rock and roll group of all time landed on
North American soil, invading our television sets and turning
the musical world upside down with a phenomenon never seen
before and again? Was it really forty years ago that The Beatles
made their infamous performance on the toast of Sunday night,
the Ed Sullivan Show? Did anyone realize how much impact four
young men from Liverpool, England would have? I suppose not;
not even the best of fortunetellers or The Beatles themselves
could predict what was to come. The only explanation for what
happened was the day that these four boys, Ringo, John, Paul
and George were born, primal forces of nature set to work,
conjuring a destiny filled with camaraderie, love, adventure,
fame, tough times, and of course the most innovative music
of all time. Yes there was certainly magic in the air when
The Beatles were born and the man on the flaming pie first
gave John the idea for the group’s name, and “these
four youngsters”, as Ed Sullivan famously remarked, seemed
anxious to share that magic with the rest of the world.
Forty-seven days prior to the beginning
of the British Invasion, America suffered a blow that has
defined the beginning of the tumultuous decade that was the
sixties. President Kennedy was murdered in Dallas, Texas,
leaving America in need of a shot of real happiness. Then
along came this band that was nothing but cheerful fun. The
following is part of an editorial printed the day after they
performed at the Royal Variety Show that says it all, “You
have to be a real sour square not to love the nutty, noisy,
happy, handsome Beatles. If they don’t sweep your blues
away, brother you’re a lost cause. If they don’t
put a beat in your feet, sister you’re a lost cause.
How refreshing it is to see these rambunctious young Beatles
take a middle-aged Royal Variety Performance by the scruff
of their necks and have them beatling like teenagers…
The Beatles are whacky. They wear their hair like a mop, but
it’s WASHED, it’s super clean. So is their fresh
young act.”
But not only the general public needed
a Beatle pick-me-up, so did the music industry. Five near
consecutive blows were dealt. Elvis was serving overseas,
Little Richard became a minister, Chuck Berry was in jail,
Buddy Holly was dead and payola scandals were ramped. And
when George Martin came to Capitol Records with The Beatles,
who were already a hot item in Britain, he was turned away
numerous times with the attitude of, “What do the British
know about Rock and Roll? We invented it!” Well when
Beatlemania struck, it certainly took the music industry,
as it did with the Royal Variety Performance, by the scruff
of their necks and had them beatling like teenagers.
Not only did the Beatles awake America
from it’s state of living dead, as Robert Hemenway described
in his short story, The Girl Who Sang With The Beatles, they
opened the eyes of youth to what was going on; how the establishment’s
prides and prejudices didn’t have to be theirs; how your
parents weren’t always correct and that if you wanted
to change the world, you have to do it subtly so that no one
would notice until the change was complete. The Beatles encouraged
a rebellion for the greater good and individuality, like ending
war and wearing your hair a little longer or sticking flowers
in gun barrels while wearing clothes of the liveliest colors.
Purposely or not, their music inspired many to say that maybe
it was time for change and if you didn’t see that but
enjoyed the music anyway, that was okay because your being
who you are and it doesn’t matter what other people think,
including your parents and girlfriend’s parents. No one
before had ever said that; even early rock and rollers would
always ask their sweetheart’s parents’ permission
to marry or date their daughter. The Beatles said that if
you love me, great, lets go and have some fun despite what
others think and all that I ask is that you stay true to me,
which leads me to another point.
The Beatles offered a kind of sophistication
that no one before or since has offered. Even their earlier
songs were more than the average run of the mill bubblegum
being offered to kids. They gave rock and roll a shot of uniqueness
that it sorely deserved as they experimented in the studio
and made some of the greatest music of all time, paving the
road for other artists but at the same time leaving them the
tough task of being, at the very least, just as good; a task
that no one since has quite lived up to.
The Beatles following, even to this day,
is at least half female. To this day, various psychologists
and experts have asked, why is this? There could be any number
of reasons and many are thrown around. A popular consensus
seems to be that it’s because they seemed safer to girls
than say the Rolling Stones. They didn’t share that greaser
tough guy image that other bands copied. They were clean-cut,
witty, good-looking gentlemen with an irresistible accent
who seemed less aggressive than other groups and it would
make sense that girls would scream and swoon at the very sound
or sight of their favourite Liverpool lads. But I think that
it’s all part of the magic that made them what they were
and that we’ll never know 100% what made them so popular
and if we got the magicians to reveal their secrets, it wouldn’t
be as fun to listen watch the magic tricks or in this case
listen to the songs.
The Beatles came to me when I was twelve,
thirteen, with the release of The Beatles One. I purchased
it at the mall around my birthday and listened to it when
I got home. When it played the song Paperback Writer, it got
me thinking that I would like to be a paperback writer too
and I got back to one of my passions besides The Beatles,
writing. Now I know what I’m destined to be and with
the 40th anniversary of The Beatles coming to the US and Canada,
I felt that it was my duty to thank The Beatles for what they’ve
done for me. So, in a toast, I lift my glass and say,
Thank you George, John, Ringo, Paul
For all these years, you’ve please us all
With great songs and neat voice
You leave me with no choice
To say you’re fab, gear and really cool
You brightened up our lives at school
You make the workday sunny and bright
You’re all such a delight
And when all is really said and done
Keep it up for years to come
Thanks for all the pleasure and the helping
hands you’ve lent me. I love you boys. Shine on for years
come. Beatles Forever.
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