My Google news feed has gone into Beatles Overdrive lately. It's obviously in response to my interest in the release of Now and Then, the song touted as The Last Beatles Song. I followed its story and awaited its release and streamed it the moment it became available. I was actually sitting in my car in a parking lot, and as I listened, the moment became a sentimental journey of sorts.
I practically grew up on Beatles music. My sister, seven years my senior, was in the throes of Beatlemania during her teen years. We shared a room, so I was surrounded by The Beatles' pictures and music. She even went to their first concert in Cleveland. I remember watching their performance on The Ed Sullivan Show with her.
We cleaned our room every Saturday listening to Beatles music (and The Hollies, The Association, The Bee Gees, and Simon and Garfunkel). I learned the lyrics by heart. I loved the B side of the 45s just as much as the hits.
My Google news feed decided I'd want to read this article, which purports to rank all 214 Beatles songs from worst to best. Of course, I had to read it even though it was bound to be patently absurd and ridiculous and completely subjective.
And it was.
Oh, sure, the author wrote a lot of footnote-worthy, researchy info after each title in order to sound smart and justify his rankings, but here's the thing--it's still just a list of his personal preferences, and it should be taken as such.
I don't think I could list my favourite Beatles songs like that. I like so many of them and for different reasons. And at different times. But here, in no particular order, are some of my favourite Beatles songs:
1. Eight Days A Week: Love the ooo-oohs in this. And it's so bouncy and fun.
2. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds: The lyrics are so interesting. The music is arresting. It's so deeply unusual.
3. Eleanor Rigby: These lyrics always haunt me. Such a portrait of loneliness. The voice of McCartney is so plaintive.
4. Paperback Writer: The story moves fast, the music moves fast; it's almost like a Beatles rap. I like the falsetto and the call-back.
5. A Day In The Life: So innovative. You can enjoy this and respect the artistry at the same time.
Critics had a lot to say about Now and Then. I just enjoyed being able to have a chance to listen to The Beatles again, and it was more of a sentimental appreciation than anything else. Technology can never truly recapture The Beatles, but this song was an awfully good try.
"Yesterday" and "Macarthur Park" are my two favorite Beatles songs. The first one never fails to make me cray and the second has me asking for days, "Who left the damn cake out in the rain."
ReplyDeleteJean--"MacArthur Park" was never sung by The Beatles. It's been done by about 7 or 8 artists, but not them. "Yesterday" was one of my dad's favourite Beatles songs, too.
DeleteAs someone who was just a little too young for Beatlemania; I still love all their songs. I don't know all of them, of course - but the ones I do, I sing along with gusto. They played a clip of that "last" song on the radio the other day; it wasn't a bad try at all.
ReplyDeleteGigi--The Beatles are timeless. They have fans across the age spectrum. And yes, so many of their songs are so easy to sing along with. Even after hearing one once, you can at least get the hook or the chorus.
Delete"I Want to Hold Your Hand" is my favorite. I just love the innocence of it. It's not the most sophisticated song they ever did, but it's a fabulous pop song.
ReplyDeleteNGS--Every time I see that title, I immediately picture them singing it. I hear that last bar at the end and see John's guitar flourish. It truly started it all. And it IS a fabulous pop song.
DeleteI am partial to the entire Sgt. Pepper album because that's the Beatles album my parents owned when I was a kid and I heard it a million times. It's a really great album. Outside of that album, I love "Something." I also have a soft spot for "Hey Jude" and "Let It Be."
ReplyDeleteSuzanne--That's my favourite album, too. I love all the songs on it and the whole concept of it. I watched a documentary about The Beatles, and it went into how the idea and album came about. Fascinating. I remember when my sister got Sgt. Pepper and pored over the cover, trying to identify each face. It became an obsession with her and her friends.
DeleteI remember listening to the Beatles a lot in high school. I like Yesterday the best. Such a beautiful song. I also like Hey Jude. I haven't heard the new one yet. I love learning about sharing a room with your sister and picking up on the trends thru her.
ReplyDeleteErnie--I wanted to be my sister in almost every way. I'm not sure I did it consciously, but I developed her taste in music, books, movies, and even went on to be an English teacher like her. We have different personalities, but there's no doubt she imprinted on me.
DeleteHere's a link to "Now and Then" if you want to listen (and watch). See what you think.
I think the only Beatles song I REALLY dislike is 'Run for Your Life'. I had no idea that there was going to be a new song, and then Ted asked me what I thought of it. He said it was OK, but not great, wouldn't be an 'A' side. Then he asked if I wanted to hear it. "You're not really selling me here", I said, but he played it for me anyway, and I really liked it! I think it's mostly nostalgia, just nice to hear John's voice again.
ReplyDeleteJ--Yeah, Run For Your Life is a really misogynistic song. And scary. I doubt it would be written and released today. People who are creeped out by Sting's Every Breath You Take would want Run For Your Life banned forever.
DeleteI agree that the appeal of Now And Then is a wistful one. When I listened to it, I didn't get overly emotional or anything; I just felt a wave of nostalgia and a sense of loss, yet finding. As you said, it was good to hear John Lennon's voice again, and it was good to hear a Beatles record--their voices, their style of music--again.
Dee--I'm not a fan of Lady Madonna, either. I like Hey Jude. I remember listening to it with my sister. We couldn't get over that it was SO LONG. It does get a bit monotonous at the end, though.
ReplyDeleteI was going to say "My Sweet Lord"--but that's just George, I think. "While My Guitar" and "Long and Winding Road" "Eleanor Rigby" would be other favorites. I had a poetry teacher teach using the Beatles because their writing is so strong!
ReplyDeleteHave you seen that movie by Danny Boyle called "Yesterday" about a world where the Beatles never existed? It's cute!
maya--I remember the ads for that film. What a creative premise.
DeleteI like While My Guitar Gently Weeps, too. These lyrics are the ones that are so powerful to me:
I look from the wings
At the play you are staging
While my guitar gently weeps
Poetry, yes!
I listened to the new song as soon as it was released and while it is a techie marvel it didn't hit me. Don't hate, don't love it, feel kind of neutral about it. And I can't decide if I'm more jaded now or if it just isn't my thing anymore.
ReplyDeleteAlly Bean--I get that. Your feelings are shared by a great many people. The track from John Lennon was just a rough demo, so his vocals aren't polished. There was no way for him to refine or improve upon his vocals or lyrics. And for so many people, the technological reunion of The Beatles made it feel and sound contrived and soulless.
DeleteI was such a Beatles fan back in the 60s. I would go to their movies and scream "George" as he was my favorite. I thought everyone loved John and Paul so I might have a chance with George! :)
ReplyDeleteThis new song is so sad for me.
Ellen--I love your rationale for being a George Fan. I always thought he had a great speaking voice. My favourite Beatle was John because he was my sister's favourite. As I got older, I started liking him for his peace activism and his creativity. His lyrics seemed to have more depth than Paul McCartney's. Now, as I'm learning more and more about The Beatles in general, I've come to respect McCartney's musical knowledge and artistry even more.
DeleteIs the new song sad for you because Lennon and Harrison are gone, or because you find the song a sad rendition of Beatle music? Or is it because the lyrics make you sad?
I recently found out that the last words Lennon said to McCartney in person were "Think about me every now and then, old friend." That gives this song even more meaning to me.
The screaming and mania in my teens was for Elvis. I was an adult, mid twenties, with two kids when the Beatles were at their height. So their music got played at parties and I recall thinking that it got on my nerves a bit. Because we were folk music, mostly. But I do know the lyrics to a lot of the ones you mention and a few others because my kids, as teens, went through a Beatles stage and played them a lot. Weird, eh? Yellow Submarine is now an earworm. Drat you!
ReplyDeleteMary--You know, I never did like any of Elvis Presley's music. Or his movies. I find it annoying. Maybe it's a bit too close to country, a genre that I highly dislike. Or maybe it's too 50s, and I never liked that era's music.
DeleteYellow Submarine is truly a goofy song, and Ringo's vocals make it sound even more silly and odd. I hope you can banish that particular earworm with something else.
My introduction to the Beatles was in grade school when the music teacher played Eleanor Rigby for us (and Little Boxes which as I think of it now seems pretty progressive for 1970s rural NC. I just went down a rabbit hole & found a Walk off the Earth version of that song.). Anyway, I loved the mournful vibe of Eleanor Rigby.
ReplyDeleteBug--That IS pretty progressive for that area, but probably not for the era. Eleanor Rigby will always be a favourite of mine. The portraits of her and Fr. Mackenzie are so detailed and so memorable. And so bleak! Mournful, indeed.
DeleteI forgot to mention that my mom saw them in concert! She won tickets on the radio by knowing all of the songs on Revolver, which had just come out She said she couldn't hear anything, because of the screaming, and all they could see was these tiny guys down there on stage. She ate some hash brownies, not knowing they were hash (thinking, oh, nice, brownies!) and had a hallucination that the Bay Bridge was turning into a giant serpent as they were driving back to Berkeley. Pretty wild for a mother of 2, though it WAS 1966 after all, and I doubt she would have eaten them if she had known they were laced. Well, she may have eaten 1/2 of one...
ReplyDeleteJ--Your mom! She's such a product of her times. I love all the stories about her. And I'm positive she would have eaten at least a bit of the hash brownies, knowing that's what they were.
DeleteI really like Revolver and listen to that album fairly often. It's such a good mix of their sound.
Beatlemania came just before me, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate their music. I grew up hearing a lot of it and I still enjoy it; All you need is love is one of my faves. I took my Mom to Vegas for her 70th birthday and I got tickets to see Love for us. It's a Cirque Du Soleil performed with all Beatles songs...it was a blast!
ReplyDeleteBB Suz--I'd have loved to see that Cirque du Soleil show. I'm going to have to see if YouTube has any clips. I remember reading about it. What a great idea for part of your mom's birthday trip!
DeleteThe Beatles still have great appeal to other age groups. Their music is timeless.