I grew up with the Beatles. I was 12 years old when I was first introduced to them. Probably better said they grew me up. The Beatles, like so many of us, turned my life upside down and started me on a path that was forged in love, possibility, truth and heartbreak. I had an inkling of a world, a life, I had dreamt of but through their words and music, the fab four established a permanent residency in my soul. The Beatles came in a time when things were changing and they changed the times. This was no entertaining mop head pop group, The Beatles were four elements that came together to create magic. GEORGE was SPIRITUALITY (Having a profound relationship with God, LIFE and LOSS). JOHN was INTELLECT (representing the mind). PAUL was FEELINGS and LOVE. RINGO was HUMILITY and GLUE. All of these elements came together to change the global vibration.
They were young. They were crazy young to come up with the notions, concepts, and life lessons that were accompanied by the most beautiful music.
LET IT BE – an anthem to acceptance.
A LONG AND WINDING ROAD – Life’s ups and downs – The Journey and our touchstones that anchor us.
SHE’S LEAVING HOME – A story of heartbreak and misunderstanding. We feel for the parents’ heartbreak as much as understanding the need to break out and find your own path. Shifting values.
How are the Beatles at such a young age able to channel parental heartbreak and at the same time have us relate to both sides?
Remarkable.
REVOLUTION – Between the Yippies and the iconoclastic underground weather men that promoted violence and had a popular voice in the sixties. The Beatles wrote Revolution, a song about love and the support of peaceful change but put to hard driving drums, bass and guitar. Going counter to the culture, different from the Facebook culture that’s counting up their “likes”.
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE – Staying true to yourself.
THE FOOL ON THE HILL – Reflection of all our collective humanity and deficiencies.
NOWHERE MAN – A call to action for those who don’t feel they belong.
IN MY LIFE – Maybe my favorite Beatle song. I got married to this song. About past loves and those who have passed. Beautiful nostalgia. Loss is an essential part of life.
YESTERDAY – Understanding all the things you thought you knew and as you get older you realize how little you do know. About longing, which we as humans all share.
BLACKBIRD – An anthem to the African American woman and the racial inequality – written in 1968 by Paul and John.
ELANOR RIGBY – How isolated people feel. “All the lonely people where do they all come from.”
I, and we, could go on and on… the amount of socially conscious life lessons that were written in a few short years is staggering. It’s not that it hasn’t been said how remarkable the Beatles were, but it deserves to be said over and over and over again.
We live in a world where those messages are getting eclipsed by Greed and Vanity, all served with a good helping of Anxiety and Depression. We need those messages more now than ever. And it’s not as if there are not those voices, they just seem to be more of an exception than a collective movement.
If the pandemic taught us anything, we need each other. When we are struggling, we need to reach out and connect and we will get by…
‘WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS.’