I Remember the Beatles
I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it's both. Forest Gump
It was hard to believe 50 years have gone by since we discovered the Beatles in 1964. I remember the first time I saw the Beatles it wasn’t on the Sullivan show but on the news. The English rock band formed in Liverpool, included Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison. Who were these guys with the unusual haircuts, wearing collarless suits, with black boots? They definitely had their own style. I was struck like everyone else with the invasion of Beatlemania.
Each Beatle had their own unique personality, which enabled the fans to pick their favorite. I love Ringo, no Paul is the cutest, etc. They were original; they were more than a brand. As they changed we changed, each album bringing something new and innovative. And yet we could hear the influence in their music from Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Buddy Holly and Roy Orbinson.
I grew up with the Beatles; from receiving my first kiss to seeing my friends come home from the Vietnam War. We looked for secrets listening to their albums wondering if there were clues about Paul being dead including Abbey Road and St. Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band. As their consciousness expanded from their trip to India to learn Transcendental Meditation ours expanded as well.
We believed they were inseparable, but like anything else all must come to an end. They all separated to create their own music; my favorite album was Paul McCartney’s Cherries Album, created during a period of depression from the separation of John Lennon and the Beatles, which soon separated them entirely in 1969.
So last night as I saw Ringo with Paul, their friends George and John in spirit, I wonder if they finally felt a peace, acceptance and forgiveness, as they celebrated in full circle their entertainment career; a career that had a life of its own.
What do you remember about the Beatles?
