When We Was Fab!
Love them or hate them, John, Paul, George and Ringo changed everything. My profile bio at MySpace, begins, "On February 9th, 1964, one month short of my ninth birthday, my life changed forever when I tuned in to watch The Ed Sullivan Show. Beatlemania crept into my childhood and robbed me of it. I've never complained, although I never achieved my ambition of being a Beatle when I grew up, over the next 35 years, I came close enough for dreams to come true."
I was always taught that the best writers, write what is true, and for me, that's as true as it gets. The Beatles changed not just music, but an entire generation. I've grown up since then, and I've gone my own way, but the truth remains. In November of 1963, America was shocked and stunned by a senseless assassination that led to a national depression. It was not an economic depression, but an emotional one. Politics were different in those days, and while there were still two sides, no sane person celebrated the death of our leader despite his party or policies. It was a national tragedy that only began to fade that night in February when television ratings reached unbelievable records and four young men changed the course of music and culture for our nation and the world. We smiled again after a long drought, whether in delight of their bold infectious harmonies and zaney antics, or simply in bewilderment at their outlandish haircuts, the "yeah, yeah, yeahs" and their fan's uncontrolled enthusiasm. In an unprecedented series of performances, Ed Sullivan had them back, week after week as their popularity and string of Number One hits grew beyond all imagining.
The final selection tonight buckaroos, is a Beatles' classic, but with Phil Specter's orchestral and chorus production magic stripped away - just The Beatles and Billy Preston on the big Hammond B3 - naked. It's somehow more powerful without the violins, horns and soaring angelic choral - it's raw ... (like my fingers, lol) but, it's true.
Love 'em or hate 'em, they changed the world, those English lads with their guitars and all who followed the trail they blazed. Others have done it before, and others will likely do it again, God willing, but being a witness to it all was real special, and walking that road, trying to follow their footsteps was a big part of my life, although it seems like an old, but much loved movie I once enjoyed. Beatlemania officially lasted less than seven years, but, in another way, it's timeless, like that Long and Winding Road that leads us back . . .
Goodnight and God bless for another week FRiends. C'ya in church.
~ The Beatles ~
