There’s not a whole lot of music that stands the test of time like Beatles music does. We all have songs that we grew up with that remind us of special moments and times, but often, unless someone experienced it in it’s time, they cannot understand what we see in it or why we think it is so great.
There aren’t many cultural touchstones that can transcend generations. A good cigarette is one, as is a good steak. Good television programs not so much – there’s a concrete and easily measurable generation gap when it comes to what different generations of folks like watching on the tube. Good music is even more stratified. You’re not going to find too many baby boomers who’d list the Arctic Monkeys among their favorite bands, just like you won’t find too many Generation Y’ers who’ll profess their love of James Taylor or Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.
Yet whatever the race, color, creed or generation, it seems unanimous that everyone loves Beatles music. From the very first strains of “Love Me, Do” to the last refrain of “Hey, Jude,” Beatles music crosses generations and bridges cultures in a way the music of no other artist can.
My family is a good example. I’m thirty three years old, a bit of a musician, a liberal, and I live in New York City. Some would call me a hipster (a label I’d reject, but that would just make me more hipsterish, so whatever). My brother is a year and a half older than me, is an engineer living in the suburbs with a wife, a kid and a sit-down lawnmower. And a pick-up truck.
Then take my mom. At age sixty five she’s still teaching troubled kids from the inner city, as well as mentally handicapped kids from both the city and more well to do suburbs.
What’s the common thread? We all love Beatles music. The themes that John Lennon and Paul McCartney dealt with lyrically are universal, of course – whether it comes to a love song like “Yesterday” or a call for social responsibility like “Across the Universe”, almost all beatles music rings true and distinct. There’s something for everyone to latch onto in almost any given bit of Beatles music, and as a result it’s not dated at all.
On top of that you can add that, musically, The Beatles blended ear-candy style bubblegum pop with complex bass lines, creative lead guitar and ground-breaking sound mixing. What they did in the studio from, say, Rubber Soul through Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band simply hasn’t been replicated. Even the most snobbish classical music or jazz buffs recognize the virtuosity in Beatles music. And that’s what sets The Beatles apart.
Early on, the combination of good songwriting, chord progressions, melodies and harmonies, coupled with their dashing good looks, good humor and blending vocals made The Beatles rise to the top of pop culture quickly.
When their icon status made it impossible to play live shows anymore, the Beatles focused on experimenting with sounds and textures in the studio. Pop and rock music was evolving quickly in the 1960s, with the emergence and blending of everything from folk to psychedelic rock being explored, and The Beatles had the talent and the resources to try a lot of new things out. What is so amazing is the sounds they eventually captured on some of their later works recording on only 4 track studio recording equipment!
I think all of these factors and influences created music that is still loved today, not only by those of us who grew up with it, but by our parents and our children and grandchildren too. Beatles music is still not likely to fade away too soon.
