Uncommon Nonsense

A narrative of the wonderful Beatle-filled events of the day, and why I love them so frakkin much. Read on, if that sort of thing interests you.

I started out the day listening to Sgt. Pepper, just cos it was that kind of day, you know? You know.

And then I just decided to watch my favorite parts of Across the Universe (which is code for I watched the whole thing minus the part where Jude encounters his pregnant ex-girlfriend and that douche Phil Scully), just cos it was that kind of day, you know?

You know.

So then I went out with me madre to run errands and other such dull things, and we stopped at this used record store! I’d never been in one before. It was so wonderful inside. It was such a small shop, but everywhere I looked I was surrounded by music. It didn’t matter that I didn’t recognize who half of the artists were; in a way that made it better. And you’d think it’d be depressing, seeing all of these records that people’d just abandoned, but it wasn’t like that. They were all so worn, you could just tell their last owners had loved them. It was just nice, is all I’m saying.

Obviously I headed straight for the Beatles section, where I found these two albums by John and Paul, respectively (I am immeasurably sad that they broke up [THANKS, Yoko], but I’m also soso glad they went on to become successful solo artists. Doesn’t matter that two of them are dead [YES THAT DOES MATTER MY CREYS] and two are like 70 and I am 16; they’re my babies). And then there was this other album, Meet the Beatles, which was way overpriced but I decided to get it anyways.

When the guy at the desk was checking out my albums for me, he made this noise of approval when he saw the Beatles album, so naturally I’m all in my head, “Why yes, I DO have excellent taste in music!”

And the guy looks up at me and he goes: You do know what this is, don’t you?

Me: It…is a Beatles record. Or a very clever fake?

Guy: No, I mean-this is an original version.

Me:

Me: What.

Guy: That’s why it costs so much! This is an original record from the 60’s, when it first came out!

Me:

Guy: And look, see *taking record out of sleeve* it’s in perfect condition, too! Not even scratched.

Me: But-but that’s awesome though!

Guy: Yes! So be very careful with it.

Me: OKAY RECORD STORE GOD ASDFGHJKL;’

But not really; I sauntered out of there all cool and collected and waited to spaz till I got back to the car. My mother did NOT exhibit the proper level of enthusiasm, but I was excited enough for the both of us.

Next stop was a used bookstore-and what was the very first book I saw upon entering that fine establishment? A biography of John Lennon, of course!

Me: Mom-Mom! Look at this!

Mom: Oh, God. Do you really need more Beatles things?

Me: You’re silly.

So got that, and I am souped to read it, specially since I just recently watched Nowhere Boy (excellent film). I’m interested to see just how much of that movie was really true, and obviously I’m excited to read about everything John did during and *sigh* after his time with the Beatles. (THANKS, Yoko.)

And THEN when we got home, what was waiting on the front step? The Abbey Road album I’d ordered from Amazon, of course!!

Me: MOM.

Mom: Ugh. I can’t.

AND THEN LATER, my mom’s friend came over, and she said she’d seen a used record store the other day and thought of me, SO WHAT DID SHE HAVE FOR ME?

THE LET IT BE ALBUM BY THE BEATLES, OF COURSE.

Me:

Mom:

So I’ve spent the night listening to these three amazing records, and remembering again and again why I love this band so much. Even at the beginning, when most people considered them to be a “pop” band, they weren’t! They had such an original style, even when they weren’t writing their most meaningful material. I mean if they sounded like every other popular band at the time, I don’t doubt that they would still have been popular and successful, but they certainly wouldn’t have reached the status they did, and they definitely wouldn’t be considered one of the greatest bands of all time, even half a century later. Yes, they were young and attractive boys in their early twenties with adorable matching haircuts and ties, but that wasn’t the only reason Beatlemania happened! It’s because even then at the beginning, their sound was indefinable. They wrote silly love songs, but they were so much more than that. You couldn’t place them under one genre of music, because they weren’t any one genre. Even when their most impressive single was “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” their music could only be described as their music; it was the Beatles. And no one’d ever heard anything like it-and I certainly haven’t heard anything as of yet that can compare.

But the thing that I REALLY love about the Beatles is this: know how most artists start out making quote on quote real music, but later down the road sell out and start making crap pop songs to become more popular (for example: Maroon 5 and their hit single “Moves Like Jagger”)? Well the Beatles didn’t do that! They didn’t need to, first off. They were already the biggest band in the world. But they didn’t use that fame to sell a bunch of crappy pop songs. Instead, they came out with Sgt. Pepper and the White Album and Abbey Road, and they wrote all of these amazingly thoughtful, beautiful, fantastic songs. During their decade as a band, they improved on their songwriting skills, and they used their success to sell these albums that maybe weren’t as catchy, but were so much better. And, just like we’re all going to buy JoRo’s new book, the whole world bought these albums, at first, just because the Beatles made them. But they all knew, when they played those records, that were better, in fact, they were brilliant! And everyone was so glad that the Beatles’ early stuff was already so popular, because otherwise they may not have listened to these records.

And THAT is what I love so much about the Beatles. They never sold out- not even at the beginning! Those first years, they were a bunch of teenagers goofing around and enjoying the absolute crap out of being rock stars! They were living the dream for fuck’s sake, of course they were just gonna go with the flow for their first few albums! And even those albums were brilliant in their own right. Maybe I’m just one of those Beatles purists, but I think all of their stuff is fantastic. And they only got better and better. I don’t understand people who don’t love the Beatles, because I don’t understand how people can not only not appreciate their music, but their story and their impact! They did change everything, you know; that’s not just a thing people say.

God. I just freaking love the Beatles. I love watching their movies. I love watching movies about them. I love reading about them. I love learning the stories behind their songs. I love listening to their music in vinyl. And I love knowing, with absolute certainty, that no one will ever be as big as they were. There will never be a “the next Beatles!” because no one will ever be able to do what they did, no one will ever be able to change everything the way that they did.

I love not only their music, but everything they stood for and everything they still represent: love, peace, revolution, and, of course, that wonderful and random nonsense.