I don’t pretend to be an expert, but I’m certainly a fan. They’ve inspired me musically and otherwise since 1992. In fact, some even put them inside the musical trinity with Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. Of course I’m talking about The Beatles.
The first time I came into contact with this amazing band, I didn’t even realize it was them. In the summer of 1986, I was I was captivated by Ferris Bueller and how he could ditch school and have such an exciting day! When he howled and danced in that New York parade, I thought it he was singing a fun song by a cool rock band. I remember looking at his lips closely to try to determine whether or not he was lip syncing. I didn’t know if he was singing or if it was some other band, but I liked the song’s energy and how the movie embraced the song’s care-free theme by showing people doing silly dances to it.
The second time I ran into the boys from Liverpool, I also didn’t realize it was them. A cute girl with one name sang a catchy love song in 1988. I found myself tapping my toes and bobbing my head to it as I watched Tiffany dance around and sing. Dancing through the night, holding each other tight sounded like a cool prospect to me at age 14.
My third introduction felt much more deliberate and even arranged. I was living in the Tarastec, co-ed dormitory at San Diego State University and I became friends with the guys on my wing. I’m thankful to one Mr. Chris Clayton who took the time to introduce me to some amazing music. Before that time, I had been a fan of good music, but I had never analyzed great music. I had enjoyed moving my body to the beat, yet I never really considered musicianship. And like most Americans, I was addicted to television and wasn’t thinking about turning off the television to listen to music – to feel the music – and to think about and discuss the music.
Growing up, my parents realized how much I liked music and would actually put me on music restriction because it was a meaningful punishment that got through to me. If it was a minor infraction, I was sent to my room and I would listen to hours of music. My ghetto blaster (some call it a boom box) would sit on my desk, on top of a giant paper drawing pad. One time when it was taken away for bad behavior, I drew a giant oval where it used to sit and I wrote in it, “My ghetto blaster was here.” Back to The Beatles.
While I was in the dorms, Chris introduced me to several talented bands and not only did he say they were good, but he knew why. We sat and he showed me time changes, intros, codas, solos, bridges, choruses, special effects, walkdowns, screaming vocals, whispering vocals, drum solos, cowbells and everything in between. Of course, I was occasionally the squirmy or distracted student. However, this usually wouldn’t deter Chris. He knew the songs and he’d raise his hand, look at me and put his finger to his lips right before the killer part I needed to hear. Enter The Beatles.
The Beatles’ music is amazing for so many different reasons. I always consider how a song begins and ends. Maybe it’s the primacy and recency effects that I believe in. Or maybe it intrigues me because this is the part of the song where an innovative band can be distinctly different. Whatever the case may be, The Beatles know how to usher us into a fresh mood and perspective with not only a few melodic notes, a bouncy baseline, a timely drum roll and a cool lick, but with the way they began each song. Whether it was the screaming, distorted electric guitar in Revolution, the pressing piano opening with muted cymbals in While My Guitar Gently Weeps, the circus feeling at the beginning of The Magical Mystery Tour, the plane landing before Back In the USSR, the classic count off to introduce how I Saw Her Standing There or the bluesy harmonica wailing on Love Me Do, these guys knew how to let us know they were coming and they did not disappoint. You’d be hard-pressed to find two Beatles songs that start the same way. While chirping birds introduce Across the Universe, some goofy horns let us know All You Need is Love is coming.
In between the different sections of a song, we usually hear a band play some sort of walkdown (or walk up). A few “interim notes” between the intro and the first verse is one option. Sometimes a band will use a drum roll (hear the first 5 seconds of Semi-Charmed Life) or a special effect or a fast chord progression or bass line. The Beatles were the masters of the in between notes. They didn’t waste time or space. They created blatantly mystifying effects in between A Day in the Life (which I vow to learn the bass line for asap). This sarcastic masterpiece could really be two songs, if you think about it. Funky breathing noises in Come Together accompany the meaty bass line. Obla-di-Obla-da has a number of smile-inducing effects all throughout while a voice screams “I got blisters on my fingers!” at the very end of Helter Skelter.
Listen to some popular bands and see how many different parts their songs contain. Do they sound similar? One hallmark of an amazing band is that a good deal of their catalog has interesting and diverse parts. A number of Beatles and Zeppelin songs could have been several songs, but they chose to make one great song instead.
The Beatles knew how to let it be. The band was about a lot of things, but they took time to either wrap them in fairy tales and nursery rhymes or they just dreamed sometimes and told us all about it. Songs like I Am the Walrus, Octopus’ Garden, Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds and Strawberry Fields Forever remind us that we can still be about a lot of important things and still let go. There is no reason why we can’t reunite with that childhood moment where we dreamed about breathing under water and playing with the fish. Yes, adults write, read and even publish children’s stories sometimes. When a band is too tied up with its genre where it can’t unleash and write a few songs about nothing (kinda like the show about nothing), we get burnt out by all the causes and dilemmas. The human mind has to have a release or what I like to call a reset button. The Beatles knew how to press this button and turn us on to something special.
Once a band creates a killer hook, lick or melody, the temptation is always to overuse it. The Beatles knew how to use those things and special effects, peculiar sounds and mysterious noises without overusing them. The sliding note that sounds like an arrow flying through the air on Hello Goodbye leaves you wanting to hear more. The Ballad of John and Yoko’s groovy bent notes beautifully accompanied John’s rapid fire delivery and the monstrous walking base line. The horns in Sgt. Pepper’s were used sparingly as they chimed in and out throughout.
George Harrison was a gunslinger. Even though his band didn’t rely on him as much as Zeppelin relied on Page, he was still a vital part and when they called his number, he was ready to play. From his excited and innovative solo in Octopus’ Garden to his screaming solo (that sounds a lot like noodling, something he could probably do for hours) in While My Guitar Gently Weeps, George knew how to bring it. The picking in Here Comes the Sun is captivating.
When The Beatles sang, their voices were genuine and interesting. John screamed on Revolution and The Ballad of John and Yoko, but sang sweetly on Here Comes the Sun. You could hear Ringo’s tongue-in-cheek seriousness in With A Little Help From My Friends and his vibrant imagination in Octopus’ Garden. Paul’s passionate, sing-in-the-showeresque Hey Jude’s electrifying ending is, as Paris Hilton may say “hot”.
Finally, Paul McCartney was an amazing bassist for The Beatles. When I teach music lessons, my students enjoy learning songs that feature their instrument. A piano student may want to learn Right Now by Van Halen or the intro to While My Guitar Gently Weeps (which I vow to learn asap). An electric guitar student may want to learn the intro to Money For Nothing, while an acoustic guitar student may want to learn Blackbird. When it comes to “bass songs”, The Beatles have a number of great ones. Most of their songs have a cool bass line, but the bass really smacks you in the face in songs like Come Together, Obla-di-Obla-da and Octopus’ Garden.
In the end, the ones who inspire you are the ones you let inspire you. However, if you like music, you shouldn’t have to try very hard to let the fab four inspire you. They covered all the bases and raised the bar for all other rock music, a bar that most bands don’t even try to reach.
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