Rock My World

With all of the Beatles programs on lately promoting The Beatles: Rock Band, I couldn't help but think back to days that The Beatles changed my world forever. Like the first time I heard I Wanna Hold Your Hand. In January of 1964, I was two weeks shy of being 11 years old. I was with my older cousin, Delinda. In her friend's bedroom, we were playing records on the phonograph. Terri, with a smugness that, in retrospect, was entirely appropriate, whipped out a new, 45 rpm single. Ever so carefully, she slid the record out of its paper sleeve and onto the silver spindle. Even after hearing that song, at least 20 times that day, I still couldn't believe what I was hearing.



Over the years, The Beatles continued to keep re-writing musical expectations. It became normal to expect innovation from the band. But they changed my world again in the summer of 1967 when they released Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. I was with my girlfriend, Gaylene. We'd spent the weekend beating the Reno team on our Junior Tennis tour. That night, a team of sunburned, happy-tired, 14 year old girls, were having a sleepover. Sitting on our sleeping bags, Gaylene, whipped out the most amazing album cover I had ever seen.With a smugness that, in retrospect, was entirely appropriate, she slipped the album carefully out of its cover. After putting it on the silver spindle of the hi-fi stereo, she changed the setting from 45 to LP, and spun us into the future.



The husband remembers that day too. He, being several years older than I, was at a high school party out in the hills at the home of a wealthy doctor/rancher. There were about a 100 kids there and someone brought the new Sgt. Pepper's album. Every one wanted to hear the music but the problem was there was only one stereo with one set of headphones. No speakers. It took all night, but they all got to hear the album--one at a time. Each kid passed the headphones to the next in line with glazed eyes, a shaking of the head and a "Man...you gotta HEAR this!!"


All I know is one day music looked and sounded like this:






And the next it looked and sounded like this:





And this:





My world was rocked...changed forever that day...again.

Closure

With The Beatles: Rock Band set for release tomorrow, 9-9-09, there has been a flurry o' Beatles programs on the telly geared to fluff 'n fleece the wallets of eager rock star wannabes. And the husband has had me watching, or listening, to them all week. Usually he only gets this jacked up over golf tournaments, the poker tours, and when the Milwaukee Brewers turn a triple play like they did on Sunday. But, suddenly, he grabs his magic wand, no, not that one, silly. I'm talking about the remote control device and, "plink," he slams us 40 years back in time. He turns to me and smiles as if to say, see, we don't need a stinkin' DeLorean...like he'd turn one down if it came his way...anyway~


We've watched: The Beatles: A Video Collection, The Beatles Anthology, The Beatles Retrospective and more. I have to admit, that while hiding behind my yes-that's-nice-dear-condescending-smile, I have enjoyed reliving history. I find it particularly intriguing how each of the Beatles remember specific events differently. For instance, when they met the Queen Mother. One said they were so nervous that they went to the bathroom and smoked a cigarette to calm down. In a separate interview with another Beatle, the cig became a joint. And Ringo, he said he was so stoned he couldn't remember what they did. Now that I think about it, that was pretty much his response to many questions. Hmm...anyway~


I was happy to learn that, after 40 years of wondering what the snark the song, I am the Walrus, is about, I had an answer. It is about absolutely nothing! The Beatles decided to write a song with completely nonsensical lyrics in response to hearing that school teachers were having students analyze their songs. Apparently, the song is a big, fat ANALYZE-THIS-you-over-thinkers! And, boy, am I relieved. I don't know about the rest of you but, although I heard many people say: it-means-this-or-that-or-the-other-thing, it made no sense to me...anyway~


(Big sigh of relief) Closure...at long last.