kuuleimomi's Full Review: Love Songs by The Beatles
I was growing up to the sounds of music. My dad listened to everything from classic rock to heavy metal, so the tune of my childhood was Smoke On The Water by Deep Purple, occasionally interrupted by AC/DC. Music was always there but, seems to me now, I was not. One of the strongest memories of my childhood was Kylie Minogue’s first video Locomotion, but due to the tragic events of her latest “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head”, I feel like I have no right to torture myself through some sweet sugary pop of the early 80s. I have to admit I don’t remember bunch of Madonna in my childhood, though my dad had vinyl “Like A Virgin”, that at the age of 17 I managed to remix on the old turntable at some family event. But that’s still not it.
True value of music I understood when I saw the documentary about The Beatles, about their work, how they started, how they played, how they split, how they worked solo; the chronicles, the interviews, the news flashbacks, rarities, etc. That movie taught me how the music is being made and what is music indeed. It taught me respect and appreciation. And a lot of love for The Beatles, which actually started a little bit before that.
It all began with a double envelope color of beige with two vinyl records, released in friendly to the Soviet Union Bulgaria. Four twenty-something-year-old lads in the orange oval, written Love Songs The Beatles, in the inside the amazingly beautiful black-gray-white picture, and the two vinyls.
That’s right; it was not The White Album, it was not my first The Beatles’ record A Hard Day’s Night, Revolver nor Let It Be, which I love more than anything else [on a good day, of course], had I listened to which earlier it would’ve featured here today, and now you’re stuck with love ballads.
I love them all with passion. They don’t make me sick like the ballads of the boy bands of the past two decades. For me, it’s my childhood, every single song warms me up on a cold day and usually this is the first album I look for when my life is a mess [unless I put on some Propagandhi, Fear Factory or Linkin Park]. Besides, unlike a lot of “bands” these days, The Beatles wrote music and left immortal heritage that’s a 12-year-old kid like me enjoys in the 21st century.
It started with Yesterday, the song we learnt in my English class in the 5th grade. We had a sub teacher, she did not know what to do with us and decided to teach us something interesting. According to her, teaching us some pop song as opposed to the songs normal ten-year-olds learn in English class was fun. She wrote on the board the lyrics to Yesterday, but she did not have a record. One of the guys, Tim, said he had it at home. Tim lived right around the corner, it took him five minutes to run home and get the record. Tim was a dream of every single girl in my class, till the moment he turned 16 and everyone knew he was a drug addict. But back then The Beatles tape with Yesterday on it could gain you fans and popularity. *rolls eyes* Yes, we’re speaking of 1992.
That was the first moment I can recall when I perceived The Beatles music as something I really liked. So we did learn the song, or at least most of the kids pretend they were learning it along while sampling their lunch away from the sub. I knew it by heart then, I know it by heart still. Simple as it is, but we all relate to it at some point[s] of our life. “Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away, now it looks as though they’re here to stay”, makes a perfect picture of my life, along with a bottle of vodka in the freezer and Revolver on the shelf. Just by the way, every single person in this world knows the lyrics to Yesterday, once you’ve heard it, you’re programmed to never forget it. Amazing, but true, we all know the Beatles lyrics on the subconscious level.
One of the most favorite songs among the people who love to compile their life soundtracks, is In My Life, about past, present and future; things, friends and lovers, “There are places I remember all my life…” Great thing I can relate to now, for there are so many people, so many friends, so many places I’ve left behind and never managed to come back to, that it’s honestly a song about me. I have a couple of very special friends whom I can’t imagine to leave behind and I guess on occasion I will send them this song as a thank you for being such amazing people in my life. Don’t think it meant anything to me back then, but being quite a smart kid [*rolls eyes* and modest, too] I understood it. I remember thinking something like, “I wish I could say the same”. Funny things what ten-year-olds are dreaming of, but I wanted to be able to change everything quite often. Dreams come true, cool beans.
One of my favorite songs is Here, There And Everywhere. I like the verses, changes of tempo, and arrangement of it. The line ends with “here”, the next starts with the same “here”, ends with “there”, here goes your “there” again. Feeling of circle, driven by that connection, is like a calm love bubble the guys are drawing with their music and lyrics; it disconnects me from the real world for a few minutes.
And now there is Something, written by George Harrison. When I first saw the TV mini-series about The Beatles, the tune got stuck in my mind so hard that till this very day it reminds me of the Beatles history, rather than the band as a musical phenomenon. “Something in the way she moves attracts me like no other lover”, amazing, but it’s just a song about some girl, why did it in my mind become The Beatles anthem? Maybe it’s even a stronger reason why everything started with this LP.
The album features songs from 1964 all the way to 1970, different levels of maturity and music writing. And I Love Her is a typical song from the early Beatles: simple lyrics, simple notes, reminds me of the band when I just heard their A Hard Day’s Night and still did not know what the whole fuzz was about; The Long And Winding Road is more sophisticated, sort of more settled. It has certain hits, like the mentioned above, plus Michelle – ode to French love, Girl, This Boy, Norwegian Wood that never impressed me with its lyrics, but fascinated with its music. The album finishes organically with P. S. I Love You, err, nice move.
So nine years ago it was that “something” that began it all [honestly, it tied with the documentary]. Right now – with all that love nonetheless – I tend to think it’s a bit too much for me to listen to all 25 songs at once. It misses some “love” songs that I’d want it to have, and has some I tend to skip; but hey I have two vinyl records instead of one CD, which makes my life a bit complicated.
What’s so inspirational about this album? *laugh* Well, it’s the Beatles [kidding]. Back then I loved beautiful ballads, that’s all. It made me listen to The Beatles, to everything by them; moved me on to Queen later. After that came Led Zeppelin. At the age of 12 I’ve been listening to everything that decent people have been listened to a couple of decades before. Brought on great music, at the age of 14 I moved on to the radio format. At the age of 17 I turned away from it. In both ways I discovered a lot in music world. So there, this ballads album inspired my love for music.
In case you're wondering about the songs, here's the list, you should recognize at least 80% here.
Yesterday
I'll Follow The Sun
I Need You
Girl
In My Life
Words Of Love
Here, There And Everywhere
Something
And I Love Her
If I Fell
I'll Be Back
Tell Me What You See
It's Only Love
Michelle
Yes It Is
You're Going To Lose That Girl
Every Little Thing
For No One
She's Leaving Home
Long And Winding Road, The
This Boy
Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
I Will
P. S. I Love You
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In case you’re wondering what that was, it’s “Where It All Began” w/o hosted by Officer. Watch, err, read other storytelling episodes with
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