Sometimes a song leaves an impression on you from the first moment you hear it, and it stays with you. Sometimes, the song steals up on you after a while, and you find it looking back at you with a bit of a smirk--as if to say, "So that's how it is now, eh?" A few nights ago, I was reminded of a band that changed my world with its songs, and from all that I've seen and heard, they changed a lot of peoples' lives, too. That band? The Beatles.
You see, at the Grammy's it was announced that they were going to be doing a special--fifty years to the day and time when The Beatles first performed on the Ed Sullivan show. So, on February 9, 2014 at 8 pm. ET,
CBS will be hosting a two hour special called "The Night That Changed America: A GRAMMY Salute To The Beatles." And, of course, that got me to thinking; over the years, I've listened and loved quite a few songs by The Beatles, but there are two of them that have stuck with me over the years--two songs that continue to give me comfort when I need it, or remind me of the beauty of poetry when combined with music. That beauty and poetry has changed me in many ways, and that comfort has kept me strong through many days and nights when I needed it most.
"Blackbird"
The song was inspired by J.S. Bach's
Bourrée in E minor--a lute piece that is often played on classical guitar, and which Paul McCartney tried to learn as a "show off" piece. It was also inspired by the Civil Rights Movement here in the United States, and once you hear the lyrics, you'll understand why.
I first remember hearing the song in
Across the Universe--a movie which I would highly recommend if you love The Beatles' songs and are interested in all the upheavals and transitions of the 1960's. While the song has a melancholy, almost aching longing in its melody and harmonies, the words create a spark of hope--and send it flying off into the dark, black night.
"Eleanor Rigby"
I don't know when I first heard this song--might have been while traveling from Texas to Florida with my Mom to visit relatives there. What I do remember of the song, however, is that it has given me a sense of belonging when I've felt alone in the world. Its beautiful lyric, "Ah, look at all the lonely people!" reminds me that in our lives, loneliness isn't uncommon--and that even if I am alone, there are many other people in the world like me, if only I took the time to see them.
The song came about through the work of several people, and while there are many stories surrounding how the names of the people were chosen, it's clear that this song was important in The Beatles' career--appearing even in some books of musical history today.
It tells the story of a tragedy; and yet, in telling the story, it immortalizes it within our minds and our hearts so that Eleanor and the good Father are not forgotten--his sermon, though unheard, still remarked, and her life's passage remembered in spite of the fact that no one came to her funeral. And maybe it reminds us to look for those "lonely" people in our own lives--prompting us to be there for them so that they and what they loved are not forgotten.
Some things to consider:
The first performance of The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show happened 77 days after John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
After they touched down at Kennedy airport, reporters interviewed the band, and when asked “How do you find America?” Ringo Starr jokingly replied, “Turn left at Greenland.”
The first set of songs played by The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show were:
- "All My Loving"
- "Till There Was You"
- "She Loves You" (end of first set)
- "I Saw Her Standing There"
- "I Want to Hold Your Hand"
Apparently Newsweek, when reviewing this performance, believed that The Beatles were just another fad that would fade with time.
Many people have found that "Eleanor Rigby" reminds them of a poem by
W. H. Auden--"Miss Gee". The poem tells the story of a woman named Miss Gee--how she lived a proper life while having strange dreams that became nightmares. It tells how she longed to be good, wore her clothes buttoned up to her neck, and one day after going to the doctor found out that she had cancer. The poem is satirical in that it ends with Miss Gee's body being given over for scientific study, though all her life she strove to be proper and kept her clothes and her life all buttoned up; now she hangs naked without all of that. It hearkens to Robert Herrick's own
"To the Virgins, to make much of time" (Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,...) for which J. W. Waterhouse created a painting titled from that memorable first line.
