I know it’s hard to believe, but The Beatles’ release of “She Loves You”turned 50 years old. There are a lot of things that will turn fifty in the next few years, but it also gives everyone a chance to reminisce.
The song was loaded with many hooks. “She Loves You” — with Ringo’stom-tom intro exploded on the radio. The signature “yeah, yeah, yeahs” were another incredible hook. The beautiful harmonies, the wistful lyrics, the “woos,” the way the song retarded (slowed) and sped up in spots, and the final odd chord. What an incredible song!
And if you got to watch The Beatles play it live, you were able to see a visual hook: the head shakes to the rhythm of the music.
One of my favorite performances is from a British film called “Pop Gear”–named after the British slang phrase for “cool” that was repeated ad infinitum in the movie. At least it made the film humorous, but very dated. “She Loves You” by The Beatles, however, has never tarnished as a song!
Ringo is introducing a new e-book titled, Photograph, with many never-before-seen photos of his Beatles days. Check out this great interview on the Today Show and pick up a copy of his book on iTunes.
This book release coincides with his new exhibit at the Grammy Museum called Ringo: Peace and Love. Find more info here. It’s open June 12, 2013 through March 2014 and even has an interactive element where you can take a drum lesson with Ringo! We hope to visit sometime in the fall, so stay tuned for more details and a first-hand review.
Ringo: Peace and Love exhibit at The Grammy Museum. Photo credit www.johnwrightphoto.com
I thought the best way to start my new website would be a variation on a silly line that John Lennon used in “A Hard Days Night.” I say that because I am looking to have a lot of fun writing about The Beatles, my favorite—anything! Maybe I should step back a little bit and do some explaining.
If you have ever read anything on my other website, philmaq.com, you would put together the observation that I am crazy about music. All kinds of music! The Beatles are at the top of that obsessive interest. They have meant so much to me for as long as I have been aware of them. I can’t even tell you how many hours I have listened to their music both as a group or individually as solo artists. Whatever the number is, it far exceeds many of the closest artists combined by a large factor. I can honestly say that I still make new discoveries when listening to songs I’ve probably heard tens of thousands of times.
As a musician, Beatle songs are so much fun to play! They’re full of intricate surprises that sound so great when they come alive in your hands!
The extent of my musical obsession hit me hardest a few years ago when I felt saddened because I had a thought about my own mortality. But I wasn’t sad because I was getting older. No, I was sad because I realized that I had less time to listen to The Beatles! I’ve since come to grips with that dilemma, sort of, and I have just decided to appreciate listening in the moment.
Being able to do anything about or with The Beatles is as close as it gets to a lifelong dream for me. “Beatle Bits” will consist of a mixture of many different things. It might be an item that was overlooked elsewhere. It might be upcoming news. It might be reviews, or gossip. But I also want “Beatle Bits” to have some musical analysis.
So, that’s the plan. Of course, I am open to any suggestions along the way. This will be “our site,” and I will always keep, you, the reader in mind. And I will always keep in mind John, Paul, George, and Ringo, as well as all of the other people who gave them support along the way and were a part of their lives. Thank you guys!
And I couldn’t think of a better day to launch this new site:
