Normally, I'd be saying a lot about politics. But I think people can get tired of the usual warnings about a bombastic demagogue and a habitual liar. Instead, I'll talk about an important phenomenon which still affects us today - The Beatles.
Much has been written about this group, and there are people who know more about the Beatles than either of the two surviving members of the group. The reality is stranger than fiction, and the "Fab Four" were lucky enough to have the skills to ride the tsunami wave of fame as it crashed into shores around the world.
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In the 1950's, most music reflected the collective angst of the Post-WW2 high schoolers. There was little truly adult about this music, as it reflected the angst of the bobby-soxers up to the point where they would get married - and not a minute beyond. Dion would ask the question, "Why must I be a teenager in love?" while Chuck Berry would sing about "School Days". In the movies, Debbie Reynolds would be telling a whole generation that "Tammy's in love", while Elvis would tell his woman to "Love me Tender." There was nothing that reflected the trials and tribulations of adulthood.
The Beatles could play the music of the 1950's, and were very, very good at it. They performed in the Hamburg's Reeperbahn at the Star Club, and in Liverpool at the Cavern. In a few short years, they became one of the best Rock and Roll groups in the world - just as America got a taste for its own style of music played by a multitude of groups who earned their chops in Great Britain. So when the youth of the early 1960's looked for new music, they would likely stumble into groups like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Dave Clark Five, and others. And it was this music that would chase most singers of Frank Sinatra's generation off the charts for good.
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The Beatles were a great live band. But as they became popular, the technology for arena concerts had yet to be developed. By the time the Beatles gave up on touring, they had turned into adults, and started to write songs that adults would enjoy. Gone were the "standards" sung by Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. In its place was more interesting music developed in studios, such as "A Day in the Life" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". The new music had broken out of the straitjacket of the love song, and could now explore many more topics - including serial killing, as in the case of "Maxwell's Silver Hammer."
Eventually, adulthood got the best of the Beatles as a group. John met Yoko, and he found a new muse. Did she break up the Beatles? Many people say "Yes", but I feel that it was their growth as individuals. Each one of the members felt a need to express themselves in ways they couldn't as members of the group. And each was doing so by the middle of the 1970's.
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Like Marilyn Monroe's premature death making the world see her as a forever young woman, the death of John Lennon locked the memory of the Beatles as a "Forever Young" group. It is no surprise that the combination of great music and a recorded portfolio that never suffered a quality decline with age continues to attract new listeners. In fact, the music of the Beatles is considered just as fresh today as when it was recorded - and that is one heck of an accomplishment. They changed the world of music when they recorded their hits, and they still set a benchmark for other musicians to reach today.
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