Monday, January 27, 2014

Paul and Ringo's performance last night at the Grammys!

The 2014 Grammys aired last night, honoring guests such as Macklemore, Lorde, Beyonce and others, but no one was honored as much as the legends who launched the global music scene in the United States, Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. Both of the living Beatles performed, Ringo separately and then together for Paul's new hit, "Queenie Eye" on his recently released New. Along with their wives, Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon also were given prime seats at the Staples Center, to witness the ultimate reunion. The Recording Academy will honor The Beatles' contribution to music in a two-hour special to be aired Sunday, February 9 on the same day, at the same time, on the same network that the boys performed on the Ed Sullivan show 50 years ago in 1964. So cool!

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Today's the day!

Be sure to tune into the 2014 Grammy's tonight, live from Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Paul and Ringo are both set to perform, though not explicitly together. But, I think that it is highly probable that the two living Beatles will take this chance to perform together for the first time in 5 years in honor of their incredible American tour, all those years ago. In case you didn't know, this is one of the biggest Beatles years in a long time. 50 years ago this February, The Beatles toured the eastern seaboard of the United States for two weeks. After "I Want to Hold Your Hand" was released, the boys were finally able to break through in America, initiating the second British Invasion to the US (the first, of course, being the literal British Invasion in the War of 1812). In honor of this feat and true moment in history, other artists at the Grammys will be paying tribute to The Beatles. The pain I will feel tonight cannot be emphasized enough. I live only about 45 minutes from downtown LA (without traffic, of course, but it makes it sound even worse when I exaggerate). The two living Beatles are going to be in one place at one time and I know where they are! NO. I can't.

Friday, January 24, 2014

We all live in a yellow submarine sneaker

Following The Grammy's and the Recording Academy's honoring of The Beatles this Sunday, Vans will be releasing its form of honoring the Fab Four. On March 1, these four (how appropriate, one for each of the boys) styles of tennis shoe will be available to buy for around $65. All are dedicated to The Beatles' 1968 film and album, Yellow Submarine. YES!

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

FOR YESTERDAY: This day in 1966

On January 21, 1966, George Harrison and Pattie Boyd were married. The second of The Beatles to get married, George met Pattie on the set of A Hard Day's Night in 1964.

Monday, January 20, 2014

Song of the Day: Doctor Robert (Revolver, 1966)

There's a lot of speculation about where the inspiration for this song came from, but most believe that it is an anecdote from John and George's recent exposure to LSD for the first time. According to John, whom you can rarely trust to be entirely truthful in his stories (look at the story of how he said The Beatles got their name. Hint: it involves the title of this very blog) John and George were invited to dinner at their dentists' home in 1965, after the release of Rubber Soul. After dinner, they were brought coffee and and sugar cubes, except they weren't sugar cubes, but LSD powdered into cubes. After John and George had taken a sip of their coffee, the dentist revealed that he had secretly switched sugar for the hallucinogen and that they had just taken LSD for the first time. Initially angry at being bamboozled so, John and George left with their wives Cynthia and Pattie. But the effects began to come on the four of them. In The Beatles Anthology, George recounts what taking LSD was like, such as being in love with everyone and everything, and seeing people with makeup 3 feet thick on their faces. After that first experience, the two were hooked and encouraged Paul and Ringo to try it as well. Ringo tried it instantly, but Paul held off for a while, afraid of the detrimental effects of the drug and also of the psychological and spiritual effects it might have on him. By the time Revolver was released, Paul had joined his cohorts and tried it, hence the song, "Got to Get You Into My Life," a song about LSD and not a sweet girl. "Doctor Robert" is the dentist, which is why John opens the song with "Being my friend I'd said you'd call Doctor Robert…He's a man you must believe, helping anyone in need. No one can succeed like Doctor Robert." If you watch the 2007 psychedelic musical, Across the Universe, Bono of U2 plays a drug guru named Doctor Robert, in honor of this song.

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Song of the Day: I Saw Her Standing There (Please Please Me, 1963)

One of Paul's most famous and lasting Beatles song, "I Saw Her Standing There" is a fun, slightly raunchy Cavern Club favorite. The influence of the late-1950s rock scene can be seen in this song, with a heavy guitar solo and a ridiculously fast-paced bass line that drives the piece into a frenzy of screaming and stomping. "I Saw Her Standing There" is one of the earliest songs that Paul and John worked on together, though most of the credit goes to Paul. The original opening lyrics, "Well she was just seventeen, never been a beauty queen," were changed to the more suggestive lyrics "Well she was just seventeen, you know what I mean," at the request of John, leaving raised eyebrows for decades, most noticeably when Paul sings the song live now (he's 71 years old!). This is one of my favorite Beatles songs, and one of theirs as well, as you can see in the boy's excitement in this live performance in Sweden in 1963.

Friday, January 17, 2014

This day in 1967

On January 17, 1967, Paul McCartney was interviewed by Jo Durden Smith for Scene Special in Granada. Paul and Jo discussed Paul's affiliation with the underground culture, something he had been involved with since around 1965. Before John (or so Paul claims) became heavily involved with the counterculture movement, Paul had been exposed to the culture of London and then the underground culture as well. Partially as a result of The Beatles' time with the "exis" (existentialists) in Hamburg, Germany, like Astrid Kircherr and Klaus Voorman, Paul had become interested in the other world that existed underground. His experimentation with mixing tapes and messing with recording equipment, most noticeable on 1966's Revolver is a tangible example of his hipster (to use a modern term) interests.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Paul and Ringo to reunite for the first time in five years at the Grammys this year!

Paul has just announced that he will be performing at the 2014 Grammys at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Ringo will also be one of the performers, though it hasn't been said explicitly if the two will perform together. But really? How could they NOT play together if they're playing at the same event? It'd be too cruel. I'm barely getting over the fact that the two surviving Beatles will be less than an hour from me and in the same county and I will not be able to see them. It looks like it's time to sit down, hug my knees, watch the Grammys on TV, and tip over and cry, cry a lot. Though, it might be better if I didn't see the two of them live, as I'd probably fall over and never wake up from shock. The Grammys will be aired 7 pm West Coast time on Sunday, January 26th.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

This Day in 1963

On January 12, 1963, The Beatles played a typical evening show at the Invicta Ballroom in Chatham, England. In a little over a year, they would have conquered the United States, when they first appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show to a record breaking 73 million in February, 1964, 50 years ago this year. Next month, as the half-century anniversary, will be a BIG Beatles month, with special musical tributes and documentaries all over TV. So excited!

Monday, January 6, 2014

Song of the Day-Julia (The Beatles, 1968)

A slow and somber break from the eccentric and often slightly deranged mix that makes up The Beatles, "Julia" is a beautiful tribute to John Lennon's mother, Julia. The story of Julia and John is a sad one fraught with immaturity, misunderstanding, and pain. But it also remains as a story that sheds light onto the development of John's life in the music world. Though often incapacitated as a mother at times due to intense personal and psychological issues, Julia introduced John to music and what it can mean for a person. While John ditched school at Quarry Bank, he would go to Blackpool to Julia's house. It was there that she taught him the banjo, with a quirky Liverpool ballad, "Maggie Mae." John developed a relationship with Julia when he was sixteen years old. By the time he was seventeen and his life seemed back on track with Julia, her family, and his Aunt Mimi (Julia's older sister), Julia had been struck by a speeding car and killed instantly. The impact that this had on John was enormous, evident in the songs he wrote in his career, with this song and subsequent others like "Mother." Julia lit the match to the fire that music set to his life. Though a woman with many faults, Julia remains an important figure in the life of a troubled man and in the history of the Beatles.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Happy New Year!

From Me to You. This year is going to be the pinnacle of my existence-and I say that every year. But this year is going to see me finish my first year of college and begin the first half of my year studying abroad in London! I wish a very happy start to 2014 to all and make it a year with The Beatles!