30th Jan 2021 was apparently the 52nd anniversary of The Beatles’ legendary rooftop concert that marked the end of an era. It was the unintended last public performance of the 4 of them together which lasted only for a short 42 minutes. For anyone that wasn’t ready to bid goodbye to the band’s live concerts, one can imagine the kind of pain the news brought.
The subsequent disbanding after “Abbey Road” definitely led to some significant developments. Lennon became the poster boy of peace while participating in the ‘Nam protests (despite abandoning Cynthia and Julianne Lennon in a heartbeat) & created music while also converting into a full-time hippie for Plastic Ono Band (calling themselves plastic? Yikes! Too honest). Yoko surely added a touch of horror into his life and his music. Check out the lyrics on this one -
Paul also started creating his own brand of music along with his then wife Linda while enjoying their domestic bliss (Paul and Linda forever!) and posing for Linda’s photographs that can be labeled art today. Let's not forget, they also gave the world Stella McCartney.
Harrison ventured into his own solo career with some hidden talents that surpassed those of the stalwarts of the group. He also became a Hare Krishna advocate and genuinely pursuing a self-actualised life along with his friend, the great Ravi Shankar.
And Ringo Starr, well he gifted the world with Zak Starkey’s talents (Thank you, Ringo)! Check out his badass drumming here -
Well, anyways, I wanted to write a post and list down a few songs that I absolutely love of the Band to celebrate their last concert in my own way (besides wishing I was born in the era to witness this, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin and Woodstock ’69). And in no particular order, here they are -
a. Let it Be
Yup, the commercial success and the clichéd favorite of most of the band’s fans. The boys had such a range which is evident from the different phases: the boy band phase (the orchestral music and the cheekiness, gah!), the experimental phase (aka the post- India visit psychedelia) and then the grown-up phase (where they were ready to retire from the band into their own solo careers).
“Let it be” belonged to this last phase. They didn’t necessarily love one another by then, but still came together to create a legendary song. While it was not a gruesome atmosphere like Fleetwood Mac’s while producing Rumors, apparently there was some bad blood between Lennon and McCartney. Mostly because of, the elephant in the Apple’s production room – Yoko!
“Let it Be” became their perfect swansong, a word play, to just let them men be. I love the melody of the song very much. It is like the “Hey Jude” of the last album. They say “Let it Be” on the song as many times as they say “Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na” on “Hey Jude”.
b. Eleanor Rigby
“Revolver” is one of those records that I want to own a Vinyl copy of! The album cover art, the songs, the psychedelia, the usage of Indian instruments – combining these, it was a carefully and dearly crafted album. Lennon remarking that the band was “more famous than Jesus” was pointless to be contested against, in my opinion, (Mark Chapman disagreed, I know) since people in the audience were actually close to worshipping them as demi-gods.
While there are some chartbusters on the album like “Love you to”, “Here, there and everywhere” (I clutch my heart, every time this track is played), “Yellow Submarine” and the likes, “Eleanor Rugby” fantastically stands out.
They were until then a strongly knit quartet, so used to mixing and experimenting with the instruments they were good at, but this song was a great deviation. They used Cello and violins prominently throughout the song which helped break their image as pop/rock band who stuck to tried and tested methods.
Paul wrote most of the lyrics himself but since they always signed the lyrics with Lennon-McCartney, this information is lost in the pages of history. I personally am more biased toward Paul’s than John’s geniuses (hello, Penny Lane)!
c. Lucy in the sky with diamonds
My list would be incomplete without this experimental potpourri of a song! Apparently, Lennon wanted to prove a point – that he can write a load of gibberish lyrics and still weave it all into a major hit.
While that is the first conjecture, there is also a widespread theory, that the song was written under the influence of and for the love of LSD (the abbreviation of the song’s title is ta..da… LSD). It is a known fact that the band had taken the drug on several occasions although not consciously starting the habit. Their dentist at the time, John Riley, apparently invited them over to his house and drugged them without John and George knowing about it (why were all hippie-era doctors like this? Remember Osho’s doctor?).
In her biography, Pattie Boyd writes, while they were tricked into taking LSD for the first time, but they did turn it into a habit later. They felt it enhanced their creativity. I mean, even the modern-day Shamans swear by hallucinogenic drugs like ayahuasca helping one expand their mind and boost creative productivity, so can you blame The Beatles for consuming LSD for the same reason? “Revolver” is a proof of the drug’s creative influence.
My all-time favorite psychedelic song is “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane, Lucy comes across as a close second. Goo-goo-a-joo, am I right?
d. Blackbird
Such a peppy song, at the outset, this was written for the Black life movement back then which had caused a lot of civil unrest. Again, Paul was the one who wanted to produce a song that stood for a cause, but his naysayers say that Lennon contributed to the lyrics more. I am sure, one of the reasons for Paul petitioning to change the signature to McCartney-Lennon recently was to penetrate the age-old belief that Lennon was the driving force behind the success of the four as a band.
Moving on, I love this song for the hopefulness it projects, for even when the Blackbird’s wings are broken, it can still fly. This might resonate for the situation now as well, with the Black Lives Matter remaining a movement after all these decades. It’s an irony to be holding on to hopefulness in the times of hopelessness. Why one group of people think that they can brand another group as inferior to them, is beyond me. This racial discrimination or if I could relate it to the situation back home, communal discrimination is a resultant of not having any kindness. A song or an album might not bring justice to people who are suffering but definitely brings some optimism to hold on to.
e. Here comes the Sun
do.do.do.do.doooo. Harrison! The quiet genius. I read it in Boyd’s autobiography that Harrison always wanted to be more than just the band’s guitarist. He started rebelling towards the end to have equal participation in writing. I think he came back more enlightened from their India visit than the rest. He almost went rouge towards the end by bringing in Clapton for some of their sessions!
He was living like a recluse only joining the band for music related meetings and skipping any social gatherings with them. I’d like to believe that the isolation works in strange ways, it helps you go through a self-exploratory journey (which would have resulted in the 1968’s runaway hit, “While My Guitar Gently weeps” from The White Album and later his widely appreciated album “All things must pass”).
This song was a beautiful departure from the usual Lennon-McCartney affair. Harrison’s songs always had a bit of sunshine in them. This song was a like a foretelling of the much-deserved love he got for his solo career later.
It’s a pity that we could witness his greatness only for a short time, maybe Dhani Harrison can still bounce back and continue his father’s legacy. One can only dream!
I would like to go on and on with more songs to add to the list but maybe as a part 2 to this post. I would like to just conclude by saying, “Would the people in the cheaper seats clap your hands? And the rest of you, if you'll just rattle your jewelry?”. JK, JK, please leave a comment instead, thank you (*insert shameless emoji).
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