The Beatles’ music is so familiar to us that it seems cozy and timeless, but in reality, it was the product of a turbulent time that is starting to resemble our own. The events of the last few weeks have given me the following new insights into two of their songs:
- “Eleanor Rigby” is brilliant. It is also utterly merciless, and apparently out of character for the gentle Paul McCartney. Why did he write it? He was flipping the bird at the conservatism and traditional values of the so-called “Greatest Generation.” As with the later, and less artful “She’s Leaving Home,” he wanted everyone to understand that the times and the rules had changed. The pathetic protagonists in the song are consigned to the dustbin of history–and, in McCartney’s eyes, good riddance. Does he still feel that way in his old age? One can’t help wondering.
- “I am the Walrus” could have been written yesterday. Listen to it again. You will see what I mean. George Floyd would have been no stranger to John Lennon.
Goo googa joob.