To say that The Beatles and I have a special connection would be an incredibly self-centered opinion which seemingly ignores the fact that they are the most critically acclaimed band of all time. Honestly, though, I don't really care that there are millions of people around the world who share this view. To me, The Beatles have never been a band from Liverpool with two dead members and a drug problem; they have always been more of a feeling than anything, as ridiculous as that sounds.
My taste in music has always been eclectic. I was raised by a father who considered both Pat Benatar and John Williams' score for the Star Wars films to be the perfect soundtrack while washing dishes, and my mom could appreciate Kurt Cobain and Frank Sinatra equally. As a result, I can still remember singing along to "What's Up" by the Four Non Blondes in the car while most kids my age were still concerned with nursery rhymes. While this could be seen as a positive, as a sort of cultural head start, I almost see it as a detriment. Being exposed to such a variety of good music at such a young age made me a sort of musical snob by the age of 10. "Screw you," I'd say in my head to the kids I knew who were listening to the music of the day, "I listen to Nirvana." With all of that being said, it was almost inevitable that I developed an affinity for Beatles music. I had almost a reverse crash-course in their work; I was exposed to the White Album and Seargent Pepper's before I even knew the words to "I Want to Hold Your Hand". I liked songs like Happiness is a Warm Gun and Rocky Raccoon before I was old enough to understand the concept of subliminal drug references and sexual implications. Before long, I was devouring their catalog, learning the words to all the songs I could, not necessarily because I found it enjoyable, but because I just thought it was the next logical step. "The Beatles are the starting point to modern music," my mom told me. "They've had some kind of influence on everything you hear today." I couldn't really fathom how much influence they had had on me until I went through a rough patch in my life.
Without getting into too many specifics, My 5th and 6th grade years were fairly traumatic. The deaths of several close relatives and the September 11th terrorist attacks didn't help the psyche of an 11 year old boy who had just begun seeing a psychiatrist. I needed something to help me escape and get my mind off of serious things. The Beatles were just what the doctor ordered. Instead of worrying about terrorists or who I'd have to say goodbye to next, I could instead listen to John, Paul, George, and Ringo tell me that everything was going to be OK. Granted, they didn't say so in those words, and had no idea who I was; They didn't need to. They provided me with an escape from the ordinary. There wasn't a day bad enough to not be erased by listening to The Beatles. "Let it Be", they'd say, and I would. "She loves you", they'd insist, and I would believe them."Take a sad song and make it better", they'd tell me, and slowly but surely, I did.
Today I have (luckily) expanded my musical horizons considerably. I can just as easily enjoy listening to a Top 40 radio station as I can an alternative rock one. I can sing along to songs by Taylor Swift and The Sick Puppies one after the other and not bat an eye. But nothing gives me the tangiable feeling of optimism and hope like The Beatles do. I'm sure this is a sentiment that many people around the world share, but that doesn't take away from the very personal way their music still speaks to me.
