The Beatles

If you are anything like me, you go through phases in which you listen to certain bands or songs more than others. It is like we connect with certain music at some points in our lives that we just don’t at others. And I think that is natural; we do it with art of all kinds. There are, however, a few select bands that keep me coming back all the time. These are the bands with which there is always a connection, always a spark. And there are quite few that fall into this category.

But there is only one band that shines above even these bands, attaining the coveted status of “my favorite”—The Beatles.

When I was 10 years old I was listening to Boyz II Men’s II record one day in my room (it had just come out—that is how old I am!) and I overheard my mother singing along with their a cappella version of “Yesterday.” I thought she had been listening to my CDs without telling me. I was furious! I immediately confronted her about it. She called me an idiot and told me that this was originally a Beatles song—not a boy band song. I then politely informed her that Boyz II Men surely did it better—even if they had not written it. I went out a few days later and bought Help! in a feeble attempt at proving the superiority of Boyz II Men. Wow, was I wrong.

And so it began. It has probably been the best purchase of my entire life thus far—no kidding. It was in that record that I learned to love something for more than a few weeks at a time (I switched obsessions a lot as a kid). It was then that I found the first thing about which I was ever really passionate: music. I have probably listened to that CD hundreds of times—maybe more than any other record. In so many ways, it changed my life.

I have been listening to Revolver and Rubber Soul a lot lately. I love those records! I heard someone the other day say that in those records all the good songwriting began. I could not agree more. There really aren’t any bad Beatles records, but I think those two are my favorites. I don’t know, I love The White Album, Help! and St. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band a whole lot, too.

I have observed over the years that my counsel is rarely appropriate in other people’s lives—although I am known to be freely giving of it! So I try to advise as little as is humanly possible these days. But this is one piece of advice about which I feel completely confident:

I recommend you just pick up a Beatles record. Doesn’t really matter which one. They are all great.

They really were the best band ever.