I Met the Walrus_ How One Day With John Lennon Changed My Life Forever - Jerry Levitan [4]
A Hard Day’s Night, the album, had bouncy interesting tracks starting with the jarring guitar chord that opened the title song. “Can’t Buy Me Love” always brought me back to my favorite scene in the movie where the Beatles ran around a field in fast motion playing silly soccer like the happy brothers they were. John gave “I Should Have Known Better” its hook with his harmonica playing. Both John and Paul wrote beautiful ballads—the acoustic-guitar-driven “And I Love Her” and John’s “If I Fell.” This was a special album because of its connection to the movie and because of the increasing complexity of the songs. And for the first time, there were no cover songs. All songs, except one by George, were written by Lennon and McCartney. That was virtually unprecedented in pop music.
By the end of the year, the Beatles had produced another album, Beatles ’65. As I got older, these new songs increasingly appealed to my adolescent emotions. John had two songs of hurt, “No Reply” and “I’m A Loser.” Within six months the group had released, Beatles VI, with the songs “Eight Days a Week” and “What You’re Doing.” And within two months, Help! Help! the record, came out on August 13, 1965, twelve days before the film. It slashed its way into the charts. Just the idea of the title track was odd enough for the biggest pop group of them all. John would later say that it was his unhappiness with the Beatles’ fame and its effect on his personal life that was behind the lyrics. The ads for the film were everywhere.
STOP WORRYING!
HELP!
IS ON THE WAY!
THE COLORFUL ADVENTURES OF THE
BEATLES
ARE MORE COLORFUL THAN
EVER…. IN COLOR!
Colorful, cartoony, zany. It was exactly what I wanted to see. James Bond spoofs, pratfalls, jokes galore, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. The songs were as vivid and melodic as ever with “Ticket to Ride,” “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away,” and “You’re Going to Lose That Girl.” How could an eleven-year-old boy not love that the Beatles slept together in the same apartment? John in his pit reading his own book, Ringo with his food dispenser, Paul playing the lighted organ, and George keeping to himself. Mad scientists, strange people from exotic lands, skiing, the Bahamas, bombs, lasers, the Queen. It was so much fun.
Remarkably, within four months, Rubber Soul was released in December 1965. The Beatles were serious now. “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown),” “Michelle,” “Think for Yourself,” “The Word,” “I’m Looking Through You,” and the spectacular “In My Life.” I spent a lot of time, without success, trying to figure out what the phrase “rubber soul” meant.
I was twelve when Yesterday…And Today came out in June 1966. “Drive My Car,” “Yesterday,” “Nowhere Man,” “We Can Work It Out,” “Day Tripper.” John blew me away, yet again, with the lazy, crazy “I’m Only Sleeping” that combined backward loops and poetic lines. Each of these songs hinted at adventures to come, for them and for my remaining teenage years. I increasingly related to the personal stories the Beatles told in song, especially when John sang lyrics like: “When I’m in the middle of a dream, stay in bed, float upstream.” Because the songs were so honest and revealing, I connected to them deeply. They started to feel like trusted friends who understood and accepted me. When I listened to Beatles songs, I finally felt like I fit in somewhere. But even though I loved the albums it was clear that something was changing. The Beatles were growing and so was I. When Revolver appeared in 1966, my imagination hit its trajectory. First, the album cover was an illustrated whirlwind of joyous personality. Their hair like twirling spaghetti surrounded photos and images of what the Beatles were becoming. You did not just listen