The Music That Inspires Me Part II: My Life With The Beatles

My dad loves to work out. He runs outside and then he runs on the treadmill. While he's on the treadmill, he blasts music that pumps him up so he can run faster and for a longer distance. Growing up, the music would echo from the basement, his workout room, up through the vents into nearly every room in the house. This is where my education in the music of my parents generation began.

Artists like The Beach Boys, The Eagles, Billy Joel, The Rolling Stones, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Eric Clapton, Dion, The Doobie Brothers, Roy Orbison were all among the artists seeping out of my room's AC vent. But none of them had the impact that my father's personal favorite, The Beatles, did. He would play them the most often: Abbey Road, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, A Hard Day's Night, HELP, etc, etc, etc. He would always have at least one album of theirs in the rotation.

There is no defining moment when I first heard the Beatles. They were always being played in the house and in the car, either on the radio or off of a CD. My dad even sang me "Rocky Racoon" to get me to fall asleep one night. I think at first I thought it was a song he had made up. But I do remember when I started to pay attention to what the music was.

One day, my dad was working out and, I don't remember why, I laid down on the floor of my bedroom positioning myself near the AC vent. It was the Beatles album, HELP. And I laid there for a half hour listening to the music and it struck me. The next day, I borrowed the CD and sat outside with the volume turned up to the max, something I still do. By the time I got to "I Need You", I knew I loved the album. And when I got to "I've Just Seen A Face", I knew I loved the Beatles. And then "Yesterday" happened, and I was shocked at what this band could do. And the fire was lit. I began listening everyday to a new album, and discussing them with my dad. If I wasn't listening to Frank Sinatra, I was listening to the Beatles.

Over time, my taste has changed and some songs I loved originally are farther down the list then ones I have slowly come to love. And vice versa. For a while, after I first started listening to them, HELP was my favorite album. And I don't want to start a battle about the best Beatle songs or albums so I will just say that my top 3 favorite albums, as of right now and in no particular order, are: Rubber Soul, Abbey Road, & The White Album.

My top 5 songs as of right now are:
1. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
2. For No One
3. You Never Give Me Your Money
4. I've Just Seen A Face
5. You Won't See Me

As far as a favorite Beatle, I'm a Paul McCartney Fan, through and through. I love the melodies that he comes up with. I have seen him live twice and loved it! Hopefully he will continue to perform and record for many years to come.

In my opinion, Lennon & McCartney are as important to music as any of the Great American Songbook composers.
George & Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Rodgers & Hart, Arlen & Mercer, Cahn & Styne, and Lennon & McCartney. That's how I see it.