It’s been a heck of a week, friends.
Too much of the time, news weighs heavy on us, especially after a week like this one. I’m not all that optimistic myself about the nation’s immediate future (I’m not the stormy petrel of RedState for nothing). But even so, as we move into the weekend, there’s no reason we shouldn’t relax and take our minds off all that for a while.
Music, I find, can help. I’m old enough to remember when the Beatles were still a big deal. My older brother was a big fan and played their music a lot, and while I always thought them to be somewhat overrated in general, I have also developed the opinion that all four of them did better work after the Beatles broke up.
So, without further ado, here are four great songs done by ex-Beatles.
First: Paul McCartney did his best work ever with Wings; not only did they produce some decent tuneage, but they also produced the best James Bond theme ever, “Live and Let Die.” This song works on several levels. It has a thumping beat, with enough twists, turns, and instrumentals that simply evoke the Cold War. The Harley-Davidson shovelhead engine behind Paul on the album cover doesn’t hurt, either.
Next; in 1981, George Harrison released a tune that, at first listening, sounded reminiscent of the Beatles’ years; the official video even shows a touching tribute to his fellow Beatles. Their breakup, as I recall, was not entirely without rancor, but George seemed to have wanted to remember the good times of their remarkable career. That’s not a bad way to look at things.
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Ringo Starr went into acting in a big way after the end of the Fab Four; one of my very favorite comedy films is 1981’s “Caveman,” in which Ringo starred as the hero, Atouk, alongside Dennis Quaid as Lar, and a very young and completely adorable Shelley Long as Tala. But in 1971, only a year after the breakup, he produced a pretty decent tune in “It Don’t Come Easy.”
I hesitate to include John Lennon in this, because I was never a fan of his politics, and his song “Imagine” is one of the biggest heaps of nonsensical mushy-headedness I’ve ever had the misfortune to experience. Still, we can’t discuss the Beatles, before or after the breakup, without naming them all, and Lennon’s 1973 song “Mind Games,” while also evoking his years with his fellow Beatles, is still a tune worth listening to. The man was a radical leftie for most of his life, but he did have a measure of talent.And finally, an actual, pre-breakup Beatles tune, one that I have always unapologetically loved and still do.
From the 1971 album of the same name, “Let It Be” presents some wisdom not often seen in music (or anywhere else) these days, namely, knowing when to let go, to set one’s troubles aside, when it is time to just “let it be.” It was one of the last singles the Beatles released before their breakup, in effect their swan song, and the referenced whispered words of wisdom are as appropriate today as they were 53 years ago.
Have a great weekend, dear readers. Relax, have a nice meal, get outdoors, and spend some time with family and friends. Listen to some great music. Trust me, our troubles will still be there on Monday.