Art by Alex |
That signature whiny voice of John Lennon, harmonizing with
the attitude-inous voice of Paul McCartney (and ah, that precious congested
voice of the darling George Harrison, and of course let’s not forget Ringo!)
was the first music I fell in love with and the music I am still in love with
today. For my eighth birthday all I wanted was the Beatles Revolver album. Instead I got a Britney Spears Barbie doll from one
of my second grade classmates. Luckily, my grandma visited the next day, on my actually
birthday, and brought me Revolver, a
real birthday gift. I power played that thing.
Thus, second grade spawned the year of the beginning of me
being truly misunderstood, in that awkward stage where people knew me as the
girl who liked that band that wasn’t the Backstreet Boys. As time progressed,
kids turned into teenagers, and suddenly it was cool to like (pretend to like)
old bands that no one knew (that I knew very well) so you would seem so cool
and unique (meanwhile, my life for the past 8 years). Mainstream stores started
selling graphic tee shirts with John Lennon’s face on it, and I would see three
girls in the same day at school wearing it.
Well, this sudden ‘interest’ in The Beatles was not gonna fly in my world. The Beatles were my thing. They weren’t for posers who wanted to buy the next ‘vintage style’ t shirt from Delia’s and pretend they were the trendsetters who suddenly made the Beatles cool again. NEWS FLASH: THE BEATLES WERE ALWAYS COOL. IN MY WORLD.
Well, this sudden ‘interest’ in The Beatles was not gonna fly in my world. The Beatles were my thing. They weren’t for posers who wanted to buy the next ‘vintage style’ t shirt from Delia’s and pretend they were the trendsetters who suddenly made the Beatles cool again. NEWS FLASH: THE BEATLES WERE ALWAYS COOL. IN MY WORLD.
So, in middle school, I struggled with trying to keep my
strong love for the Beatles prevalent without buying into the mass media and
sporting merchandise that just anyone
could wear. Because ironically, even though I was the Beatles fan before any of
these tweens, it would look like I was the copycat because I didn’t have the
social stats to back myself. It was a trap. I just wanted to be myself.
It wasn’t until my sophomore year of high school when people
got it straight. I had an English class where one of our huge assignments was
to partner up and argue in a formal and intimidating debate, with the topic of our
choice. I ended up getting into a conversation with my partner, arguing over
who’s better, John Lennon or Paul McCartney. “That should be our topic,” I told
her, sort of joking but also sort of hoping I could pull off a major English
assignment using information I already knew. She actually went for it and so
did our teacher. Slowly word got out about the ‘Honors English Beatles Debate’;
it was the hottest ticket in town.
Midterms came, and my presentation day arrived. I dressed in
traditional hippie garb (as if I didn’t already everyday of my life) for the
occasion, and we debated on the accomplishments and attributes of two of the
greatest men in history. The classroom was packed. Those girls who wore the
graphic tees with John Lennon a few years before sat in the audience. They had
grown up a little, but they still had no idea who the Beatles were. But they
knew one thing. I was the boss. I knew everything about the Beatles, and I
ruled that debate like a champ, and by the end, people knew that there was no
bigger Beatles fan. I was so proud.
And so from then on, my name was literally associated with
the Beatles. I became known as Alex, the girl who likes the Beatles. Which was
a pretty good title to have in high school. But, what this experience helped me
realize is that I would still be ‘me’ without the validation of others. The
Beatles were (are) a huge part of my life, and I personally ached when I heard
someone say they loved the Beatles when I knew there was no way they even
understood my passion. Yes, this debate showed everyone that I was a force to
be reckoned with when it came to Beatles knowledge. But I still would have been
just as big of a fan and the Beatles still would have had just as much significance
on my life if people didn’t realize that. And most importantly, I still would
have been ‘me’ regardless of what happened. No one can take that away, not even
the worst enemy you can have in high school: posers.
Granted, there are still a lot of people who say they know
the Beatles when really, the extent of their knowledge comes from hearing
‘Hello Goodbye’ on a Target commercial. And that will always frustrate me. But,
my job is not to defend the Beatles from the people who don’t know anything.
It’s more my privilege to use the Beatles (among many other things) to help
make me who I am. They’re just so good.
And the fact that they have been with me for so much of my life says a lot
about who I am. There will always be a special place in my heart for the ‘Fab
Four’, and their music will never get old. But, one thing I disagree with the
Beatles on is the fact that ‘money can’t be me love.’ Because money can buy me love, as long it’s buying me
a Beatles album.
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