A-Z: The Beatles

The Beatles are an obvious "B" subject for me. (Of course, there's always that great song of theirs called "Letter B"...oh wait, that's Sesame Street.)

Most Beatles fans I know became fans as teenagers. Although I do remember listening to Sgt. Pepper at a friend's house during high school, my "conversion" happened later, when I was twenty-five. At the time, I was working at a job I didn't enjoy very much, and Eugene and I were in a long-distance relationship. Although I'd written a novel during my internship, I wasn't actively writing at the time. Then the Beatles Anthology aired during the week of Thanksgiving. I'd heard there would be a new song, so even though I was only a casual fan, I watched the first episode. "Free as a Bird" stuck in my head, keeping me company at my dreary job. I watched the rest of the series, and before I knew it, I was hooked.

I've been a fan now for over fifteen years. In that time, I've become friends with other Beatles fans, written stories inspired by their four-fold synergy, collected three shelves' worth of Beatle books, memorized dialogue from the movies, seen Paul and Ringo perform, laid flowers in Strawberry Fields in Central Park for John, grieved for George's passing, and had my picture taken outside Abbey Road studios. I've played their music to cheer me up when I've down and to celebrate special events, such as my wedding. John once sang that he didn't believe in Beatles, and I realize though they were very gifted, they were also human. But they helped me reclaim my writing, and I am forever grateful for that gift.

Of course, I have to end this post with a song. Here's one of their more obscure ones that deserves more airplay: