All My Loving

What musical group has the following:

·      5 movies in which they starred

·      1 (recent) movie with a story line based on their music 

·      1 Broadway musical tribute band

·      A cartoon series 

·      A repertoire of over 200 recorded songs

·      21 #1 hits.

·      First group to not have one lead front man and have a group name that didn't single out the lead singer

·      Wrote their own songs

·      Used many studio effects including reverberation, backward tape effects and echos

·      First rooftop concert/changed how we view concerts

·      Influenced styles, behavior & pop culture

·      Music that continues to be popular

·      Fan base that spans three generations.

·      I think the Only group iTunes advertised on TV & billboards once they finally got the rights to sell the music online.

·      Has a Rockband game dedicated to them

·      First group to make a music video (I'm not talking first to air on MTV - that was Video Killed the Radio Star)

·      Has a headlining Cirque Du Soleil show in Vegas

·      Has a class dedicated to learning about them and their music at Indiana University (one of the best classes on campus)

 as Ed Sullivan once said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Beatles!"

Last weekend for Valentines Day, I took my boyfriend to see Rain - A Tribute to The Beatles.  This was my second time seeing it, but his first. I knew he'd love it. It was a great way for us to spend Valentines Day together. Anyways, if you are not familiar with it, this is a tribute band traveling on Broadway who walk-like, talk-like, sing-like and act-like Paul, John, George and Ringo. They were extremely talented.  If you Close Your Eyes during the show, it's easy to forget you where you are and that you aren't listening to the real thing.  I am convinced I was born in the wrong era. I wish I had been around in the 60's for many reasons, one being I would have loved to have seen my favorite music group, The Beatles live.  This tribute group is the closest I will ever get to feeling as if I am at a Fab Four concert.

But what really amazes me was here you have a concert hall made up of a tribute band, performing songs by a group who have been broken up now for 41 years, to an audience that spans three generations, all from Across the Universe, who Come Together and can sing along to each and every song.  How many other groups have had that kind of long lasting impact on the music industry? They made music because they loved music.  Not because they wanted to be rich or be famous, initially. Today groups are so focused on making money that you can not hear the love or the passion for music that once existed in the sound.  Today's songs are very much created by a studio for profit instead of for the joy of making magic.  For me personally, there are days when I am feeling down and one way to help me feel better and Get Back to being myself is by listening to their music.   I know that When I'm 64, I will share this music with my children or grandchildren.   You Won't See Me being a bigger fan of any other group. 

Please feel free to comment and Tell Me What You See when you think of The Beatles. 

{via Love- on a wall in Vegas - photo taken by me}

* P.S. Bonus points for those of you who realized that I used song titles/lyrics throughout this post :) *