Still here, there and everywhere. The Beatles bringing joy 50 years after break-up.
BTS, Bangtan, RM, Jimin, V, Jin, Suga, J-Hope and Jungkook
The Beatles may have broken up 50 years ago, on April 10, 1970. But the music is still bringing happiness around the world, to the generation that were around when the Fab Four were at the pinnacle of their career, and to a new generations who are just making the happy discovery of their pop treasure-trove.
Hospital staff spin “Here Comes the Sun” on their PA system every time a Covid-19 patient is discharged. This is the routine at Mount Sinai South Nassau on New York’s Long Island, one of the hardest hit communities in the world.
Along with 18 year old Billy Eilish, Elton John and Stevie Wonder (and many, many others), a 77 year old Paul McCartney will play at next week’s “One World: Together at Home” online charity special.
Perhaps their anthem “Come Together”, could be reworked for the current situation – “Don’t Come Together”.
Even the unpolished “Yellow Submarine” has found an unlikely new audience as an intergenerational singalong, being sung by neighbours through windows, socially distant, but inextricably linked.
Their music lives on, in times of trouble.
At least the lack of traffic through THAT roadway crossing in London has allowed municipal workers to repaint the famous crosswalk near Abbey Road.
Their music invaded the US in 1964 when more than two-thirds of Americans still alive weren’t even born. In the UK the band had their first hit with “Love Me Do” in October 1962. So what’s behind their enduring half century legacy as a force in pop music?
They were prolific, they were talented, they were inventive, they had endearing, cheeky personalities. Their music was both tuneful and sometimes profound. They evolved. Their music is as diverse as “I Want To Hold Your Hand” (a pleasant 1960s euphemism for something probably more raunchy) to the psychedelic “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, all in a span of 3 years.
Their music somehow embodied the turbulent world events of the 1960s and even had the ultimate flower-power anthem, “All You Need is Love”.
Discovering The Beatles through younger eyes and ears is now widely available as the scratchy vinyl and flickering films of the era are now available in a single YouTube click. You can immerse yourself in documentaries, films and read about the struggles, triumphs, friendships, marriages, breakups and tragedies – still relevant.
It’s only in the last few years that any band has emerged to challenge the enormous world popularity of The Beatles. It only took 50 years, and it came from an unlikely corner of the pop music world – Kpop, the South Korean genre that has exploded onto the world stage in recent years in a technicolour pallet of vivid colour, catchy pop and slick production.
Another boyband, BTS (aka: Bangtao Boys or Bangtan Sonyeondan) has become a new force of joy and hope for a new generation eager to hear the same messages of love, hope and youthful frailty. BTS are RM, Jimin, V, Jin, Suga, J-Hope and Jungkook.
The Beatles were the first band in the world to have three consecutive Number One albums in the Billboard charts in one year. BTS become only the second band in the world to achieve the same result, last year – three Number One albums on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart.
The comparisons haven’t been lost on the young South Koreans who even channeled The Beatles’ first appearance on American TV screens when the Fab Four appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show (that was on February 9, 1964). BTS performed in the same TV studio half a century later in 2019 on the “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”.
Of course BTS are able to take advantage of the massive reach offered by social media but are also competing against thousands of new acts that have the same worldwide access to reach out to fans, a very different situation from the 1960s when The Beatles had less ‘competition’.
The BTS ‘Army’ (the band’s hugely loyal world fandom) is no-less enthusiastic and are doing their bit to support South Korea’s battles against the coronavirus. When the sold-out stadium concerts for their ‘Map of the Soul’ tour, kicking off in Seoul were called off, the fans donated their cancellation fees to Covid-19 prevention in the country. Local ‘Army’ fandoms are organising fund-raisers in communities around the world to help raise money for hospitals and medical workers, some projects organising food for people who have totally lost their incomes. The power of pop!
Two ‘boybands’, separated by half a century, but their collective music still bringing hope and joy to millions as the world waits out the outbreak, mostly in their homes.
The Beatles’ legacy will be defining a generation’s hopes and fears with luscious and memorable music. Perhaps BTS will be follow in their steps bringing the same sort of hope to a new generation at this disruptive time. Their latest music video has already accumulated 150 million clicks in 6 weeks…
“Look at my feet, look down
The shadow resembles me
Is it the shadow that’s shaking
Or is it my feet that are trembling
Of course I‘m not unafraid
Of course it’s not all okay
But I know
Awkwardly I flow
I fly together with that black wind
Bring it, bring the pain, on yeah
Come on up, bring the pain, on yeah
Rain be pourin’
Sky keep fallin’
Everyday oh na-na-na
Bring it, bring the pain, on yeah”
“ON” – BTS
Let’s finish our ode to The Beatles, who broke up 50 years ago, this week, as we sing along with the staff at Mount Sinai South Nassau and a rendition of “Here Comes the Sun”. As we travel along the long and winding road we all need help at this time, and with a little help from our friends we’ll soon get back to normal soon.
Stay safe and stay indoors.
