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Beatles Survey Meme
Found in the larger lj world. At last a Beatles meme that doesn't ask me too many question about the merchandise. As opposed to, you know, the music.
1) How long have you been a Beatles fan?
I picked up the habit subconsciously as a child and teenager from my parents, who were fans already. Conscious listenings, knowing who sang what and aquisitions of biographies and the like started from ca. 17 onwards. Since then, it's cyclic; I have periods of being intensely fannish - like right now - and periods when I'm content to just randomly name innocent fanfiction after song titles from them and otherwise don't bother anyone. :)
2) How did you discover The Beatles?
See above. Dad had the blue and red "best of" compilation records at home and being born in 1969, I can't remember a time when they weren't played now and then. Once the age of the CD arrived, I started buying the original albums for myself and found out there were many more Beatles songs I hadn't known about. It was quite a thrill.
3) Which “era” (early, mid, or late) do you prefer?
Depends in which sense. Musically? Visually? Biographically? If I have to pic only one, it would probably the mid era (i.e. Rubber Soul/Revolver/Sgt. Pepper), combining all that musical experimentation and rich versatility with an era where personal relationships were still good. But the early moptop era has its charm, and sometimes you're just in the mood for the simple upbeat optimism of She Loves You, not Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds-type psychedelia. On the other hand, the late period is heartbreaking to read about (also, guys, all those beards did no one any favours), but produced such amazing music. I don't think any other band said goodbye in such style.
4) Which album(s) is your favorite?
One from each era, less won't do. Help is pushing it as an early era example, I know, but I declare it still counts. Album love because of the title song and John going Dylan on it with You've got to hide your love away, Paul writing the still most covered song of all time with Yesterday and that underappreciated gem, I've just seen a face, and George discovering the sitar. Revolver or Rubber Soul for the middle period, depending on my mood, but if you put a gun on my head, Revolver, because it has Eleanor Rigby. Abbey Road for the late period. Most amazing swan song ever.
5) Which album(s) is your least favorite?
The White Album has some fantastic songs but it also reeks of the discontent it was made in and, as John once observed (only he meant it as a a plus), is basically John with the band, Paul with the band, George with the band, as opposed to the band playing together which is the case with the albums before and after. Magical Mystery Tour would probably be a fairer choice musically speaking, but that's not really an album, it's an EP.
6) What are your top 10 Beatles songs?
I suck at top ten compilations. Every time I pick one, I'm all "but what about the 40 others I also love?" But okay. I'll try. Not in order of preference but time of composition, and prone to change day by day:
a) I Saw Her Standing There (definitely my favourite early Beatles song in its urgent energy and fun)
b) If I Fell (aka proof John could write wonderful ballads as well; also it showcases terrific voice harmony between him and Paul)
c) Yesterday (I don't care how much every supermarket in the world has played that song, it's immortal for a reason)
d) Norwegian Wood (picked over In My Life as an example of John doing Dylan, but it's a close contest)
e) Eleanor Rigby (I love most of Paul's short-story-type of songs, but that one more than any of the others)
f) With a Little Help From My Friends (the ultimate Ringo song, and a damn charming Lennon/McCartney one)
g) Hey Jude (of all the later Beatles anthem type of songs the one that never fails to speak to me)
h) Two of Us (for the voice harmony, for the surreal imagery - "two of us standing solo in our raincoats in the sun" - for the wistful, dogged optimism and longing; there are a lot better songs on the album it comes from alone, let alone the period, but in terms of my fannish love, it wins)
i) Something (I feel bad already for including only one George song, but, see above mentioned problem - anyway, Something is all anyone ever said and more)
j) Because (late John is minimalistic in his lyrics but no less effective, and John, Paul and George singing in perfect, exquisite pitch for the very last time is simply stunning)
7) Are there any Beatles songs you really don’t like?
Revolution No.9. Sorry, John. It really should have been on the Two Virgins album instead.
8) What are your views on each of the Beatles films?
A Hard Day’s Night: 'Tis impossible not to love. Endlessly quotable, still funny, and hey, that music isn't half bad, either.
Help!: Depends on my mood whether it's too over the top silly or entertaining for me.
Magical Mystery Tour: Basically MTV before there was MTV, nice try for 60s style improvisationalism with the script, but while the songs are good as ever, I can see why it flopped. Sorry, Paul.
Yellow Submarine: Must be the only animated film where once the baddies are defeated they're not killed or banished but embraced in the community. Awww, 60s style optimism.
Let it Be: Watching it is fannish masochism, which is why I did it only once, but excerpts on YouTube are bearable. Especially the group performing Don't Let Me Down, which captures their in-synch playing and sheer joy in the music even at this late stage and with things falling apart beautifully.
9) Do you have a favorite Beatle?
Check out my top ten song list and make a guess. Why yes, I'm a Paul girl. Err, woman. For sheer musical versatility; take Revolver, where he comes up with a brash mowtown flavour rock song like Got to get you into my life, a flawless love song like Here, There and Everywhere, a complete anti-love song - or rather, one of the starkest, uncompromising (no hope of reconciliation there) descriptions of a couple just living next to each other with no connection anymore in For No One and that surrealistic look at old age and isolation, Eleanor Rigby. But also because for all the flaws - bossiness, ego, thin skin when it comes to criticism - I find the fact that the man was and remains an optimist despite having lived through his share of tragedy since he was 14 and is still composing, still on the road playing his music incredibly endearing. Not to mention that he and Linda managed to raise four children who made it into adulthood without any of the usual trappings of superstar offsprings and that he's so unabashedly proud of them (down to faithfully taking pictures of each of Stella's fashion creations). Moreover, while "rebel" is always going to be a more popular and fashionable role in rock mythology than "taskmaster", I do think he had the hardest and most thankless role in the group - being the one to get everyone into the studio time and again, to practice, do that one more take, start that new project, etc, he gave it all he had, and he's the one I feel most for when it all falls apart. Lastly, he does things like that.
10) What’s your favorite solo John song?
Depends on my mood, but right now it's not one of the big ones like Imagine or Working Class Hero, it's Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox). Perhaps because it feels personal without feeling navel-gazing, and for the energy.
11) Solo Paul song?
Again, depends on my mood. Right now I'm in the mood for Mamunia, and there is a reason why Band on the Run (the song) is a classic as well as the album - those three very different sections nonetheless making a perfect musical whole, the claustrophobia of the beginning exploding into freedom, energy and movement, but overall it's probably Here Today.
12) Solo George song?
Got my mind set on you. Aw, Travelling Wilburys.
13) Solo Ringo song?
Photograph. Aw, Ringo.
14) How do you feel about Yoko?
I’m not fannish about her the way I am about the Beatles because I can’t relate to much of her art, but that doesn’t mean I don’t see her as an artist. (I’m not fannish about Joseph Beuys, either, but I can see why he had the impact he did.) As with Paul, I find the fact she’s still out there creating and performing admirable and endearing, and she seems to have a great relationship with her son. (Ask me about my “why Yoko and Paul have far more in common than biographers who favour one or the other would like to admit and why consequently it doesn’t surprise me at all John kept equating them” theory some other time.) What bewilders me is how Yoko opinions usually come only in two flavours – either she’s demonized and vilified to a ridiculous degree and blamed for everything under the sun, or she’s the most amazing female icon who ever lived and every criticism of her must be sexist or racist. I see her as flawed but God knows so was John, and a lot of what she gets blamed for (like his treatment of Julian) was squarely his own responsibility and fault.
15) How do you feel about John’s relationship with Brian?
Mostly I feel sorry for Brian. He could have started a club with Cynthia and May and written a treatise on the subject on why falling for John Lennon means a constant switcheroo between emotional hugs and slaps, being exposed to neediness and humiliation in an ongoing pattern. Whether or not he actually got some sex out of that (in Barcelona or elsewhere) isn't as important as the emotional impact.
16) Is there more to your love of the Beatles than just their music?
I love their sense of humour as well, the somewhat dysfunctional family they formed (I have a thing for complex emotional relationships), and the way they really did capture the spirit of the 60s, however you want to define it.
17) Are the Beatles actually the greatest band in the history of music? Are they your favorite?
I'm not a musician, and the history of music is far from other, so I'm not qualified for a judgment on the former when it comes to other people. But just as to me, personally, they are the greatest, and they are definitely my favourite band of all time.
18) Tell us one unusual/controversial opinion you have on the Beatles.
There isn't an unusual opinion about the Beatles any more than there is in any other fandom. Even if you think you're in the minority and oh so controversial, someone else is guaranteed to have voiced it before; in all likelihood several someones. For what it's worth, I'll have a go: I'm glad there never was a Beatles reunion, because no matter how hard they would have tried, it would have been an anticlimax - people's expectations simply were too high. Going out at the peak of their creative powers was the last step to ensuring their immortality, perverse as that is.
19) Do you have a favourite Lennon/McCartney song they wrote for other artists during the Beatles years?
It's For You, which they wrote for Cilla Black. By the way, as opposed to, say, World Without Love (written for Peter & Gordon), which is easy to imagine on one of the early Beatles albums, It's For You seems to be tailored for Cilla's voice, and I can't imagine the boys singing it.
20) Tell us one of your favorite Beatle moments.
The initial press conference when they arrived in New York City for the first time, turning the dumb question from the reporters (who in all fairness weren't used to pop stars actually able to converse with more than a mumbled reply) into an instant comedy session, with the witty answers coming instantly and all four playing off each other.
21) Name your favorite song from each album:
Please Please Me: I Saw Her Standing There, followed closely by Twist & Shout.
With the Beatles: All My Loving
A Hard Day’s Night: The title track or If I Fell, the later barely having the edge
Beatles for Sale: Words of Love, for the harmonies. Also Buddy Holly was one of the big influences on Lennon/McCartney, and this is the only time they recorded one of their covers.
Help!: Yesterday. See above.
Rubber Soul: Norwegian Wood. Barely wins over In My Life and Nowhere Man.
Revolver: Eleanor Rigby. See above. Also, if Paul McCartney had written nothing else before or after, that one alone would have ensured him a spot in music history.
Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band: With a Little Help From My Friends. It ought to be A Day in the Life, I know, but it's not.
Magical Mystery Tour: The Fool on the Hill.
The White Album: Back in the USSR for the hilarity, Blackbird and Julia because they're both beautiful and poetic. Can't make up my mind between these three.
(Sorry, George. While My Guitar Gently Weeps is fabulous, but I can't claim I love it as much!)
Yellow Submarine: Hey Bulldog. Because it has one of the funnest, most joyful filmed recordings. (Done just before they left for India, i.e predating the White Album, actually.)
Let it Be: Two of Us. See above.
Abbey Road: Something as an individual song, no question, but the medley on side two is something else again. By the time we get to Paul singing "once there was a way to get back home" (in Golden Slumbers), I'm regularly reduced to fannish putty, which gets only more so through The End, and when everyone sings "and, in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make"... *flails*
22) Post your favorite group picture, John pic, Paul pic, George pic, and Ringo pic.
Group pic:
Aka the family trip to the seaside one. :) (It cracks me up that John and Paul on the one hand, and George and Ringo on the other have the same sitting positions. Does that emphasize the Dad, Mum and the kids impression or what?)
John:
You know, the John & cats thing always made perfect sense to me. They're independent, so they don't scare him with responsibility, they can be tender, and he did have the soft side beneath the bristly attitude, and they can scratch as well if they feel like it, and he needed a challenge.
Paul:
A bit cheating because it's not a solo portrait, but hell, if I can allow John the cat I can allow Paul that Lennon guy on the side of the picture. Which really is my favourite, because if you're as ridiculously pretty as Macca was as a young man, looking a bit ruffled makes it more real somehow, and there's just great warmth there:
George:
Astrid's portrait of him in Hamburg. The boy really had cheekbones to die for.
Ringo:
Aka young Richard Starkey hangs out with some crazy kids in Hamburg. Clearly, they need an adult to supervise. Slightly more seriously, it does strike how much older Ringo looks in this photo when he was still playing for Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. (Underlining what Paul meant when he said Ringo was the grown-up in the group.) Which he doesn't really once he actually joins the Beatles; just compare and contrast:
1) How long have you been a Beatles fan?
I picked up the habit subconsciously as a child and teenager from my parents, who were fans already. Conscious listenings, knowing who sang what and aquisitions of biographies and the like started from ca. 17 onwards. Since then, it's cyclic; I have periods of being intensely fannish - like right now - and periods when I'm content to just randomly name innocent fanfiction after song titles from them and otherwise don't bother anyone. :)
2) How did you discover The Beatles?
See above. Dad had the blue and red "best of" compilation records at home and being born in 1969, I can't remember a time when they weren't played now and then. Once the age of the CD arrived, I started buying the original albums for myself and found out there were many more Beatles songs I hadn't known about. It was quite a thrill.
3) Which “era” (early, mid, or late) do you prefer?
Depends in which sense. Musically? Visually? Biographically? If I have to pic only one, it would probably the mid era (i.e. Rubber Soul/Revolver/Sgt. Pepper), combining all that musical experimentation and rich versatility with an era where personal relationships were still good. But the early moptop era has its charm, and sometimes you're just in the mood for the simple upbeat optimism of She Loves You, not Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds-type psychedelia. On the other hand, the late period is heartbreaking to read about (also, guys, all those beards did no one any favours), but produced such amazing music. I don't think any other band said goodbye in such style.
4) Which album(s) is your favorite?
One from each era, less won't do. Help is pushing it as an early era example, I know, but I declare it still counts. Album love because of the title song and John going Dylan on it with You've got to hide your love away, Paul writing the still most covered song of all time with Yesterday and that underappreciated gem, I've just seen a face, and George discovering the sitar. Revolver or Rubber Soul for the middle period, depending on my mood, but if you put a gun on my head, Revolver, because it has Eleanor Rigby. Abbey Road for the late period. Most amazing swan song ever.
5) Which album(s) is your least favorite?
The White Album has some fantastic songs but it also reeks of the discontent it was made in and, as John once observed (only he meant it as a a plus), is basically John with the band, Paul with the band, George with the band, as opposed to the band playing together which is the case with the albums before and after. Magical Mystery Tour would probably be a fairer choice musically speaking, but that's not really an album, it's an EP.
6) What are your top 10 Beatles songs?
I suck at top ten compilations. Every time I pick one, I'm all "but what about the 40 others I also love?" But okay. I'll try. Not in order of preference but time of composition, and prone to change day by day:
a) I Saw Her Standing There (definitely my favourite early Beatles song in its urgent energy and fun)
b) If I Fell (aka proof John could write wonderful ballads as well; also it showcases terrific voice harmony between him and Paul)
c) Yesterday (I don't care how much every supermarket in the world has played that song, it's immortal for a reason)
d) Norwegian Wood (picked over In My Life as an example of John doing Dylan, but it's a close contest)
e) Eleanor Rigby (I love most of Paul's short-story-type of songs, but that one more than any of the others)
f) With a Little Help From My Friends (the ultimate Ringo song, and a damn charming Lennon/McCartney one)
g) Hey Jude (of all the later Beatles anthem type of songs the one that never fails to speak to me)
h) Two of Us (for the voice harmony, for the surreal imagery - "two of us standing solo in our raincoats in the sun" - for the wistful, dogged optimism and longing; there are a lot better songs on the album it comes from alone, let alone the period, but in terms of my fannish love, it wins)
i) Something (I feel bad already for including only one George song, but, see above mentioned problem - anyway, Something is all anyone ever said and more)
j) Because (late John is minimalistic in his lyrics but no less effective, and John, Paul and George singing in perfect, exquisite pitch for the very last time is simply stunning)
7) Are there any Beatles songs you really don’t like?
Revolution No.9. Sorry, John. It really should have been on the Two Virgins album instead.
8) What are your views on each of the Beatles films?
A Hard Day’s Night: 'Tis impossible not to love. Endlessly quotable, still funny, and hey, that music isn't half bad, either.
Help!: Depends on my mood whether it's too over the top silly or entertaining for me.
Magical Mystery Tour: Basically MTV before there was MTV, nice try for 60s style improvisationalism with the script, but while the songs are good as ever, I can see why it flopped. Sorry, Paul.
Yellow Submarine: Must be the only animated film where once the baddies are defeated they're not killed or banished but embraced in the community. Awww, 60s style optimism.
Let it Be: Watching it is fannish masochism, which is why I did it only once, but excerpts on YouTube are bearable. Especially the group performing Don't Let Me Down, which captures their in-synch playing and sheer joy in the music even at this late stage and with things falling apart beautifully.
9) Do you have a favorite Beatle?
Check out my top ten song list and make a guess. Why yes, I'm a Paul girl. Err, woman. For sheer musical versatility; take Revolver, where he comes up with a brash mowtown flavour rock song like Got to get you into my life, a flawless love song like Here, There and Everywhere, a complete anti-love song - or rather, one of the starkest, uncompromising (no hope of reconciliation there) descriptions of a couple just living next to each other with no connection anymore in For No One and that surrealistic look at old age and isolation, Eleanor Rigby. But also because for all the flaws - bossiness, ego, thin skin when it comes to criticism - I find the fact that the man was and remains an optimist despite having lived through his share of tragedy since he was 14 and is still composing, still on the road playing his music incredibly endearing. Not to mention that he and Linda managed to raise four children who made it into adulthood without any of the usual trappings of superstar offsprings and that he's so unabashedly proud of them (down to faithfully taking pictures of each of Stella's fashion creations). Moreover, while "rebel" is always going to be a more popular and fashionable role in rock mythology than "taskmaster", I do think he had the hardest and most thankless role in the group - being the one to get everyone into the studio time and again, to practice, do that one more take, start that new project, etc, he gave it all he had, and he's the one I feel most for when it all falls apart. Lastly, he does things like that.
10) What’s your favorite solo John song?
Depends on my mood, but right now it's not one of the big ones like Imagine or Working Class Hero, it's Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox). Perhaps because it feels personal without feeling navel-gazing, and for the energy.
11) Solo Paul song?
Again, depends on my mood. Right now I'm in the mood for Mamunia, and there is a reason why Band on the Run (the song) is a classic as well as the album - those three very different sections nonetheless making a perfect musical whole, the claustrophobia of the beginning exploding into freedom, energy and movement, but overall it's probably Here Today.
12) Solo George song?
Got my mind set on you. Aw, Travelling Wilburys.
13) Solo Ringo song?
Photograph. Aw, Ringo.
14) How do you feel about Yoko?
I’m not fannish about her the way I am about the Beatles because I can’t relate to much of her art, but that doesn’t mean I don’t see her as an artist. (I’m not fannish about Joseph Beuys, either, but I can see why he had the impact he did.) As with Paul, I find the fact she’s still out there creating and performing admirable and endearing, and she seems to have a great relationship with her son. (Ask me about my “why Yoko and Paul have far more in common than biographers who favour one or the other would like to admit and why consequently it doesn’t surprise me at all John kept equating them” theory some other time.) What bewilders me is how Yoko opinions usually come only in two flavours – either she’s demonized and vilified to a ridiculous degree and blamed for everything under the sun, or she’s the most amazing female icon who ever lived and every criticism of her must be sexist or racist. I see her as flawed but God knows so was John, and a lot of what she gets blamed for (like his treatment of Julian) was squarely his own responsibility and fault.
15) How do you feel about John’s relationship with Brian?
Mostly I feel sorry for Brian. He could have started a club with Cynthia and May and written a treatise on the subject on why falling for John Lennon means a constant switcheroo between emotional hugs and slaps, being exposed to neediness and humiliation in an ongoing pattern. Whether or not he actually got some sex out of that (in Barcelona or elsewhere) isn't as important as the emotional impact.
16) Is there more to your love of the Beatles than just their music?
I love their sense of humour as well, the somewhat dysfunctional family they formed (I have a thing for complex emotional relationships), and the way they really did capture the spirit of the 60s, however you want to define it.
17) Are the Beatles actually the greatest band in the history of music? Are they your favorite?
I'm not a musician, and the history of music is far from other, so I'm not qualified for a judgment on the former when it comes to other people. But just as to me, personally, they are the greatest, and they are definitely my favourite band of all time.
18) Tell us one unusual/controversial opinion you have on the Beatles.
There isn't an unusual opinion about the Beatles any more than there is in any other fandom. Even if you think you're in the minority and oh so controversial, someone else is guaranteed to have voiced it before; in all likelihood several someones. For what it's worth, I'll have a go: I'm glad there never was a Beatles reunion, because no matter how hard they would have tried, it would have been an anticlimax - people's expectations simply were too high. Going out at the peak of their creative powers was the last step to ensuring their immortality, perverse as that is.
19) Do you have a favourite Lennon/McCartney song they wrote for other artists during the Beatles years?
It's For You, which they wrote for Cilla Black. By the way, as opposed to, say, World Without Love (written for Peter & Gordon), which is easy to imagine on one of the early Beatles albums, It's For You seems to be tailored for Cilla's voice, and I can't imagine the boys singing it.
20) Tell us one of your favorite Beatle moments.
The initial press conference when they arrived in New York City for the first time, turning the dumb question from the reporters (who in all fairness weren't used to pop stars actually able to converse with more than a mumbled reply) into an instant comedy session, with the witty answers coming instantly and all four playing off each other.
21) Name your favorite song from each album:
Please Please Me: I Saw Her Standing There, followed closely by Twist & Shout.
With the Beatles: All My Loving
A Hard Day’s Night: The title track or If I Fell, the later barely having the edge
Beatles for Sale: Words of Love, for the harmonies. Also Buddy Holly was one of the big influences on Lennon/McCartney, and this is the only time they recorded one of their covers.
Help!: Yesterday. See above.
Rubber Soul: Norwegian Wood. Barely wins over In My Life and Nowhere Man.
Revolver: Eleanor Rigby. See above. Also, if Paul McCartney had written nothing else before or after, that one alone would have ensured him a spot in music history.
Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band: With a Little Help From My Friends. It ought to be A Day in the Life, I know, but it's not.
Magical Mystery Tour: The Fool on the Hill.
The White Album: Back in the USSR for the hilarity, Blackbird and Julia because they're both beautiful and poetic. Can't make up my mind between these three.
(Sorry, George. While My Guitar Gently Weeps is fabulous, but I can't claim I love it as much!)
Yellow Submarine: Hey Bulldog. Because it has one of the funnest, most joyful filmed recordings. (Done just before they left for India, i.e predating the White Album, actually.)
Let it Be: Two of Us. See above.
Abbey Road: Something as an individual song, no question, but the medley on side two is something else again. By the time we get to Paul singing "once there was a way to get back home" (in Golden Slumbers), I'm regularly reduced to fannish putty, which gets only more so through The End, and when everyone sings "and, in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make"... *flails*
22) Post your favorite group picture, John pic, Paul pic, George pic, and Ringo pic.
Group pic:
Aka the family trip to the seaside one. :) (It cracks me up that John and Paul on the one hand, and George and Ringo on the other have the same sitting positions. Does that emphasize the Dad, Mum and the kids impression or what?)
John:
You know, the John & cats thing always made perfect sense to me. They're independent, so they don't scare him with responsibility, they can be tender, and he did have the soft side beneath the bristly attitude, and they can scratch as well if they feel like it, and he needed a challenge.
Paul:
A bit cheating because it's not a solo portrait, but hell, if I can allow John the cat I can allow Paul that Lennon guy on the side of the picture. Which really is my favourite, because if you're as ridiculously pretty as Macca was as a young man, looking a bit ruffled makes it more real somehow, and there's just great warmth there:
George:
Astrid's portrait of him in Hamburg. The boy really had cheekbones to die for.
Ringo:
Aka young Richard Starkey hangs out with some crazy kids in Hamburg. Clearly, they need an adult to supervise. Slightly more seriously, it does strike how much older Ringo looks in this photo when he was still playing for Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. (Underlining what Paul meant when he said Ringo was the grown-up in the group.) Which he doesn't really once he actually joins the Beatles; just compare and contrast:
no subject
I share many opinions with you - especially -2,-3,-6,-17 ,-18.
Also the favourite Paul's pic that you picked up is mine as well, it captures something special about the two of them and has a place in my heart forever.
no subject