THE BEATLES HAD IT RIGHT
THE BEATLES HAD IT RIGHT
by Bill Knell
The Beatles were not just one of the most famous and successful rock bands of the 1960s, they were also right about some things. Their song ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE made a simple, yet powerful, statement. Too many people use LOVE as a hustle. They say “I Love You” to get some sex, a place to crash, a car to use, or money; then move on to their next victim. Get it right. LOVE is a verb. It requires legitimate and selfless action to be real. The Beatles knew that and acted on it.
People have forgotten, or never been told, that the Fab Four established Apple Corps to help young performers get started and guard their music assets; but it was also much more. Besides the Apple Records label, there was Apple Films, an electronic research and development company and other ventures. Their company still exists today.
Their Apple Corps produced some fruit. The Beatles had an electronics expert invent One Button Dialing so it would be easier for them to phone each other! Little known, but very talented performers like Mary Hopkin got a chance to record and ended up with a number one hit song in most Countries including the USA (Those Were The Days, 1969). Best of all, a portion of the profits, including royalties from their music catalog, went to help needy people and charaties.
The Beatles had good intentions, but found themselves caught up in the turbulence, anarchy and anti-war sentiments of the 1960s. The most politically active member was John Lennon. He wrote REVOLUTION (1968) for the band and GIVE PEACE A CHANCE (1969) for his solo album.
These were less caustic anti-war songs than others like FORTUNATE SON (Credence Clearwater Revival, 1969) and WAR (Edwin Starr, 1970). I was never a hippie and wasn't anti-war. However, looking back, it seems The Beatles may have been right again.
As soon as we pulled out of South Vietnam in 1975, the communists in North Vietnam overran it. The war failed to accomplish anything and produced many casualties. According to Google:
“The war exacted an enormous cost: estimates of Vietnamese soldiers and civilians killed range from 970,000 to 3 million. Some 275,000–310,000 Cambodians, 20,000–62,000 Laotians, and 58,220 US service members died.”
Today the former North and South Vietnam are unified as the Socialist Republic Of Vietnam. It's a Communist Country. We thank those Americans who died, became disabled and suffered other physical and mental maladies due to the Vietnam Conflict by going there as tourists and trading with them to get cheaper prices on things made by slave labor.
We called it a war, and it was, but the Cowards of the U.S. Congress never had the guts to declare war against North Vietnam for fear of upsetting the Soviet Union. Thanks President Johnson. The same was true of the Korean War, which was also undeclared and officially known as a “Police Action”. Thanks President Truman. Presidents have to ask Congress for a Declaration of War.
The Beatles were no angels. They followed false prophets and religions, used illegal drugs and sometimes set bad examples. Despite their shortcomings, the boys from Liverpool were right about some things and these are lessons from the past that we can apply to the present.
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