The Beatles had Irish Catholic roots. They were baptised Catholics. Listen to the song “Let It Be.” Although they were into new age/hindu stuff as well.
I thought we were discussing the actual lyrics, not our most uncharitable, ungrounded personal interpretations of those lyrics.
If that’s the case, then maybe “Amazing Grace” is about a woman named Grace who rocked John Newton’s world in bed. Do you see how absurd this can get?
Each verse refers to one of the band-members. It’s not sinful to poke a little fun at yourself.
God is Love
It would be naive to believe that songwriters do not have an agenda. If you want to open yourself to sin, that’s fine for you, but you shouldn’t be preaching it to others.
I think George Harrison was an official Hindu or at least he died a Hindu.
IIRC, John, Paul and Ringo dabbled in it in '67-'68 but became disgusted by the Maharishi and his antics. One of John’s songs, in fact, is (or was intended to be) a veiled attack on Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. I think it’s the one that became “Sexy Sadie”. George is the only one to have gone full-on New-Age.
It only takes a small seed for sin to take root. Your belief that the song is innocent leads you to rationalize that the seed does not exist and before you know it, your reasoning has been compromised.
you’ve GOT to be kidding…give me a break.
Personally I cannot stand the beatles as individuals and I think their later music is as you describe. But lets be fair.
I’m not rationalizing anything. I have no doubt, not even a niggling sensation hiding in the back of my mind that there is something immoral going on in the song. When I listen to it all I hear is a beautiful and innocent song. By your reasoning we are “opening ourselves up to sin” by listening to a conversation such as “Hey Joe, hows your gardening going?” “its going really well, I really love my new hoe” Because people could take that to mean that the person is being immoral sexually. If I were to follow your reasoning on this I would have to shut myself up in a locked room, and put my fingers in my ears to make sure I don’t hear anything that might be understood by somebody somewhere to be dirty.
I suppose if you’re a complete numbskull with no education.
what do you mean by good? John Lennon said he would be more popular than Jesus. They all did drugs at one time or another. They practiced eastern Hinduism, I see interviews with Paul McCarthy that were full of swearing. They weren’t the nice people they tried to project.
I agree, I think one would have to have a twisted mind to look for blatant sin in any of those early hits. The Beatles were a one of a kind band. They did have talent, they were innovative for their time. Their music evolved as they did and it was their popularity and out of control lives that eventually were their undoing. Their music did reflect what they eventually involved themselves in such as drugs and eastern religions. Someone mentioned Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds which even Paul McCarty admitted in later interviews was about LSD even though it was claimed to be about some picture John Lennon’s son drew. Hey Jude clearly has the lyrics about drugs use but again it was claimed to be written to cheer up John’s son over his dad’s divorce. That is what great song writing does, it has multiple meanings and levels. Now is it sin to listen to all of the above? I probably don’t think so, their hits and songs have become ingrained in our culture. Do people now do drugs do to Hey Jude or Lucy? I don’t think so. Whether one loves them, hates them or in-between, they were a major influential band that now transcends time, a very talented and influential.
Because the Beatles were so big, people forget that they were just a band. And like any band I can think of they had a downward trajectory. Musically and personally. They lost their innocence in front of the world. From I want to hold your hand to Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. The Trajectory is clear. And like any downward spiral, it only ends in tragedy. If I am speaking with someone and they mention the Beatles, I don’t hold it against them. However, if they mention how great their stuff got towards the end, well then they have automatically told me about their values. Just because one can write double meanings and drug references into songs does not make the songs any more artistic than “I want to hold your hand” There are some real loonies out there. I am not kidding when I say that people have devoted most of their stoned lives to figuring out who a walrus was and an eggman.
But this downward trajectory is not unique to the Beatles. Michael Jackson, Elvis, Heck, even Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus. Anyone who tells you that “Scream” was better than “ABC 123” or “Thriller” has had too much Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.
Yes, I agree with you 100%!Because the Beatles were so big, people forget that they were just a band. And like any band I can think of they had a downward trajectory. Musically and personally. They lost their innocence in front of the world. From I want to hold your hand to Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. The Trajectory is clear. And like any downward spiral, it only ends in tragedy. If I am speaking with someone and they mention the Beatles, I don’t hold it against them. However, if they mention how great their stuff got towards the end, well then they have automatically told me about their values. Just because one can write double meanings and drug references into songs does not make the songs any more artistic than “I want to hold your hand” There are some real loonies out there. I am not kidding when I say that people have devoted most of their stoned lives to figuring out who a walrus was and an eggman.
I don’t like the Beatles. I especially don’t like what their fans seem to stand for. I don’t like them personally, and I don’t like them musically. BUT there is no way that if "hard day’s night comes on in the car my wife my kids and yes, even me sing it at the top of our lungs.
But to be fair, the same can be said for “Call Me Maybe”.
I agree!
That is NOT what he said! If you are going to use an example, then at least get it right.
And they all eventually stopped, too. Do you consider the same in people who sin at one time or another?
George Harrison was the only one who established an attachment to Hindu perspectives…does that really make him so bad? He was never Catholic nor had he ever professed to being Christian. In his own words, his family wasn’t “anything.” Or are you saying that all Hindus are bad people because they aren’t Catholic?
Really? I’d appreciate a link. I’ve seen many interviews with McCartney and, other than the English habit that if foreign to us here in America, never heard anything like you describe.