“Real Love” is the latest pseudo Beatles single—constructed, like last year’s “Free as a Bird,” out of a late-’70s John Lennon tape and present-day Paul, George and Ringoisms—and it breaks me in half.
The Beatles were remarkable in many ways and early on, were very self-aware of how important (but never self-important) they had become not only in pop music, but pop culture or culture in general. Their work reflects the care they employed in making lovely, lasting songs. The Anthology project which was finally realized in the 90's after having been conceived during Lennon's lifetime, was a rare misstep, however well intentioned. While having the surviving members reflect and discuss their Beatles years was interesting, if not terribly revealing because w/o Lennon, their bravest truth teller (see RS Lennon Remembers series from 1970) was gone, it did not add to their legacy and the new songs culled from whatever Yoko was willing to hand over, lacked their usual magic w/o a living, breathing John Lennon to help shape and breathe life into them. Having Julian sing lead on the songs would have resulted in a better sound, his voice remarkably like his father's. But the songs were slight and half-formed. Better to Imagine (sorry, couldn't resist) their early 70's output, still strong, as a quartet instead of individual parts. Who will be the next Beatles? was a common refrain for years, but now we have learned, there never was or will be another Beatles for reasons that transcend musical gifts. I'm grateful to have been alive during their time and as Peter Jackson's Get Back documentary showed us, we remain mesmerized by them.
Pete Shelley named the problem well in the Buzzcocks song: “nostalgia/for an age yet to come.” I feel that way looking at Russian Constructivist art. So much energy, so much hope! All headed straight into the maw of Zhdanov & Stalin.
If you live long enough nostalgia in pop music is inescapable and usually just silly; turned on by weak facsimiles of our lost dear originals like, say, the Sonics still rocking out live in their 70s and 80s. Why not? Yay for our times. More Boomer nostalgia. But Boomer nostalgia in politics, say, like MAGA turning their nostalgia for white supremacy into violence against their political enemies, Trumpworld mass murders, armed insurrection, always punching down at the weak, now these are some fucking problems we might want to blame on nostalgia. Examples of truly heinously bad nostalgia, you might say. More Beatles mania, maybe bad but not so bad. "What is it that you’re truly nostalgic for, the music or the death?" I'm going with both in that nostalgia for music is for the way it felt when we first fell for it and nostalgia for death is how that death, loss of that music, changes, maybe heightens, certainly makes more precious, and often distorts our musical memories and so our ideas about the way the music feels. P.S. I'm on page 107 of A New Literary History of America. Loved the Silence Dogood story. Had no idea. Great stuff.
The Beatles were remarkable in many ways and early on, were very self-aware of how important (but never self-important) they had become not only in pop music, but pop culture or culture in general. Their work reflects the care they employed in making lovely, lasting songs. The Anthology project which was finally realized in the 90's after having been conceived during Lennon's lifetime, was a rare misstep, however well intentioned. While having the surviving members reflect and discuss their Beatles years was interesting, if not terribly revealing because w/o Lennon, their bravest truth teller (see RS Lennon Remembers series from 1970) was gone, it did not add to their legacy and the new songs culled from whatever Yoko was willing to hand over, lacked their usual magic w/o a living, breathing John Lennon to help shape and breathe life into them. Having Julian sing lead on the songs would have resulted in a better sound, his voice remarkably like his father's. But the songs were slight and half-formed. Better to Imagine (sorry, couldn't resist) their early 70's output, still strong, as a quartet instead of individual parts. Who will be the next Beatles? was a common refrain for years, but now we have learned, there never was or will be another Beatles for reasons that transcend musical gifts. I'm grateful to have been alive during their time and as Peter Jackson's Get Back documentary showed us, we remain mesmerized by them.
reading this made me nostalgic for browsing in record stores. Where have all the record stores gone ?
Pete Shelley named the problem well in the Buzzcocks song: “nostalgia/for an age yet to come.” I feel that way looking at Russian Constructivist art. So much energy, so much hope! All headed straight into the maw of Zhdanov & Stalin.
You just turned this article on it’s early for me just now!
If you live long enough nostalgia in pop music is inescapable and usually just silly; turned on by weak facsimiles of our lost dear originals like, say, the Sonics still rocking out live in their 70s and 80s. Why not? Yay for our times. More Boomer nostalgia. But Boomer nostalgia in politics, say, like MAGA turning their nostalgia for white supremacy into violence against their political enemies, Trumpworld mass murders, armed insurrection, always punching down at the weak, now these are some fucking problems we might want to blame on nostalgia. Examples of truly heinously bad nostalgia, you might say. More Beatles mania, maybe bad but not so bad. "What is it that you’re truly nostalgic for, the music or the death?" I'm going with both in that nostalgia for music is for the way it felt when we first fell for it and nostalgia for death is how that death, loss of that music, changes, maybe heightens, certainly makes more precious, and often distorts our musical memories and so our ideas about the way the music feels. P.S. I'm on page 107 of A New Literary History of America. Loved the Silence Dogood story. Had no idea. Great stuff.