Media Maven’s Music Wedensday – A Beatles Lesson

For those of you who don’t know, I’m a Beatles fanatic.  Not a casual fan, but a fanatic.  I can tell you who the song “Dear Prudence” is about (Mia Farrow’s sister, Prudence), I can tell you about the first time The Boys smoked pot (it was with Bob Dylan at a party), and I can tell you that “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” is not about LSD (it was based on a drawing by John Lennon’s son Julian of his classmate Lucy).

And I can also tell you all about why The Beatles are the most important and influential musicians since Beethoven.  Since The Beatles started making records, music has never been the same, and no musical act has escaped the endless reach of the Fab Four’s influence.  I could write a year’s worth of blog posts on this subject, so I’ll refrain from getting into it much.   What I would like to show you though, are 3 modern-day songs that would not exist without the groundbreaking work of The Beatles before them.  These are great examples of how the music of The Beatles is still as important now is it was 40 years ago.

NOTE–All songs can be found here.  Just click on the appropriate track

 Pair #1: “Lady Madonna” by The Beatles & “Army” by Ben Folds

“Lady Madonna” is one of the quintessential pop/rock songs of all time, and its influence is easily apparent in Ben Fold’s great track.  I’ll let you figure it out for yourselves, but basically, keep an ear out for the song structure, the playful feel, and the storytelling in each.

 Pair #2: “Helter Skelter” by The Beatles & “Dimension” by Wolfmother

Think The Beatles didn’t know how to rock?  Well, as this track shows, they pretty much invented it.  Again, I want you to find the similarities on your own, but keep in mind the guitar tone, the monophonic texture (all the instruments playing the same notes at the same time), and the drumming.

Pair #3: “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” by The Beatles & “Get a Job” by The Offspring

I’m not even going to say anything.  If you can’t hear the similarities, you’re deaf.

Hopefully, you’ve taken the time to enjoy my little experiment here, and I hope you’ve got a newfound appreciation for The Beatles’ legacy.  Did you like what you heard?  Did you hear anything at all?  Please leave some comments!