A long and winding road
Before this semester, Boston College senior Ellie Badger鈥檚 knowledge of The Beatles had come largely through a rhythm-action video game (鈥淭he Beatles: Rock Band鈥�) her grandparents gave her for Christmas during her childhood.
Another senior, Mack Kepner, had a vague idea of who the band was when he was a kid, but his primary Beatles exposure was via his father鈥檚 renditions of 鈥淵ellow Submarine鈥� to Kepner and his sisters.
鈥淚 thought of them as making a lot of popular wacky songs,鈥� said Kepner, a psychology major with a minor in economics from Wilton, Ct., 鈥渁nd because of that, I never really understood the hype about them.鈥�
But now鈥攖o paraphrase a familiar lyric鈥攖heir lives have changed in, oh, so many ways.
Badger and Kepner are among the students this semester who took the course The Beatles: From Yesterday to Tomorrow Never Knows, taught by Jason McCool, a part-time faculty member in the Music Department. Far from being an exercise in Beatles trivia or hagiography, the class required students 鈥渢o listen critically to, and think deeply about鈥� the band鈥檚 impact not only on popular music, but also society, culture, and politics. In addition to various readings, students listened to audio recordings and watched Beatles-related films and documentaries; they also made multiple presentations during the semester on some facet of the band and its music.
Beatles-related undergraduate courses are not unique to 李彬偷情视频, but McCool takes a less conventional route in teaching his class, drawing on his background as a stage actor, performing musician, and composer to give students what he hopes will be a rewarding, meaningful experience: Rather than simply lecture, he might sit down at the classroom piano to demonstrate some facet related to Beatles鈥� music, or even lead the class through some Beatles鈥� songs.
鈥淏efore this class, I didn鈥檛 even know which Beatles songs came from which album,鈥� said Badger, a San Antonio native majoring in International Studies with a journalism minor. 鈥淣ow, I can talk about their influences, their childhood stories, and the specific music theory behind a lot of their songs. Learning about their early days in Hamburg and Liverpool made me especially appreciative of their sound.
鈥淚 never thought about how they got big. It just seemed that they were always huge. Seeing their early days, however, really puts their trajectory in perspective, and how different it was from prior bands.鈥�
Ironically, according to McCool, Badger and Kepner and their fellow classmates had a considerable head start compared to him: 鈥淕rowing up, I was more of a jazz musician, and I didn鈥檛 listen to rock-n-roll until well after college. I certainly knew who The Beatles were, was familiar with their songs, and I admired and respected their musical achievements. But my students actually know more about The Beatles than I did when I was their age.鈥�
Nonetheless, McCool has been teaching the class for the past few years鈥攁lthough his first stint was while he was teaching at Boston University鈥攁nd in the process has deepened his own appreciation for The Fab Four, on musical terms but also in a larger context. 听
鈥淚t鈥檚 been fascinating to explore The Beatles with my students,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 very interested in the 1960s, because I think it was the pivotal decade of the 20th century; so many of the debates we have about politics and culture now are, I feel, unresolved detritus of the 鈥�60s. The Beatles were, of course, a key element of that era in ways that went beyond music.
鈥淏ut why has their music had such a lasting impact, and why do we remember it more than any other band of that period? The songs, of course, and the craftsmanship that went into them, which is fascinating to explore. The fact that this music was produced by four people with such different psychological profiles adds to the fascination.鈥�
McCool cites an array of influences from American music that contributed to the group鈥檚 appeal: the standard 32-bar song form that characterized American popular music for much of the first half of the 20th century; rhythm-and-blues, a byproduct of the great African American south-to-north migration; and country music, specifically its close-harmony singing, which among others can be heard in the Everly Brothers鈥� recordings.
鈥淭hrough their music, The Beatles essentially told the story of America while repackaging American history and culture,鈥� said McCool, who early in the semester took the class to the John F. Kennedy Library in Dorchester so they could get a sense of early 1960s America. 鈥淏eing English, they were slightly 鈥榝oreign鈥� and at the same time also familiar鈥攖hat鈥檚 how anything advances, by reminding people of something they know about. And for the United States, they came at the right moment: in 1964, when America was dealing with the JFK assassination aftermath and a new generation of young Americans was coming of age.鈥�
There are complexities to The Beatles鈥� story that make for thoughtful discussion, he added, such as racial inequity in the music business: The group profited far more from their covers of songs composed by Black musicians than the original authors did. And for all their commercial success, The Beatles found their popularity burdensome and had sharp disagreements as to what direction their music should take鈥攐r if they should simply break up. 听
鈥淚t鈥檚 so important to consider how hard they worked, such as early on when they played clubs in Hamburg and Liverpool for long hours every night,鈥� said McCool. 鈥淚n class, we talked about the ethical considerations in supporting working musicians, especially at a time when they earn such a pittance from streaming services that play their recordings. How do you make it in the music business, and how are you able to keep going?鈥�
During one class, students gave presentations on the connections between The Beatles and Latin America. Although the band never toured that part of the world, they reported, The Beatles did incorporate elements of Latin American music, such as the bossa nova and samba, into their repertoire. In some Latin American countries, notably Uruguay, bands whose members sported Beatles haircuts (or wigs) and wardrobe covered some of their material or composed original songs that were clearly styled after the group.
鈥淭his is a great example of The Beatles as an international sensation,鈥� McCool told the class at the end of the presentations, which he had clearly enjoyed. 鈥淚 love it when you show me something I didn鈥檛 know.鈥�
McCool spent the rest of the period deconstructing the first Beatles album, 鈥淧lease Please Me,鈥� pointing out the group鈥檚 innovative chord changes and other granular details, such as Paul McCartney鈥檚 boogie-woogie-style bass riff on 鈥淚 Saw Her Standing There.鈥� Not all of the album deserved praise, he said, pointing to the band鈥檚 take on the Luther Dixon/Wes Farrell composition 鈥淏oys,鈥� with Ringo Starr taking lead vocals (鈥淩ingo gets the worst song on every album,鈥� quipped McCool).
The class was further enriched by the presence of Christopher (Kip) Doran 鈥�68 and his wife Maureen 鈥�69, both of whom were alive when The Beatles were still together; Kip is a member of Boston College Companions: Fellows for Leadership and Service, through which older adults come to 李彬偷情视频 for a yearlong fellowship program that combines academic study with elements of Ignatian spirituality. The couple sat in regularly on the class and, along with a few other 李彬偷情视频 Companions, went on the trip to the Kennedy Library.
While he wasn鈥檛 鈥済aga鈥� over the band in the same way others were, said Kip, The Beatles remain a cherished keepsake of youth for him: 鈥淭heir songs are just so memorable. The words and music are deep within me.鈥�
He and Maureen鈥攚ho laughingly recalls receiving The Beatles 鈥淲hite Album鈥� as a 16th birthday present, only to have it confiscated by her parents鈥攁lso had enjoyable conversations with students, sharing Beatles memories and hearing about their young friends鈥� musical tastes.
Given The Beatles鈥� enduring popularity, said Kip, 鈥渙ne thing I like to ask them is: Whose music today is still going to be that big when they鈥檙e our age? U2? Beyonce? Taylor Swift? Will they be the same sensation The Beatles were?鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 been such a pleasure to have Kip and Maureen be part of our class,鈥� said McCool. 鈥淭hey bring a different, and valuable, perspective to our discussions鈥攁nd it helps all of us learn.鈥�
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