George Harrison, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Ringo Starr became famous during the 1960's when they debuted as the rock and roll group, The Beatles. Each of the four Beatles is creatively connected to the others by way of the title to this article. The Beatles created beautiful music for many people. At the time of their inception, they were unique, one of a kind.
Even though our parents called them "non-comformists" because of their long hair, they worked hard to leave a musical impression on all of us. George, Paul, John and Ringo had long hair, though, the style for guys during the early 1960's was a brush cut, a.k.a. a "baldy sour." I remember an American Bandstand promotion to give away hair brushes used by the Beatles. The only way to use a hair brush is to grow hair. Guess what? Long hair for guys became the fashion.
I also remember the screaming young women in the audience during any Ed Sullivan TV show that featured the Beatles as musical guests. Talk about rock and roll drama!
The lyrics to their songs are mild compared to 21st century standards. Some of their music expressed, "All you need is love," with some added, "Yeah, yeah, yeah's." Compare that to some 21st century Rap lyrics that contain angry, four letter words. It's more of a contrast. The people who are offended by Rap lyrics say that Rap is missing one thing: the letter "C." To be fair, Rap music is a form of poetic self-expression. One could say that Rap music is unique, too.
The Beatles were unique and amply rewarded for it. There is a lesson to be learned from this. Each of us is unique, too.
What kind of music do we want to make to express our own individuality? How can we choose to express our uniqueness in ways that benefit society? What do we do if we encounter barriers as we work to exercise self- expression? The Beatles overcame obstacles (most of our parents did not enjoy their music) so they could fit-in to society, and so can we as we partake on our personal journey of self-expression.
There are many things that make us unique, one of a kind. While others can try to imitate us or we them, no two people are alike. A group called, Badfinger, tried to imitate the Beatles, but fell short from the Beatles success.
Everybody is different. For example, no two people have the same finger prints. Our DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid), the carrier of our genetic code, is unique, too. What about our gifts, talents or purpose in life? I'll say it again: EVERYBODY IS DIFFERENT!
What sets us apart from others? We all have different experiences, abilities, values, skills, interests and personalities. Put it all together and each of us is good at doing something. We all have what it takes to make our own music. Sometimes we sing out-of-key. Other times, the lyrics match the melody so well that we become music to our own ears and to the ears of others. If we don't like what we hear, we can rewrite the lyrics and melody on the song sheet.
Music does move people. When we start making our own music, we get moving! Translation: Find out who we are and what we like to do, do it to the best of our ability and then keep practicing so we can do it even better. We need to listen closely to our own music. When we know and trust ourselves, it is easier to choose ourselves. Compare ourselves to nobody because each of us is unique.
We can learn to uniquely express ourselves as did the Beatles. When we do it in healthy and functional ways, watch for the personal rewards to follow!
Have a Beatle-ful Day!
Written by,
Mark S. Rogers, LPC.
Licensed Professional Counselor
(10/04)
Stooltime Counseling thanks for her support, electronic music DJ and producer from Berlin, Germany: Miss Jools!
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