"The light that burns twice as bright burns for half as long - and you have burned so very, very brightly."
That's a quote from the movie Blade Runner, but for the past few days I keep thinking about that quote in relation to the Beatles. I've been a huge Beatles fan--a Beatles geek, actually--since adolescence. I'm embarrassed to admit how much Beatles trivia I've cluttered my brain with. Sofia is researching the Beatles for her third quarter presentation at ASA ("How the Beatles influenced the counter-culture of the 60's" to be more precise). She's reading several books on the Beatles, she's written Paul McCartney a letter, and we've started watching the Beatles Anthology together.
Anyway, The Who performed during the Super Bowl last Sunday and it made me think about bands that have been around forever. I thought about how the Beatles are such an icon, so famous, so revered, etc. yet they were only a group for about 10 years. That's so short, when you think about other iconic bands that have been together for decades. U2's been together for 30 years. The Rolling Stones and The Who must be close to 50 years.
And what a 10 years the Beatles had. They packed so much songwriting and creativity into that decade. It's mindboggling. To see them looking so young during the Beatlemania period, and then so psychedelic and ground-breaking during the Sgt. Pepper days...and only 3 years separated those times! By the time they performed on the Apple rooftop (just a mere 2 years later) they were all grizzled veterans, already icons, their places in the history of rock firmly secured...and yet they were each only in their late 20's. Still kids!
It's been fun watching Sofia become even more of a Beatles fan than she already was. She loved the song "Hey Bulldog" when she was just a wee one (she called it the "if you're lonely you can talk to me" song). But she's now taking on a much deeper, mature respect for the band that I can relate to. She may be, in fact, becoming a Beatles geek like her old man. The other day, she even hit me with a bit of trivia I did not know.
Her presentation last year was about the density of plant populations and how it affects their growth. She did great and I was very proud of her. But I'm really looking forward to this year's presentation! Rock on, Sofie!
2 comments:
It is just so wonderful to be able to enjoy your writing of your blog. Makes me feel closer to you and since you are so far away it is very comforting. Oh, a parent's love for their children. It is just awesome as you are now realizing with your own. I can't wait to see Sofie's project for this year. Could I get a copy of it, you think?
Great posts, as always, Tag! Brilliant topic for a project, I would love see it when complete, too! I feel a special connection to the Beatles since living (and really discovering them) in Liverpool these last years. You can tell Sofie I visited several of their former houses (including where they wrote most of their songs) and had a professor living off Penny Lane! I've also hung out with people who knew them (1 or more) and have a few neat Beatles stories others wouldn't know about! The Beatles connection with Liverpool had to be one of the key ingredients that made them so special, because Liverpool's so special! You all will have to make a visit there some day and take one of the Beatles tours! :)
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