Photo Credit: Sahara León

Perhaps we could all use a little help from our friends right about now.

And if our friends aren’t willing to help—or if we feel lonely even amongst our friends and lovers, undoubtedly the worst loneliness that exists, then perhaps a few songs by The Beatles will.

As I muse along here and there about the madness that assails us all, I find that a bit of The Fab Four helps me “let it be,” as well as just say, “Ob-la-di, ob-la-da” about the whole goddamn mess.

That’s right. A bit of harmony and lyrical linguistics by John, Paul, George and Ringo can calm much of the angry and bitter dread more than a bit, a tad, and even a smidge more than any stash of drugs, bottles of alcohol or dose of Breaking Bad can.

It’s an interesting and wonderful thing, really.

In my life, songs by the Liverpool band have helped me cope, see, enjoy, discover, grieve, celebrate and understand the perils and joys of the world with more clarity, enjoyment and abandonment, as well as help keep my sanity rather intact.

Like many of you, I have become overly obsessed with learning about the horror story of the day, not to say that apathy is the answer, but I am positive that watching mass shootings, becoming all but catatonic about the Not Guilty verdict for a man who murdered a defenseless child, a discouraging country’s social perils, and the absolute ignorance, divisiveness and misconceptions regarding the issues I care about most—are in fact making me sick, emotionally, spiritually and even physically.

But once again, The Beatles have come to my near-rescue.

Their near eerie-timeless lyrics not only helps put the psychedelic times we are experiencing now in perspective, but also invites my intellect and spirit to wander and wonder around more than a poll, soundbite, debate or jury could ever possibly surmise.

I recall the days of my yearned-for-youth when my older siblings decorated the living room with album covers while they danced, cried, got heavy, got stoned and sang along to “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Yesterday.”

“Yesterday,” that song that I did not understand at all as a babe, but today feel full-well the breadth, unsubtle messages and sentimental melancholy in perhaps far too many ways than I should.

Other songs like “Blackbird,” “Golden Slumbers” and “I’ve Just Seen a Face” soothes my every sensibility, causes me to pause, and once again propels me to feel the magic that was once childhood and youth in all of its innocence, naiveté and lustrous frivolity I once basked in; it seems more than a hundred years ago.

Their songs are at once philosophical, dark, engaging, telling, fortuitous, simple, prophetic and sometimes just so bleeding beautiful that you just want to smile, dance and say to someone that you “want to hold their hand.”

Remember those days?

I do.

The following are some songs that define how I feel when I need  to feel the melancholy and sadness in all of its breadth…

…as well as songs that lift me up where I most belong.

 

Beatles Songs that Inspire and Lift us Up

“Come Together”

“Getting Better”

“I Feel Fine”

“We Can Work it Out”

“All Together Now”

“All you Need is Love”

“I’m Happy Just to Dance with You”

“Let it Be”

“Think for Yourself”

“Why Don’t We Do It in the Road”

“From Me to You”

“Here Comes the Sun”

“Watching Rainbows”

“I’ve Just Seen a Face”

“Till There was You”

“Do You Want to Know a Secret”

“Magical Mystery Tour”

“A Beginning”

“Act Naturally”

“Any Time at All”

“Got to Get you Into my Life”

“Yes It Is”

“That Means a Lot”

“It Won’t be Long”

“Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”

“I’ll Be Back”

“Hello Goodbye”

“Tell Me What you See”

“Slow Down”

“Strawberry Fields Forever”

“Don’t Ever Change”

“I’m Only Sleeping”

“You Know my Name, Look up my Number”

“Fixing a Hole”

“Any Time at All”

“The Word”

“Because”

“Two of Us”

“Yellow Submarine”

“Blackbird”

“Wild Honey Pie”

“And Your Bird can Sing”

“Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”

“I’ll Keep You Satisfied”

“One and One is Two”

“And I Love Her”

“Hey Jude”

“Your Mother should Know”

“Words of Love”

“Across the Universe”

“It’s Only Love”

“Michelle, my Belle”

“You Know what to Do”

“In My Life”

“Her Majesty”

“With a Little Help from my Friends”

“Ticket to Ride”

 

Beatles’ Songs that Echo My Sadness and Melancholy

“I’m So Tired”

“Nowhere Man”

“You Never Give me Your Money”

“Happiness is a Warm Gun”

“I’m Looking Trough You”

“Help”

“I’ll Cry Instead”

“Cry Baby Cry”

“Day Tripper”

“I Just Don’t Understand”

“Tell Me Why”

“Yesterday”

“Everybody’s Got Something to Hide except for Me and my Monkey”

“Misery”

“Please, Please Me”

“Mean Mr. Mustard”

“It’s All Too Much”

“The Long and Winding Road”

“Shout”

“For No One”

“Run For Your Life”

“Chains”

“A Hard Day’s Night”

“I Should have Known Better”

“Hey Bulldog”

“You’ve Got to Hide your Love Away”

“When I’m Sixty-Four”

“Tomorrow Never Knows”

“I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry”

“Taxman”

“Bad Boy”

“I’m a Loser”

“The Fool on the Hill”

“Not a Second Time”

“If I Needed Someone”

“Tell me Why”

“Things we said Today”

“You’ve Got to Hide your Love Away”

“It’s All Too Much”

“I’m Down”

“Helter Skelter”

 

Notice that there are more songs in the first column than the second?

Imagine that.

Please feel free to share what songs by The Beatles mean something special to you.

And if you don’t mind, tell me why you may feel as deeply sentimental as I do… just about now.

 

 

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Ed: B. Bemel