Literary References and Beatlemania
09/09/09 saw the release of the Beatles Remastered albums, which the forces of marketing proclaimed was “22 years in the making”. While we think the whole Beatles Remastered hullabaloo is a bit cheesy — and not really that relevant considering we’ve been listening to un-remastered versions of all those albums since we were babies and did just fine thankyouverymuch — we are self-proclaimed Beatles fanatics and wholly give into the whole Beatlemania thing.
The Beatles were an amazing band, one of the first rock ‘n roll bands that really walked the fine line between intellectually interesting pop music that was both intelligent and held mass appeal. Their songs are deceptively simple. Beneath the catchy hooks and the straight-forward melodies are hidden complexities, which is often manifested in the lyrics of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. As Eduify is a literary website, we are particularly fascinated by the literature of Beatles lyrics. Namely, you’ll be hard-pressed to name many popular pop bands of the 60s who dropped as many literary references as the Beatles.
In honor of the Beatles, and in keeping with this new wave of Beatlemania that’s spreading the nation, here are our favorite Beatles songs that contain literary references.
“I am the Walrus”
“Man you should have seen them kicking Edgar Allen Poe,” sings John. “I Am the Walrus” is a great song, and this lyric about Edgar Allen Poe, the famous American writer who loved to dabble in the macabre, makes it even better. Poe was famous for scary tales like “The Cask of Amontillado,” “The Purloined Letter,” and “The Masque of the Red Death,” and for poems like “The Raven” and “The Bells”. A true master of psychological creepiness, he lived the kind of life he wrote about. Toward the end of his life, Poe lived in a shack and became a severe alcoholic. One day, he was found on the streets, delirious and screaming. He died a day later, and all medical records have been lost. To this day, his death remains a mystery. Sounds like something out of one of his stories!
“I’m so Tired”
The line in this song goes: “And curse Sir Walter Raleigh, he was such a stupid git.” Raleigh, one of the most famous poets of the Elizabethan era, features prominently in English culture. While he was also a famous explorer, Raleigh was also known for his works such as The Lie, a political poem that dabbles in social criticism, condemning people for various corrupt offenses. Raleigh also wrote poems responding to the works of contemporary writers (to his time) like Christopher Marlowe. While we don’t read Raleigh today unless specifically taking a course on Elizabethan poetry, he’s an important figure in English verse. Random factoid that might jog your memory: if you’ve ever seen the movie Elizabeth: the Golden Age, staring Cate Blanchett, you’ll recall that Raleigh is played by Clive Owen.
“Revolution”
Which student isn’t forced to, at some point during their academic career, read the United States Constitution? Even the Beatles sang about it. “You say you’ll change the Constitution, well you know. We all want to change our head. You say it’s in the institution, well you know. You better change your mind instead.” Reading the Constitution is good practice for students (you should know your rights!) and isn’t as excruciatingly dull as it seems. It’s not a long read, and it’s actually really useful. In the Constitution, you’ll see exactly when the drinking age was raised to twenty-one. You’ll also see how Prohibition was an abject failure. These are important issues for students going off to college (don’t do anything illegal!). Plus, the Beatles sang about it. Doesn’t that provide some added incentive in getting you to do your homework?
If this doesn’t make you like the Beatles any more, well, hopefully it will convince you that being literate should be a prerequisite for being a famous rockstar. It’s not always, but it should be.
