So picking up from the Introduction, I’m inching my way through Metro Los Angeles, heading east on the Santa Monica Freeway. I’m 30 minutes into this “Why Did I Do This?” Journey and decide to turn on the Radio. Well, this is interesting; my New Car has an SXM Subscription. For those of you not familiar with that, or “those of you in Rio Linda”, as Rush Limbaugh says, Sirius XM Radio is a Satellite Based Radio system that is not dependent on Local Radio Signals. It gets the Signals from satellites in space, beaming its various Digital Stations to those who have a Device and a Subscription to receive it. I guess my car was equipped with it. So I started (very carefully mind you) fiddling with it to find something interesting to listen to.
At first, some Rap song was blaring, and each station afterwards had the same. Eventually I found an Oldies Station and gave that a few minutes. But alas, “I”, was a bit “too old”. It was from the 80s. After I became a Christian in 1973, I had pretty much given up listening to Secular Music and didn’t recognize any of it. So I hunted around again, very carefully (I Am A Careful Driver, mind you!) and came across “The Beatles” Channel. All Beatles Music, even after they broke up – all the time and with various hosts. I was immediately transported into a Mystical Land of Years Ago; A Magical One! Hence, as the Title has suggested.
You see, though I was never an Official Beatles Fan (never owned their records or went to a concert) I listened to their Music growing up; even when I was quite young. Actually, if you listened to the Radio back then, you couldn’t avoid them. It was like they owned the Pop Charts for 10 years and they had a Hit almost every month during that time. So let’s say, I was Very Familiar with their Music! Anyway, it was like going to a School Reunion of sorts. They played Lots of their Music, had Interviews and Stories, various Hosts who played with them, spent time with them; my current Voyage of Frustration had become A Fascinating Journey!
They played Music from the entire Era; even, as I said above, after they broke up and gone Solo. But it was the Songs from their Magical Mystery Tour Album that caught my attention, and I do apologize; that was the One Album that I had owned. It was on an 8 Track, which my Dad’s Truck had a Player, and I could only listen to when I was driving with him in the Truck. I don’t think I got to listen to it too much in the Cab, but we had a Camper and he could divert the sound to the back when we were back there during a trip to the desert. We actually got to do that back in the day! Imagine that.
But 2 Things stand out “Big Time” from this Album. It had some of my all-time favorite Beatles Songs, and, it had some that, well, er, uh,…I still can’t figure out. Have you ever listened to the Lyrics of “I Am The Walrus”? They’re totally “nonsensical”. “Sitting on a Corn Flake”, “I am the Egg Man”, “Yellow Matter Custard”; Really? What did any of that mean? Well, just recently I heard that John Lennon, during an Interview, told the story about an English Teacher using his Lyrics in class. He wanted his students to interpret the “meaning” of songs Lennon had penned. He then said that he wrote “I Am The Walrus” in response to the Teacher and said “Let him try and figure out this one then”.
So, what’s the Point to all of this? Well, how about, “Beware of Culture and its Influences”? When you can still remember the words, and tune, of a song that makes Absolutely No Sense (from your pre-teen childhood) I think that says it all. What a Tremendous Grip the Beatles had on the Youth of England, America, and the Entire World! Look at the Path they took us down. From Simple Romantic Love songs, like “Love Me Do”, to Reflective Contemplative ballads, like “Yesterday”, from their Psychedelic and Spiritual songs, like “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and “Hey Jude”, to the songs right before breaking up like “Let It Be” and “The Long and Winding Road”. Many Youth were right there with them during that Journey, learning, becoming, and emulating, their Idols. I know I did!
John the Apostle wrote a Very Insightful Letter addressing these very sentiments when he said, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” My parents were not Christians when I grew up, and sadly, they were not equipped to deal with a Culture bent on Youth destruction; Of which I was one! But had they been, this Verse could have been a Harbinger of Help to them,…and to me. We would do well to listen to this Seasoned Saint with his Words of Life, for our own soul’s sake, as well as those around us who we love.
I’m right there with you brother, without Christ, secular music had way too much influence in my life.
Not sure if we lived more in an age of innocence back in the 70’s, but comparing some of the music today, specifically Rap, I think we did. We do have to be careful, with putting our faith in man, always; some beautiful lyrics have been written however.
Good write John!