Rob Sheffield, a music columnist with twenty years experience who
currently writes for Rolling Stone magazine, has recently released a new
book: "Dreaming the Beatles."
"Dreaming the Beatles" with a
rapid-fire introduction that reads like a teen magazine dossier of
essential Beatles facts replete with nicknames for the Fab Four, such
as:“The Smart One” (John), “The Cute One” (Paul),“The Quiet One”(George), and “The Drummer”(Ringo) During this
prelude, Sheffield poses a question: Why are the Beatles still popular,
possibly more now, despite having broken up nearly fifty years ago? He suggests the cause for their endurance is “the Beatles matter
because of what they mean to our moment… over the years, your [favorite]
Beatle keeps changing because you keep changing.”Throughout "Dreaming the Beatles," the author maintains an excellent
balance of personal recollection, amusement, and creativity. For
example, he generates a list of 26 songs about the Beatles,
ranging from different musicians, such as: Lil Wayne’s “Help” to the
Beastie Boys’ “I’m Down” to Aretha Franklin’s “Long and Winding Road”—which Sheffield claims is “the most a Beatle cover has ever improved on
the original.” He also goes as far to take an extensive look into “It
Won’t Be Long” from 1963’s "With the Beatles,"
breaking down the number of “yeah”s sung, 55 in total, thus, reaching
ultimate “yeah” density, to the Beatles’ use of the pronoun, “you,” and
how this quality is what made their songs feel like they were reaching
out to you and you alone.
"Dreaming the Beatles" is perfect for fans ranging from amateur to
Beatlemaniac. It’s entertaining with informative tidbits throughout,
while seamlessly interweaving Beatles lyrics and various other music
references into the narrative.
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