My Real Memoir
I was in love. Not with a girl, but with music. And yet, somehow the two seemed inextricably linked. Music in the 1960s was an explosion of styles:
- Pop, Soul, R&B were constantly merging and borrowing from each other via artists like Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, Carol King, and “Little” Stevie Wonder (who was exactly my age—proof you could be a star at 13!). I still had a taste for silly, too; I bought 45s of “Hello, Muddah, Hello, Fadduh” and “The Martian Hop” with its immortal lyrics, “Ee-ee-ee, ee-ee, the Martian Hop…”
- Folk and Country – with artists like Peter, Paul & Mary, Johnny Cash, and Bob Dylan. My buddy Jeff and I made a point of visiting The Mecca, a nearby folk club, every time Hoyt Axton was there (“Joy to the World,” “Greenback Dollar”). Forget Elvis, Hoyt was the epitome of cool!
- Rock ‘n’ Roll – Surf was the reigning style at the time (“Surfin’ USA,” Wipe Out,” “Wild Weekend”). But it was about to give way to something else:
The Beatles. They’d been nothing but a blip at the end of the previous year, but now this imported novelty act seemed to dominate the airwaves. Of course, they’d never be as popular as our Beach Boys (hey, I lived in SoCal); yeah, yeah, they had a few catchy tunes. But when they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show February 4, 1964, everyone in the known universe was watching, and in an instant the world changed.
A pale, pimply kid transferred to our school two weeks later, the kind of guy no official Cute Girl would ever deign to kiss — except that he was from England. Which made him a Beatle! The moment lunchtime arrived on his first day, he was cornered by 10,000 screaming girls on a campus of 950 girls. They begged for his autograph, begged to know what Paul was like, and begged, amazingly, for a kiss. It was “The Beatles Effect!”
A short time later, I was invited to a Beatles-themed party. “Forget dancing cheek-to-cheek,” I told my buddy Jeff the next day, “everyone was dancing mouth-to-mouth!” And then “P.S. I Love You” dropped onto the turntable–a guaranteed snog-inducer. So I grabbed Annie, the second-cutest girl there (her cousin Amy was cuter, but was already kissing someone). We danced slowly and awkwardly. Then Annie tucked her gum into the corner of her mouth…and we kissed. Quickly and awkwardly. Honestly? I was kind of disappointed. After all, I’d heard “Then He Kissed Me” and “Da Do Ron Ron,” so I knew first kisses were supposed to be earth-shattering. Nevertheless, it was a kiss! My long-delayed trifecta was finally complete: I was now a man of the world! And I owed it all to The Beatles Effect!
Sadly, our love didn’t endure. Annie and I went steady for two weeks. Not only hadn’t we fallen instantly in love, we hadn’t even fallen in like. On the other hand, I began slowly, and almost against my will, falling in love with the music of The Beatles. And all these years later…
I’m still in love.
My Real Memoir is a series. To read the next one, click here.
Haha, wonderfully written!
Thanks, Colin!
You are very welcome! You have a very engaging style! 🙂
Thank you, likewise, my friend.
Juicy Fruit?
Could be. Good pre-kissing choice.
LOL. Mitch, knowing you, you could have won the popularity contest by adopting a Liverpool dialect. 😉
;>)
I loved The Beatles, too. I saw them at a concert in Cleveland and was one of the Beatlemaniacs who stormed the stage. No, I wasn’t screaming and crying. It was at Municipal Stadium and I just wanted to get a closer look. They ran into a trailer located behind the stage.
Ha! Me too … only at Shea in NY!
Ah, sweet memories of youth . . .
Oh Mitch, you do a great job of capturing “Yesterday.” Too bad there aren’t “Eight Days a Week” so that you could delight us more with great tales but thank goodness you met your wife and said, “Got to Get You Into My Life.”
I could go on…you’ve inspired me with a great chapter in your memoir…. 🙂
;>) A perfect summary, Wynne.
Funny how they fell in love with England! Lucky, ugly English guy. Memories hey?
Nice, but I’m most impressed you saw Hoyt Axton! “Joy to the World”!
Yes! We saw him do it live years before Three Dog Night made it better known. And his rendition of “The Pusher” was so intense we held our breath when he sang it–he’d had close friends die of overdoses and felt every word of it. A great talent with a big personality.
We could probably have a long conversation about his music, which I still listen to often.
Camp Granada! Mitch, I hadn’t thought about that Allan Sherman song in years!
Yes! Allan Sherman was the Weird Al of that era.
Now I have “You’re Getting to be a Rabbit with me” banging in my head.
;>)
Oh my goodness… yes, this post brings back memories of being at my first boy-girl party and kissing a kid named Tom. He gave me his ID bracelet and we lasted about two weeks. I don’t think we were even in “like” either. The 60s were so great, and I still love the Beatles too.
I am the only person on this planet who admits that she was never crazy about the Beetles. There I said it, for the very first time.
Confession is good for the soul, Bridget. For what it’s worth, I’m not a huge fan of the Beetles, either. The Beatles, on the other hand… ;>)
My smartphone is an idiot. I swear if I don’t type; it writes stuff that makes little sense. I don’t like either Beatles (leave it alone phone) or Beetles. At least this time it’s not a sexual typo. The other day I dictated a text to a customer “I would love to see this book” and it got changed to boobs. It’s embarrassing, but also funny sometimes.
;>)
Another fun-to-read selection from your memoirs, Mitch. You always uncover memories for me that have been buried under the dust of decades. Today it was “Hello Muddah, Hello Fuddah.” Will have to find that song on Youtube (I hope!) and share it with the grandkids. P.S. I always preferred the Beach Boys over the Beatles–still do!
My sons were probably the only kids in 1st & 2nd grade to know all the words to Penny Lane and Lovely Rita! (and pretty sure they were the only ones who knew anything about the Beatles – thanks to their Godfather being a published author on the Beatles…)
Aha, that’ll do it! Our kids both grew up loving The Beatles, too. They actually discovered our Beatles recordings on their own, and told us they “loved” this group!
Thank you Mitch for this lovely post.
Still listen to Beatles and other golden oldies and get transported to my youth!
Like Mary Hopkins says,
“Those were the days, my friend
We thought they’d never end
We’d sing and dance forever and a day.”
How prophetic! Did you know Mary Hopkin was discovered by Paul, who also produced “Those Were the Days”? It was released on the Beatles’ Apple label.
I didn’t know that about Mary Hopkin. I knew she was born in Wales. Thank you for letting me know.
I like her songs. Especially “Knock, knock who’s there” and “Que Sara Sara.”
Best wishes.
You too, Chaya. Or is it Sheela? I sometimes forget that not all cultures arrange their names in the same order as western ones do.
No problem. Thank you for asking. You are right, Chaya is is .
Lol, this made me laugh this morning! Hello Mudah, Hello Fadduh, hee-hee. I remember it. There were some hilarious songs then – can you remember My ding-a-ling and Hey Fatty Bum Bum? 😀
‘. . . her cousin Amy was cuter, but she was already kissing someone.’ Childhood memories! 🙂
Mitch, I got a copy of Healing River from Amazon uk. Our daughter spent a few days with us last week, so she, myself and hubby watched it together. We all enjoyed it (I love it!). Charlotte just completed her degree in Forensic Psychology in the summer and is about to start her first job in that career next month, so she was engrossed in the restorative justice element of the story. It kept hubby’s attention throughout also. Neither of them are Christian but I trust Jesus that seeds will be planted in their hearts. I will leave a review of the film on Amazon uk.
Bless you, dear Lesley! Did you stream or download ‘Healing River’? Or did you buy the DVD? I’m curious what forms it’s available in in the UK.
I bought the DVD- that’s about the limit of my technical abilities . . ; not sure about streaming, etc. 🙂
;>) Thanks!
Say the word and I’ll be there, especially if the word is “Beatles” – The Toppermost of the Poppermost! Fab write, Mitch!
;>) Thanks, Nancy!
Great blog, brother. It took me longer to fall in love with the Beatles, but it eventually happened. I’m still in love with music, in general. One of God’s greatest gifts, in my opinion. As for kissing, I will never forget a line from Stephen King’s Hearts in Atlantis: “It was the kiss by which all the others of his life would be judged and found wanting.” I guess that wasn’t true for you. Hahaha!
Nope. That one came later. Thanks, Jeff.
Why oh why did I give up my Beatles collection?!? I had the Fab Four photos pinned on my wall, a bonus found in my coveted White album. Streamed tunes just don’t have those extra goodies.
I did too, Pam, at a Flea Market during my new believer “St. Francis of Assisi Period,” during which I sold or gave away all my worldly goods.
Growing Pains, and wonderful delightful memories… Where would we be? It’s like that first bite of a Helms Cream Puff.. Oh My! Nothing like it and never again… Just to good to ever forget….
Nostalgia city! Thanks for a great revisiting of then-loved songs. Those were the days, my friend… Blessings!
You too, Anne!
You are a piece of work my friend. Really enjoyed the memorabilia. I loved the Beatles! And the movie To Sir With Love—How British! Blessings and Peace!
Thank you, Claudia. You too!
From one Beatles fan to another, I am still in love, too.
a star at age 11, what is your favorite jim henson film, your favorite phil hartman film, does george talks like bugs bunny? yeah, how are you doing, doc?
If I’m angry on karaoke night I sing “Day Tripper.” It’s the best screamer I know! The Beatles are the best!
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