Never before did so many girls defy authority so openly
Never before did they break so many police lines with such force
Never before did so many girls at the same time realize that there's more to life than getting married
Never before did they scream so loud.
The Girls couldn't help it!
The Beatles deserved their love.
They asked politely 'please, please me!'
Researchers have suggested that part of the Beatles' magnetism was due to the fact that they sang in voices high enough for girls to sing along. Eddie Reader with the Fairground Attraction truly proved that point when she sang Do You Want To Know A Secret, a song first sung by Beatle George, the one girl-groupies had named 'The Body'. Cass Elliot also known as Mamma Cass, along with the Mamas and The Papas sang the Beatles' I Call Your Name in 1966. And if you pay attention you'll hear her whisper John Lennon's name between the verses, for she was had a crush on him. The Webb Sisters have covered a few Beatles' songs, but George Harrison's I Need You, wins the prize. It has retained the urgent honesty of teenage love, and much like the original delivery has a flair of its own. The Third Wave were a girl group of Thai vocalists who released an EP produced in Europe back in 1966. There's no relation to the feminist movement of the same name, which surfaced in the early 90s however the coincidence is funny. Especially since the girls did an exceptional cover of the the hit about a famous spinster Eleanor Rigby. Beth Orton recently covered I Me Mine for a collection by Mojo magazine. In spite of the selfishness the song reflects upon, the Beatles made audiences feel part of a larger community, where women would not feel they were from some other planet, they did not have to the 'opposite' sex.
The girls loved the Beatles because they did not bully, they did not shout, they did not threaten or whine, they reached out through their music and let us know that that kindness, creativity, and vulnerability could go together and were not necessarily unmarketable traits. Cassandra Wilson and Dianne Reeves covered Come Together back in 1996. The Beatles did not worry about turning the roles around, they made Desmond the silent provider and Molly the star, singer in a band. Celia Cruz changed the names to Pedro and Celia, the lyrics from English to Spanish, but it's still Obladi Oblada and life goes on. Down South in the Bible Belt, there's Memphis Tennessee. Although many Beatles' records were burned in bonfires after Lennon's 'Beatles are bigger than Jesus' statement, there were fans that opposed to bigotry with banners that read 'Lennon Saves.' Two albums titled Fried Glass Onions - Memphis Meets The Beatles, are proof that sizzling love prevailed. Z-Da was the Day Tripper, and Dani in Old Brown Shoe was very convincing when singing the lyric 'for your sweet top lip I'm in the queue'.
The Beatles are the band that may well have triggered and certainly spread the 60s sexual revolution, since 'the Beatles were sexy; the girls were the ones who perceived them as sexy'. In short, the girls were the pursuers". The cover of I'm Looking Through You by Danilelle Denin dates from that era. When the Beatles first played in Paris, they dreamed of pursuing Brigitte Bardot lookalikes. Soon they found themselves hunted by the French girls. On the other side of the Atlantic, a guitar hero of George Harrison's, Chet Atkins, accompanied Suzy Boguss on All my loving.
East or west, north or south, it made no difference, the girls loved the Beatles. Lucy in the Sky with diamonds by Rita Lee was recorded in 2001, but Rita an original member of Brazilian psychedelic band Os Mutantes, is an old devoted fan. Another special individual who drew her own path in pop music Rickie Lee Jones covered the sombre For No One in one of her albums. The Beatles swiched perspectives, male, female, it did not matter, as long as the perspective was humane. In Blackbird McCartney was inspired by the civil rights movement in the US, and particularly the black womens struggle. Julie Fowls a this cover in Gaelic for the 40th anniversary of the release of the Beatles, also known as the White album. Here comes the sun, was recorded on a similar occasion by Charlie Dore.
Many artists took the opportunity to rejuvenate their careers, or dip their fingers into the pop genre by covering Beatles' songs. However Ella Fitzgerald's cover is special, and fitting. Ella had a sweet tooth, a love for candy. Her cover of Savoy Truffle is as yummy as licking chocolate off your fingers.
The struggle to achieve gender equality is like traking a Long and winding Road still not having reached our destination. Aretha Franklin's voice, the queen of soul who took 'Respect' and turned it into an anthem for than cause, knows a thing or two about putting us on the right path.
Danai
