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How are The Beatles Still Relevant Today?
A look at the success of the Get Back documentary and lasting legacy
I was late in discovering the magic of The Beatles. In my family, everyone worshiped at the altar of the country music legends, the bluegrass legends, and especially the gospel legends. When they were not listening to country or gospel, my mom was listening to the pop radio station, bopping along nicely to the synth sounds of Gloria Estefan, Janet Jackson, or even Bruce Springsteen in his 80s glory days.
Rock n roll was a myth to me in my youth. I would hear names of bands like The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, or The Who, but their music lived somewhere out in the vague stratosphere of somewhere else, somewhere I had never been.
Finally, one night at dinner with my family at the local Pizza Hut, I decided I wanted to play some tunes from the jukebox. I plunked in a few quarters, and I noticed some songs from The Beatles were on the playlist options. Purely on whim, or by some choice that felt guided by the fingertips of fate, I picked a couple of their songs. I was a teen at this point. I had heard mention of The Beatles enough times by now that I wanted to see what all the fuss could possibly be about.
In a few moments, out poured the enchanting sounds of John Lennon saying “Let me…