Anticipation, because there’s even more drama to play out in real time over the next two weeks.
And then there was something we all needed. Diversion.
OK, it’s not an emotion, but diversion is important because there’s a lot of disturbing events like war, economic upheaval and political turmoil that greet us daily. The NCAA Tournament provides much a needed respite.
So, that brings me to the point of this blog post. Hello, Spring!
The NCAA Tournament — and all of sports — make this the most wonderful time of the year.
For instance, when the NCAA Tournament crowns a champion the first week in April, Major League Baseball will be celebrating Opening Day in parks around the country.
And the OKC Dodgers open their season on March 31. The NBA playoffs begin in mid-April — hopefully with the OKC Thunder as a play-in qualifier. The Masters. The NFL Draft. The Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday of May. There is the women’s NCAA Tournament along with college softball and baseball. And hockey playoffs, as well.
It’s been a long, cold lonely winter for many people, so the sports calendar tells us “here comes the sun” in both a literal and figurative sense.
Sort of like the renewal of life that Spring itself brings, we find joy and hope, anticipation and welcome diversion in the Spring sports calendar.
Thanks to the NCAA Tournament for kicking it all off with an incredible level of excitement.
I’ll celebrate it just like this every Spring.
Arkansas coach Eric Musselman goes shirtless in celebration of victory over Kansas.
The Beatles from an early photo as they landed in New York City.
I was introduced to the Beatles in 1964 by my uncle. I was 11 and he was 19 and had purchased the album, ‘Meet the Beatles.’
In my extended family in 1964, buying something as worldly as a secular rock-n-roll record by the Beatles was a pretty bold step. My uncle told me he didn’t care for the music, even if the Beatles were a pop culture phenomenon.
So, he gave me the album.
Beatlemania washed over me like it did millions of other young Americans. I couldn’t get enough.
All this occurred about the time the Fab Four appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. The adults in my life were horrified, of course.
They objected to the long hair (by early 1960s standards) and especially to the “yeah, yeah, yeah” lyrics of the song, She Loves You.
“So disrespectful,” they told me.
I never figured out whom the Beatles were disrespecting. But you couldn’t get away from She Loves You on the radio.
My dad especially disliked the Beatles, as well as my enthusiasm for them. “No one will even remember who they are in 50 years,” he said in frustration one day.
My dad was not Nostradamus, obviously. But he knew what he didn’t like.
Needless to say, I’ve been a Beatles fanboy now going on 60 years. My fandom grew even more after they quit touring and began releasing studio albums, from Rubber Soul forward.
After they left the stage and ditched the matching suits, they really began their run of producing incredible lyrics and memorable songs.
So, as I was listening to a Beatles playlist on my iPhone today, it occurred to me what great storytellers, they were. Especially Paul McCartney and John Lennon.
All of which leads me to the purpose of this blog post. I’m ranking my 10 top Beatles songs that tell a story.
So, here goes with my ranking of their top songs with a narrative from 10 to 1, along a bonus group of songs that didn’t quite make the cut:
No. 10: Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
Narrative: Desmond and Molly meet, marry and build a family in a great sing-along.
Key lyrics: “Happy ever after in the marketplace Desmond lets the children lend a hand Molly stays at home and does her pretty face And in the evening she still sings it with the band, yes”
No. 9: The Fool on the Hill
Narrative: Town folks are disturbed by old man living alone on the hill. So, they mistakenly think he’s a fool.
Key lyrics: “And he never listens to them, he knows that they’re the fools They don’t like him The fool on the hill sees the sun going down And the eyes in his head see the world spinning ’round”
No. 8: Norwegian Wood
Narrative: Revenge. Woman invites man to spend the night, then makes him sleep in the bath.
Key lyrics: “And when I awoke I was alone This bird had flown So I lit a fire Isn’t it good Norwegian wood?”
No 7: She’s Leaving Home
Narrative: Young girl repressed by her parents sneaks out to make her way on her own
Key lyrics: “Something inside, that was always denied, For so many years, She’s leaving home”
No. 6: Rocky Racoon
Narrative: Rocky takes his gun to shoot the low-life who stole his girl. Big mistake!
Key lyrics: “Rocky burst in and grinning a grin He said, “Danny boy, this is a showdown” But Daniel was hot, he drew first and shot And Rocky collapsed in the corner”
No. 5 The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
Narrative: Great white hunter shoots a mighty tiger for sport
Key lyrics: “The children asked him if to kill was not a sin “Not when he looked so fierce”, his mummy butted in “If looks could kill it would have been us instead of him”
No. 4 Maxwell’s Silver Hammer
Narrative: Crazed young man goes on homicidal rampage in bouncy sing-along
Key lyrics: “But as the words are leaving his lips A noise comes from behind Bang, bang, Maxwell’s silver hammer Came down upon his head (do-do, do-do do) Bang, bang, Maxwell’s silver hammer Made sure that he was dead”
No. 3 Lovely Rita
Narrative: Man intrigued by meter maid’s uniform, asks her out, gets to sit on the sofa with her sisters
Key lyrics: “Standing by a parking meter When I caught a glimpse of Rita Filling in a ticket in her little white book In a cap she looked much older And the bag across her shoulder Made her look a little like a military man”
No. 2: A Day in the Life
Narrative: Man reads news about disturbing car crash, and more.
Key lyrics: “He blew his mind out in a car He didn’t notice that the lights had changed A crowd of people stood and stared They’d seen his face before Nobody was really sure if he was from the House of Lords”
No. 1: Eleanor Rigby
Narrative: Downbeat story of loneliness and death of a woman who was buried along with her name. Quite a departure for a rock band. This should have been made into a movie long ago.
Key lyrics: “Father McKenzie, wiping the dirt From his hands as he walks from the grave No one was saved All the lonely people Where do they all come from?”
BONUS TRACKS
Penny Lane
Ballad of John and Yoko
Get Back
Happiness is a Warm Gun
Lady Madonna
She Came in Through the Bathroom Window
Piggies
When I’m 64
Hey Jude
Taxman
Blackbird
Jim Stafford's BlogOKC 