tHE
BEATLES
... and Me
The Beatles ...​
are without question the most successful and influential musical artists of the twentieth century. Between the years 1962 and 1970 they released thirteen LPs which led the evolution of pop music from simple tales of teenage angst into an art form unafraid to tackle the most pressing issues of the day.​
When The Beatles stopped touring in 1966, they shifted their creative energy to the recording studio. There they evolved from charismatic stage performers into boundary-pushing recording artists. Relieved of the pressures of global touring, they were able to devote their time to advancing the creative possibilities of the recording medium. In their desire for something fresh they pioneered innovative recording techniques that changed the future of pop/rock music. Their impact on music has cascaded through five decades and multiple genres of popular music. Many artists over the years have cited The Beatles as a major influence on their own careers as musicians, including these.
The Beatles transcended the music industry and became counter-cultural icons. They started by shocking the post-1950s world with their "long" hair and expanded their cultural presence from there. With the release of each album fans would follow The Beatles ever-evolving fashion style. By 1965, John Lennon had published two books of whimsical prose. Paul McCartney immersed himself in the world of independent filmmaking. George Harrison's journey into eastern spirituality inspired many to follow their own spiritual path. Both John Lennon and Ringo Starr starred in motion pictures that had nothing to do with their music careers. Throughout the 1960s they were nearly as influential as cultural role-models as they were in music. By 1969, The Beatles were on top of the world.
​
Then, in 1970, after an unparalleled string of successes, The Beatles abruptly ended their own story, leaving adoring fans around the world shocked, dismayed and forever wanting more.
While it is possible The Beatles could have maintained their artistic innovation and commercial dominance through a second decade, the possibility is equally great that their relevance may have diminished as pop music, and each of The Beatles themselves, continued to evolve. By exiting when they were on top, they cemented their status as the greatest pop/rock band of the 20th century, if not of all time.​
Even today, more than 50 years after they first appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show," The Beatles continue to be discovered by younger generations who become devoted fans. [See for yourself. Watch two terrific young people experience an iconic Beatles song for the first time.]
The Beatles didn’t need to release any more records to sustain their legacy, but what if they had?​
With What If The Beatles.com I'm presenting my vision of an alternative history where The Beatles didn't break up, but gave the world many more Beatle albums that never were.
​
​
... And Me​
​
Why would I spend my time on this? I think my love for The Beatles has something to do with growing up in the 1960s, and two things that I experienced in 1963.
Punky’s mom was a Beatles fan, and maybe because she bought this 45 of "She Loves You," I became one too.
I was just 12 days past my fifth birthday when President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. I have vague memories of watching his horse-drawn funeral cortege on TV as it passed slowly down the Washington D.C. street.​ On the other hand, I have very clear memories of listening to a 45 rpm single of The Beatles’ song "I’ll Get You" at my friend Punky’s house.
"I’ll Get You" was the B-side to "She Loves You," released in the U.S. by Swan Records in 1963. Punky and I would play the 45 over and over while jumping up and down on his couch pretending to be Beatles. I was always Paul. Punky was always Ringo. We didn't really know the difference between the two.
The Beatles' airplane landed in New York City at the newly rechristened Kennedy Airport on 7 February 1964, just 77 days after the President’s murder. Their performance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" two days later brought a wave of excitement to American teenagers which came to be known as "Beatlemania."
Over the years, I’ve seen video of The Beatles’ 1964 performance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" so many times that it is embedded in my memory. Truth be told, I don’t know if I actually saw it on the February night it was broadcast, but I might have.
​
"The Ed Sullivan Show" was a variety show broadcast live coast to coast on CBS at 8:00 pm Eastern Time on Sunday nights. In the Mid-West, where I grew up, the show aired at 7:00 pm, which was well before my bedtime.
​
The Sullivan show was where I first saw The Muppets perform the classic "Glow Worm." It was where I first saw comedians like Bob Newhart, Joan Rivers and the awesome Smothers Brothers. I remember seeing Señor Wences, the gag-inducing Topo Gigio and that guy whose act was spinning plates on long poles. He was actually pretty great, to be honest.
Ed Sullivan introduced me to rock 'n' roll, albeit a sanitized version. Because of Ed Sullivan and his Barnum and Bailey drive to be the first to bring something new to the American viewing public I got to see The Rolling Stones, The Supremes, The Animals, The Bee Gees, The Doors and so many other great musical artists when I was still just an impressionable kid. And I was indeed impressed.
But the best, hands down, was the night The Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan's show. No one could hold a candle to The Beatles on that night (even with the lousy sound mix and poor video quality).
​
My family watched that program regularly, so it's likely I was watching the night The Beatles launched the British Invasion of pop music in America. I’ll never know for sure, but I choose to believe I was one of the lucky 73 million people who witnessed America's introduction to The Beatles on "The Ed Sullivan Show."
​
Growing up with The Beatles, my generation experienced their metamorphosis in real time. My personal experience of The Beatles - from dancing with joy to "I'll Get You" to abject dismay about their breakup - was lived one precious song at a time.
Imagine being the first in your family, or group of friends to hear "Strawberry Fields Forever" for the first time. When it first came out, no one had heard anything even remotely like it before. It’s difficult to describe to anyone born after 1966 the thrill of hearing a new Beatles song for the first time when nobody in your sphere had ever heard it. The Beatles' music was always surprising, always new, and yet always distinctly Beatles music.
I'm not the only one of my generation to realize how special it was to experience the maturation of The Beatles' music in real time. For another perspective, check out, "The Beatles: You Had To Be There" by Phil Bausch.
​
It was, at least in part, because of my love of The Beatles and their music that I learned to play the violin. And it was also my love of The Beatles that informed my decision to put aside the violin after 8 years of study to take up the guitar. That was in 1974, and I still have guitarist's callouses on my fingertips. I still have the two Beatle chord books I bought to teach myself how to play. My love of music has passed on to my two daughters who are multi-instrumentalists. One is an exceptional poet. The other is a singer/songwriter finding her way in Nashville. Ask either of them and they'll tell you that I immersed them in the music of The Beatles.
​
​As a life-long Beatles fan I was one of those hoping and praying throughout the 1970s for a reunion. But those hopes were dashed in December of 1980. I distinctly remember where I was, and what I was doing when I learned that John Lennon had been murdered in New York City. I was shattered at the news. The devastation was compounded when I realized that losing John, we also lost any possibility of a rebirth of The Beatles.
​
Like so many others, I began to wonder what would have happened if The Beatles had never broken up. Would John still be alive? Would the rumored peace between he and Paul have grown into a new creative partnership? Would they recognize and embrace George's creative flowering?
​
And, assuming they would release new albums, what songs would be on those Beatle albums that never were? How would the Beatles' versions of those songs we know from their solo recording differ from what we have now? ​
This website proposes an alternate reality where The Beatles weathered the storms of 1969 and 1970 to emerge as a stronger, more egalitarian version of themselves. They have grown and matured, and as a result have learned how to navigate their business obligations, resolve their petty disputes and to focus once again on creating Beatle music.
My hope is that whatifthebeatles.com will provide a plausible and memorable alternative history for other Beatle fans like me who still long for more from the eternally Fab Four.