The Beatles - In My Life

I am going to Las Vegas again in June to see The Police Reunion concert at MGM and to see The Beatles Cirque du Soleil show, Love, again at the Mirage.

As I was driving to work this morning, singing along with the Love soundtrack at the top of my lungs, (it's a good thing no one has to carpool with me) I thought about how excited I was to see the show for a second time in less than a year. I thought about how happy I was belting out these songs while driving to work on a rainy, Tuesday morning. I started to give it some thought and I was really surprised by the memories and emotions that came up as I started to think about my attachment to The Beatles' music.

My earliest memories are of my older brother playing me Beatles songs in his room when I was a kid. I was really young and I remember that my favorites were Octupus's Garden (because the descriptions in the song are so fun and childlike) and Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (because it is just so infectious and fun to sing) and Maxwell's Silver Hammer (because I remember being highly amused by the idea of going around clobbering people with a silver hammer on their head--although I'm not sure exactly what that says about me). I would ask him to play them over and over again. I was probably 4 or 5 years old at the time.

Later, I remember hearing Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds and drawing a picture for my brother (that he hung in his room for a long time) of everything I could get out of the lyrics-- newspaper taxis, tangerine trees, cellophane flowers of yellow and green, etc., etc. I was probably about 7 years old.

I remember being the only kid in school who was really saddened by the news of John Lennon's death. I don't think anyone else was deeply affected or even knew who John Lennon was. I remember being sad and surprised that none of my classmates really cared or understood why I did care. I knew it was a big deal. I was ten years old in December of 1980 when John Lennon was shot. I had chills when we visited the site of his murder in New York a few years ago.

When I got my first turntable and stereo, my brother gave me his old copies of Abbey Road, Sgt. Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour and The White Album (he had newer, more pristine versions) and I played them to death. I remember my favorite at the time being the Sgt. Pepper album. I learned about the symbolism in the artwork on the album covers (remember when album artwork was significant?) and I used to examine every detail. I didn't have many records at the time, so I listened to them over and over again.

In 1997, I got a job with EMI Music and worked for them for about 4 years. I was there when the Beatles 1 record came out (the compilation of number one songs) and I felt proud just to be working there at the time (even though the division of EMI that I worked for really had nothing to do with the release).







I've spent my later years listening to everything from 80's pop to metal to rock to country, but one thing has always remained a constant. Every now and then, I always find time to listen to The Beatles.

No other music affects me this way and I now realize that no other music ever will. It is the music that I have in my earliest memories. These melodies and images are completely woven throughout the memories and experiences of my life and have really become part of my life's soundtrack. The connection is so strong in my mind, that I sometimes think that on some level that the songs just sound different to me than they do to other people. It's like the music is climbing into my head and pulling out the memories one by one.

I'm thrilled to have tickets to go to the Beatles Love show for a second time. I've read that the show will be running in Las Vegas for about ten years and I am thankful for that. Deep down, I have a sneaking suspicion that even after seeing it twice, chances are, I will need to return again someday. If you find yourself in Vegas, I recommend that you check it out and you'll agree--all you need is LOVE.