That’s a line from Taxman by The Beatles, and since it’s release in 1966 those words have become more and more accurate as the years go by… never more so than today. But I love the lyrics to the song and that’s why it’s one of my favourite Beatles records.
Choosing favourite Beatles songs is very difficult, there are just so many and people will argue ’til the cows come home about which songs were their best. When I was a kid their music was everywhere, it seemed like no other band existed for a few years because they dominated the charts and the music scene. I had many of their early singles… bought for me by my mum and dad.. and I used to listen to them on an old radiogram that we had at the time, all in mono. I loved it all, The Beatles were fantastic.., still are.
It was the swinging ’60’s and pop music was the big thing, The Beatles were the undisputed kings of pop and every record they brought out shot to the top of the charts. Thing is, I was only around nine or ten years old then.., too young to be out with all the teenagers at that time, and they were the ones who were having all the fun going to The Beatles concerts and screaming themselves silly.. Beatlemania. So I had to stay at home with my mum and dad and listen to their records or watch them on the TV… and all in black and white.
But I had an aunty who was in her late teens at that time, and I remember going with my grandad in the car when he gave her a lift into town to a Beatles concert one night. I remember us pulling up to the curb in the car and my aunty leaping out and running across the road to join her friends then they all ran off, screaming through the town centre. I remained in the car with my grandad and watched through the window as all these girls ran past in near hysterics…, I’d never seen anything like that before and it sticks in my mind to this day, and I wanted to go with them… but there was no chance of that happening. And that was the closest I ever got to a Beatles concert. But that never stopped me from loving their music and I actually like it more as I get older, as I’m sure countless generations will in the future… it’s timeless. So this is the first song in this post, Taxman…”one for you, nineteen for me”… brilliant line.
Then the second one is a song I saw Paul McCartney play a week or two ago at a concert in his home town of Liverpool which was shown on the BBC…, he was still brilliant and he did many of the old Beatles songs, much to the shear delight of the sellout crowd. This really is a great Beatles song, it’s from 1963 and was on their debut album, it’s called I saw Her Standing There and it’s one that I used to listen to on the old radiogram… only it’s not in mono anymore and doesn’t crackle like it did then. So these two are in my Beatles concert for one on my desert island.
