"Information is not knowledge, Knowledge is not wisdom, Wisdom is not truth, Truth is not beauty, Beauty is not love, Love is not music and Music is THE BEST." ~Frank Zappa

"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." ~Berthold Auerbach

"Without music life would be a mistake." ~Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

"Music's the only thing that makes sense anymore. You play it loud enough so you can keep the demons at bay." ~Jojo from Across the Universe

What is it about music? It is often said that music is one of the only other universal languages besides mathematics (and reading and playing music both involve a certain degree of mathematics). It brings people together in unique ways. It can be used to vent certain emotions, celebrate holidays, relieve stress, tell stories, and open up our imaginations... even worship our Creator. The impact of music can be timeless. God is also timeless, in fact beyond time itself. Like God, music can heal. Like God, music can be scary. And like God, music can "keep demons at bay."

What is it about music? More specifically, what is it about the music created by these four British long-haired misfits called the Beatles that had such an impact on the world? Why do the Beatles' songs really still connect with us? Is it a matter of being on a dance competition panel and saying "I give it a 10, I like the beat"? Is it a matter of being on the American Idol panel and offering our professional opinion based on pitch or technique?

The '60s were a time of spiritual exploration and search for a "complete mystical experience" by a young generation numbed by the legalistic sterile religion of their parents, which was in itself a reaction to World War II and trying to make things "normal" and "safe" again. Then the gunshots in Dallas on November 22, 1963 reminded everyone that evil was still "looking for someone to devour." The rest of the decade was spent searching for an alternative search for a spiritual truth that wouldn't let them down, and the Beatles helped lead the way through everything from mind-expanding drugs to Eastern religions, and writing songs about it.

But this is only my understanding and interpretation based on what others have said about this time in history... I didn't personally experience it, but as a human being, it is still my history by default. My imagination helps me to understand, if only but a shallow reflection of it. Though I have adored the Beatles' music my whole life, I myself will never truly know the impact it had when it all originally came out: being born too late in 1975, I can only rely on my memories of participating in the reminiscence of my parents and their generation. They also understand the Vietnam War in a way that I can only read about. In the same way, I understand the Challenger explosion and 9/11 in a way that my daughter will only read about and learn about in history class.

Across the Universe, and the way the lyrics are used to weave into the history of the time period and the emotions involved with the war and the characters, provides a slightly clearer picture of what the Beatles' music meant to that generation. Vietnam was a war that many people felt America should not have gotten involved with, and the music of that time relayed that message. Across the Universe would be a good teaching tool for any history class trying to understand the culture at that time.

Continue: 1 2