The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, August 01, 2001, Page 7, Image 7
'Che Gamecock
I love The Beatles —yeah, yeah, yeah
It was 37 years ago when The
Beatles first landed on the shores
of the United States and began
their conquest
of the world.
Conquer
the world they
did, with 27
No. 1 singles
and millions of
Ann Marie Miani adoring fans,
is managing editor John, Paul,
andean George and
be reached at n •
gamecockviewpoints ^in§° were
@hotmaii.com. introduced to
America on
reo. wnen iney iirsi
appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
Seventy-three million people
watched The Beatles that night, and
it was the beginning of not only
Beatlemania, but also of the British
Invasion. For the rest of the 1960s,
they would rule the pop charts and
change the face of music.They were
barely out of their teens.
It all began that night in February,
when John belted out “I Want to
Hold Your Hand.” The audience
screamed, and hundreds of thousands
of girls across the country fell in
love with the Fab Four and picked
their favorite “mop top” to worship.
Dili noi me. i wasn i even a
twinkle in my father’s eye when
The Beatles invaded America. My
Mom and Dad were still in high
school and hadn’t even met.
My love for The Beatles and
other groups from that era came
from my father’s love of music.
When I was growing up, he was
the lead singer of The 8th Day, a
band that covered 1950s and 1960s
music. I learned the words to the
songs and sang along like any good
daughter would. He even would
bring me onstage and sing “Brown
Eyed Girl” to me.
Aside from my father’s shows,
it was mostly at home where we
would listen to bands such as The
Beatles, The Beach Boys and The
Rolling Stones.
Either during dinner or while he
was preparing breakfast, we would
put on an album and listen to the
masters of rock ‘n’ roll at work.
When I was young, I liked the
early Beatles’ work, the songs that
had made girls fall in love with them
20 years earlier. “I Want to Hold
Your Hand,” “Love Me Do,” “She
Loves You” and “Yesterday” were
some of my favorite tunes.
At that time, I didn’t understand
songs like “Lucy in the Sky With
Diamonds” and “I Am the Walrus.”
They weren’t the simple, sweet love
songs I expected from John and
r>_i
a am.
As I got older, I began to see the
meaning behind the songs I didn’t
understand as a young girl.
“Strawberry Fields Forever” and
“Penny Lane” are about places in
Liverpool. “I Am the Walrus” is
based on the poem “The Carpenter
and The Walrus;” John mixed up
the characters, not realizing the
Walrus was the bad guy. And “Lucy
in the Sky With Diamonds” is based
on a picture young Julian Lennon
had drawn.
But for the most part, I was alone
in my attraction to groups like The
Beatles. Many of my friends
questioned why I would rather listen
to my father’s oldies albums than
the latest Ace of Base single.
But on Nov. 19, 1995, things
began to change. With the release
of The Beatles Anthology, a three
part documentary, three double-disc
albums and a book, The Beatles
were making a comeback. The
Beatles Anthology made old fans
remember and created a whole new
legion of listeners.
It was also the first time in 25
years that there was new Beatles’
material: “Free as a Bird” and “Real
Love.” The band also entered the
MTV generation by releasing videos
for the new singles.
Then on Nov. 14, 2000, The
Beatles did the impossible — they
topped the charts 30 years after the
band broke up. They spent 10 weeks
at No. 1 on the Billboard charts with
the release of 1, an album with the
band’s 27 No. 1 singles.
Finally, people my own age, who
weren’t even bom when The Beatles
broke up, were buying Beatles
albums.
People or all ages were buying
1, either to rediscover their past or
discover a whole new future. With
1, The Beatles solidified their position
as the world’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll
band.
And why is this? Because good
music stands the test of time. The
music John, Paul, George and Ringo
created more than 30 years ago is
timeless.
They proved that you can relate
to their songs, whether you heard
them in 1964 or 2000, because most
of them had messages of love,
understanding and caring.
It’s been a long and winding road
for the three surviving Beatles —
Paul, who’s getting remarried; George,
who’s being treated for cancer; and
Ringo, who’s going on tour with his
new All-Starr Band this summer.
Even John, who was murdered
21 years ago, won a Grammy in 2001
for a long-form music video, “Gimme
Some Truth — The Making of John
Lennon's Imagine Album.”
So what’s in store for The Beatles
in the new millennium?
One can only “Imagine.”
The Washington Post
THE SIFT THAT KEEPS ON (5IVIN6
Letters
Schools officials need
to be held accountable
To the Editor:
One cannot help but wonder if ab
ject ignorance has permeated school
districts presided over by superinten
dents who want to squander taxpayer
dollars on frivolous lawsuits, in an at
tempt to try and convince the judicia
ry that it should substitute its judgment
for that of the legislature, where the
state school accountability law is con
cerned.
subject to specinc constitutional
limitations, when the legislature has
spoken, the public interest has been de
clared in terms well nigh conclusive.
The legislature, not the judiciary, is the
main guardian of the public needs and
public policy, where accountability stan
dards for schools are concerned.
It is well established that the judi
ciary may not inquire into the wisdom
or lack of wisdom of a legislative act. It
is the legislature, and not the judiciary,
which is the proper branch to make such
quintessential policy decisions.
While superintendents are free to
disagree with the legislature’s policy
choices, as a matter of personal opin
ion, they are not free to substitute their
own questionable judgment for that
of the legislature’s, as a matter of law.
TInHpr thp S r Cnnctitn»;r.n. .
General Assembly can enact general
laws, such as the state school ac
countability law. Autonomous taxing
authority is a distinct issue from the is
sue of accountability requirements. Ob
fuscation serves no one.
The public should rightfully expect
both accountability to high standards
and fiscal discipline, simultaneously.
No one benefits by holding school of
ficials to low standards. Little wonder
the general public has such little faith
in school officials these days.
Charles R. Mosteller
Attorney at Law, Greer, S.C.
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