You Need to Be as Good as the Beatles!
“You need to be as good as the Beatles to make it!”
I think this statement is f’n ridiculous.
The month before I quit teaching, I attended a wedding. The uncle of the bride sat next to me at dinner, asked me what I did for a living. I told him I was leaving my teaching job soon to focus on music.
The conversation went from lighthearted to uncomfortable, quickly. It ended with him belittling my music goals. Somewhere in the conversation he asked, “Are you as good as the Beatles? You need to be as good as the Beatles!”
I love the Beatles. I think they wrote some of the best songs ever. But I want to scream any time a Baby Boomer tells me I need to be as good as the Beatles to make it.
You see, the Beatles were just four, hardworking guys who worked with other hardworking people. They studied great songs. They played long gigs. They loved music.
But they also lived in a time where pop music, TV broadcasted performances, and loud concerts were new. A time where there was a monolithic culture.
There won’t be another “Beatles.” Many say this as proof that “music today isn’t as good as then.” Bullshit! We can’t have another Beatles because we can’t recreate that time. (Nor should we want to…)
What we can do is create something that makes us feel great, and hope it makes others feel great.
Don’t try to be as good as the Beatles. We don’t need another Beatles. Try to be as good as your best self. We need a unique you.
Photo by Anne Glista
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