The Beatles: A Life-Long Impact on This Millinial

During the 90s, I was a shy little girl living with her grandparents in Mississippi. Because they grew up in the 50s and 60s, I was introduced to the music from their generation at an early age. While other girls in my class was listening to the boy bands that were coming out at that time. I was gifted tapes of Elvis and Buddy Holly. I daydreamed of living during that time which seemed so much more care-free with poodle skirts, sock hops, and milkshakes.

When I was 9 years old, this fascination with the classics would lead to an event that would change my life forever. As it was at this time that I sat down to watch a documentary with my grandma on ABC. I had heard about these four guys from Liverpool, England, but I didn't know anything about them. Out of curiosity I watched, and immediately I was hooked. That documentary was the Beatles Anthology, and those 4 guys from Liverpool, well, of course, they were John, Paul, George, and RIngo.

Itś one of those things in my life where I try to pinpoint exactly what it was about these guys that I found to be so intriguing. I though Paul McCartney was adorable, even though he was old enough to be my grandpa. This would lead to a multi-year crush that would last until I heard My Sweet Lord ̈ by George Harrison. He would win my heart, which still remains as such today. But during these few nights, I sat, watching interviews and listening to this incredible music, and I was hooked. The first night that it wasn ́t on, I sat and cried for an hour. My grandma was surprised that I had been impacted so deeply. I did eventually stop crying when VH1 played their video ̈Your Mother Should Know.

When I was ten years old, I took my birthday money and bought my first CD player, and my first cds, The Beatles ́ Abbey Road and A Hard Day's Night. Over the next few years, I would grow a huge album collection, which not only included most of the Beatles, as well as their solo albums, but other groups from that period. This included such groups as Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, the Monkees, the Bee Gees, the Beach Boys, even the Blues Brothers.

At some point around the age of 13, I grew a bit weary of my musical tastes, as I was made fun of quite a bit for liking parents ́ music. Eventually, I put my CD collection aside to start collecting the NOW album collection. But as I grew older, more confident, it didn't bother me what others said, I remembered how much I loved this music that had brought me so much joy. By now, my love for music had grown to include a lot of the general modern popular music, but there was a passion for the classics, that was a good thing.

I was no longer made fun of for my tastes, except for when a friend would see them on TV late at night or early in the morning, but they would fail to call and let me know. Years later, I love how there are huge fan bases for these legendary bands. I always have the urge to go up to anybody I see wearing a Beatles t-shirt. I'm glad that young people see how incredible they were, and that had it not been for these musical pioneers, music wouldn't be what it is today.

I still get excited whenever a Beatle or Tom Petty or Roy Orbison pops up on my tv or computer suddenly. Some things never change. Now I have children of my own who typically tease me when a song comes on the radio, but later admit that they secretly love them as well. Although music is ever-changing, it is important to remember and honor they way it once was. Of course, those poodle-skirts, sock hops, and milkshakes, have morphed into cut-off jeans, internet cafes, and frappuccinos, deep down, we haven't really changed that much. And according to another one of my favorites, Sonny Bono, the beat goes on.