![]() These records were events, and not just advance notice of an album. They made such fantastic records as “Paperback Writer” b/w “Rain” or “Penny Lane” b/w “Strawberry Fields Forever” and only put them out as singles. Imagine releasing a song like “Ask Me Why” or “Things We Said Today” as a B side. Lennon, McCartney and Harrison had stunningly high standards as writers. Most of all, John and Paul were fantastic singers. Ringo Starr played the drums with an incredibly unique feel that nobody can really copy, although many fine drummers have tried and failed. Most important, they always fit right into the arrangement. They made writing your own material expected, rather than exceptional.Īnd John Lennon and Paul McCartney were exceptional songwriters McCartney was, and is, a truly virtuoso musician George Harrison wasn’t the kind of guitar player who tore off wild, unpredictable solos, but you can sing the melodies of nearly all of his breaks. They had already absorbed Buddy Holly, the Everly Brothers and Chuck Berry, but they were also writing their own songs. Compared to rabid R&B evangelists like the Rolling Stones, the Beatles arrived sounding like nothing else. It wasn’t the first time anything like this had happened, but the Beatles achieved a level of fame and recognition known previously only to Charlie Chaplin, Brigitte Bardot and Elvis Presley, along with a little of the airless exclusivity of astronauts, former presidents and other heavyweight champions.Įvery record was a shock. My experience - seizing on every picture, saving money for singles and EPs, catching them on a local news show - was repeated over and over again around the world. I was exactly the right age to be hit by them full-on. The Beatles even recorded for Parlophone, which was a comedy label, as if they believed they might be a passing novelty act. Prior to that, the people in show business from the north of England had all been comedians. The funny thing is that parents and all their friends from Liverpool were also curious and proud about this local group. I didn’t care about that they were the band for me. The photo was badly lit, and they didn’t quite have their look down Ringo had his hair slightly swept back, as if he wasn’t quite sold on the Beatles haircut yet. This was 1962 or ’63, before they came to America. I spent most of my holidays on Merseyside then, and a local girl gave me a bad publicity shot of them with their names scrawled on the back. Strangely enough, bluebirds are not indigenous to Europe and so have never been over the white cliffs of Dover.I first heard of the Beatles when I was nine years old. Written by Walter Kent and Nat Burton, this hopeful song of peace after the war was popularised by Vera Lynn in 1942, when the outlook was dark. There’ll Be Bluebirds Over the White Cliffs of Dover She also wrote ‘Une chanson à trois temps’/’The Partisan’, popularised by both Édith Piaf and Leonard Cohen. #British dance song sergeant free#The most popular song of the French Resistance and Free French Forces, this anthem was composed by Anna Marly in London in 1943, inspired by a Russian song (Marly was Russian by birth). It is still being sung to this day all over the world in support of anti-fascism. This perennial left-wing folk anthem got its start in Italian Partisan resistance and Italian Civil War of 1943–45. ![]() ![]() Several versions by different artists gained popularity during the war, though in later years the phrase took on a more satirical context. Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunitionīased on stories about a wartime chaplain who supposedly uttered the phrase during the attack on Pearl Harbour, this American wartime patriotic anthem was written by Frank Loesser in 1942. ![]() Kiss me Goodnight Sergeant MajorĪnother humorous British entry, this 1939 soldier’s song was popularised by Arthur Askey. At the time Germany was secretly building up its arsenal in preparation for war. PanzerliedĬomposed in 1933 by Wehrmacht Oberleutnant Kurt Wiehle, this famous Nazi war anthem was adapted from an older sailor’s song to inspire and support the Tank Force ( Panzerwaffe). Warning: The events recounted in this episode may be distressing to some listeners Listen Now 5. In this incredible episode, James is joined by Keiko herself to learn her riveting story of survival against all odds. Those who survived the a-bombs are known as hibakusha, and Keiko - as a storyteller for the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation - is among the most prominent. Keiko Ogura was just eight years old on Augwhen her home city of Hiroshima was destroyed by the US in the first atomic bomb attack in history. ![]()
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