Dear Sir John Lennon,
I hate the Beatles. There you go, I said it. Not talking about those creepy crawlies that crawl around the house when it is raining. I mean the band, the music, you, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Yoko whoever-the-hell Ono and all that Day Tripper music. I'm supremely confident that this will ruffle a few musical feathers and probably make you roll over in your grave, but here's why.
I must confess I had never listened to a full Beatles album till a week ago, when I coaxed my music-loving wife into buying me a Beatles album (Abbey Road) on the iTunes store in India.
"Why Beatles?", she said to me curiously. I shrugged, stared back and said "I don't know, its not that expensive plus I have never listened to a Beatles album ever". She smiled back at me.
For weeks, the album cocooned in my iPhone(shameless plug, Apple are you listening?) and I made my way around the tiny little musical world in my phone. And always skipped The Beatles collection. Mumford & Sons. Jack Johnson. Dave Mathews Band. John Mayer. Even Pritam (you know, that Bollywood music director who looks like he runs away from a barber). Never the Beatles.
Then one day, as I made my way back home through the muggy streets of Santa Cruz, Mumbai, I took the plunge. I mustered up the courage to listen and turned to Come Together. And hmm it was not that bad. In fact, I thought to myself, I could like this stuff and have conversations with people about how great you guys are.
But that's where it ended. I lost track of what happened next and before I knew it, I was listening to something about someone playing in an Octopus's Garden. I played the other songs that I don't quite remember and I thought to myself what is the big deal!
And nothing has changed. I still hate The Beatles. I understand you set the precedent for what we listen today and for the music we have today and I am thankful for that. But I don't think I will ever understand your music. I understand you helped shape the musicians we have today, but I don't understand what the fuss is about.
Strangely enough, I came home that same day, switched on the TV and what do I see? You, on TV singing some song on how you lived in some sort of submarine.
One thing is for sure: I can run but I cannot hide.
Regards
Not a Beatles Fan
P.S. What were you doing with the Octopus in the Garden?
Till then, here is my song of the day http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQtGqmi2O2U
