Happy Global Beatles’ Day

By Bud Focht

Hi, my name is Bud and like many people who are close to the age of 60, I grew up part of Beatlemania.

There were many summer days in the 1960s when I would carry my guitar over to my neighbor’s house and we would listen to Beatle songs and pretend we were playing and singing along.

On June 25, 1967, during the “Summer of Love” the Beatles performed their song All You Need is Love on a BBC produced show “Our World” that was linked globally in 26 countries via satellite and watched by 400 million people.

That is why today, June 25, was selected as Global Beatles’ Day, a day honoring and celebrating the phenomenon and ideals of the Beatles, for their gifts to the world, their promotion of peace and love, and of course, their music.

As I got older and listened to the Sgt. Pepper album on headphones I grew a whole new appreciation for the Fab Four, an appreciation that stayed with me through the 1970s. 

When the Beatles broke up I continued to buy the post-Beatle albums like Red Rose Speedway (McCartney), Imagine (Lennon), Band on the Run (McCartney), Dark Horse (George), Mind Games (Lennon), Concert for Bangla Desh (George), Double Fantasy (Lennon). I even bought (and liked) Ringo’s Goodnight Vienna.

I still have many Beatle songs on my iPod, but these days I listen to a lot of country music.  I listen to country music mainly because that is what my wife Terry likes.

She likes the fact that the lyrics of the country songs are easily understood, and usually carry more weight than the music. The message is more important than the sound.  She likes the stories that country songs tell.

I have found that the stories most country songs usually tell deal with girls, beer, God, summertime, whiskey, life below the Mason-Dixon line, tequila, cowboys, the good ole red, white and blue, and beer.

Listening to music has always been a big part of my life, and it is now an important part of Terry’s life, especially since she was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease. 

Terry needs constant input to help slow down the shrinkage of her brain. It is like exercising a muscle. Music helps stimulate Terry’s mind.

The brain processes music in multiple areas. So when Terry’s screwed up hippocampus can’t find the information she needs to know where her keys are, she can find in her brain the words and melodies to songs and who is singing them.  The songs also bring back memories of her past when the old songs she hears were new.

So we watch music videos when we are inside and we listen to a lot of music Any Time at All, but especially when we are outside.

We spend a lot of time outside this time of year, walking or just sitting in the backyard, talking (me talking, Terry laughing. Ain’t She Sweet?) looking at the sky or the neighborhood animals (squirrels, rabbits, birds, Rocky Raccoon, butterflies).

Do You Want to Know a Secret? It sounds boring but it isn’t.

On a nice night you can almost look Across the Universe. Sitting with my best friend I Feel Fine. I Want to Hold Her Hand.  In My Life it doesn’t get much better than that.

It has been a Long and Winding Road since Terry was diagnosed 14 months ago.  Usually in down times you can keep positive by thinking that All Things Must Pass, but not with Alzheimer’s. I will never be able to say that things are Getting Better.  She will never Get Back to where she was.  It Won’t Be Long before our lives are even more Helter Skelter.

But The Two of Us are making the most of our summer so far. I’ve Got a Feeling it is going to be a great summer. We have already gone to the beach a couple of times (I’ll Follow the Sun) and Terry even went underwater, on purpose, after a great walk on the boardwalk.

Looking back on how much Terry has declined since last summer, the Two of Us will be trying to make the very most of our summer this year. I don’t know how many more we will have to enjoy a Good Day Sunshine.

Yesterday, or at least 15 months ago, life was such an easy game to play. All of my troubles seemed so far away, now it looks as though they are here to stay.

Until next time, enjoy the Beatles’ music on this Global Beatles’ Day. Enjoy country music. Enjoy your partner in life, while you can.

All You Need is Love,

Bud