Get Back!
Self-rediscovery with The Beatles.
It seems like an impossibility. I had slept on The Beatles for a long time.
To be clear, it’s not that I’d never paid attention to them. But I’m pretty sure it had been over 15 years since I’d really listened to their songs. Not that one wouldn’t enter my environment on occasion, but I just let them linger in the background or if they happen to pop on a playlist, skipped it. Having grown up in the 70’s, they featured heavily as part of my musical upbringing. By the time I was married and had kids I was well over them.
Last month, I was scrolling through my TV apps for something to watch. The “Get Back” Beatles documentary showed up in the recommendations. I think what lured me was the fact that there were so much footage of them creating the music which I hadn’t seen before. So I checked it out and was immediately hooked.
The three-part docu-series spans 21 days as The Beatles write for the Let It Be album. At the same time, their team is planning to promote the release with a concert and film project. Hence, we are blessed with all of this wonderful footage.
The first thing that struck me was the amazing quality of the restored film. I really felt like I was in the room and part of the process. The artistry in putting this documentary together cannot be understated.
As a musician I was enthralled throughout this story. Repeatedly, I was reminded just how many of their songs I love. I kept asking myself “Why did I ever stop listening?”.
Flooding back were memories of listening to them with my dad, either in the car or one of the few albums he had. Then there was also my childish fascination with Ringo. Maybe you could consider it the early days of a crush before I knew what a crush was. I remember being teased by my John or Paul loving friends. Well, I can’t help it if I was born with exemplary taste!
The “Get Back” series ended with me craving more. I hunted down a few other Beatles docs as well as watched the movies “Hard Days Night” and “Help” (the latter recommended only for novelty lol). In a sense, my long hiatus from listening to The Beatles turned out to be a good thing. I’ve been able to rediscover them with new ears and a new appreciation. These are not just cool dudes who came up with some cool songs. These are four highly skilled musicians who were innovators continuing to influence a variety of music styles to this day.
I’m listening differently now.
The line, “Get back to where you once belonged”, has taken on a whole new meaning for me. My experience wasn’t merely reminiscence and reverence for the band. It’s about me getting back to the person I have always been at my core—not just the one I used to be. The true me who wants to love things unabashedly, without needing justification, affirmation or boundaries. It was a reminder of how to allow feelings without judgement or regulation.
I didn’t just get back to my musical roots.
I got back to hidden pieces of myself.
Of course, music isn’t the only way to achieve this. I’m now interested in taking more trips down Memory Lane to see what other joys I can reignite. Some ideas off the top of my head are, looking through old photos/yearbooks, re-reading beloved childhood stories or re-learning the guitar.
Music unlocking memories or sparking inspiration is nothing new to me. But it’s amazing how even a familiar tune can surprise you in a new way when the environment and time is right.
Self-Reflection
I encourage you to try using nostalgia as a tool for introspection. If you need a bit of prompting to help, ask yourself:
Is something from my past calling to me ?
What were my go-to activities when I played alone?
Which places from childhood felt magical and how can I recreate it?
What smells, tastes, or sounds instantly take me back to childhood?
I’d love to hear your story. Reply with one thing you’d like to rediscover such as an artist, hobby, place, or memory.
Or let me know which Beatles song instantly transports you back in time.
Thanks for reading! ☮️💖🤘🏼
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I think the rediscovery has been songs from the dim past that I overlooked because I was told they had no merit. So I put together an early life playlist of the first songs I remember hearing and realized that these songs were pretty solid. And they fill gaps that my efforts to be an ethical music consumer fretted might not be filled.