Here are some hypothetical scenarios that never actually happen:
You stroll into the gym, iPhone and earbuds in hand, and make your way to a treadmill to get a workout started. You get the treadmill to a nice speed, and you start your run. “Almost forgot!” you think to yourself: “Music!” You take out your iPhone, open Spotify, and play “Yellow Submarine” by the Beatles to get yourself going.
No.
What a night. You and your friends just had the time of your lives and are feeling on top of the world. The night is still young, and the group hops into your car. You can almost feel the vibrant energy in the air. “Hey! Give me that aux cord!” your pals yell. You grant their wish, and everyone braces for a bassline strong enough to barrel roll the vehicle in which they’re sitting. With the entire universe of music at their command, what do your friends play? “Dear Prudence” off of the Beatles’ “White Album.”
Again, no.
It must’ve been such a good idea at the time. The Beatles are the most popular band of all time, and Spotify is now becoming the most popular music service in the world.
Why not finally combine the two? What could go wrong?
How about sucking all of the magic out of the Beatles?
In the music pantheon, the Beatles are in a league of their own. It’s perfectly fine to compare a new artist to the Rolling Stones, but if you ever make a comparison involving the Fab Four, you’re condemned and deemed insane. The Beatles are apparently untouchable in the world of musical discussion; just accept they are the best, will always be the best and nothing can ever take this away from them.
Hold on. Can we not do this?
Don’t get me wrong, the Beatles are one of the most influential artists of the last century. However, I think the executives over at Spotify (and the Beatles’ estates, I suppose) should’ve taken a long look at what exactly makes the band so special and then decided if they would be a good fit.
So what does make the Beatles so special to us music lovers?
I can’t speak on behalf of ALL listeners, but I think part of the answer lies in the following: Each one of us has our own personal, unique experience with the music of John, Paul, George and Ringo.
For me, it was begging my dad to play “Octopus’s Garden” on a weekend trip to Home Depot in elementary school. It was sitting with legs crossed in my grandparents’ home, sifting through all of their dusty Beatles records. It was the magical feeling that comes with holding an original copy of “Abbey Road” that hadn’t been touched since the Nixon administration.
For every stage in my life thus far, there has been a Beatles record to provide an apt soundtrack.
The magic of the Beatles is found within the unique circumstances in which we all have heard them. Apple has done a fantastic job at keeping their catalog relatively under wraps for the last 40 years, preventing a consumption-crazy society from growing tired of the tunes.
Up until now, hearing a Beatles song was limited to deliberate occasions, times when you were distinctly aware you were listening to them. You’d never use a Beatles song as background music, would you?
But here lies the problem.
Spotify is a wonderful invention, but it has given us the ability to have background music 24/7. From your walk on the Plaza of the Americas, to your hours studying in Marston during exam week, you can always have your favorite music blasting into your ears.
The joy of listening to a Beatles record is intently listening for all of the hidden jewels within each track. Beatles records are filled to the brim with mysterious concoctions of unrelated noises, smashing genres together and creating new ones in the process.
However, the Beatles sound is underwhelming as background noise yet brilliant when proper attention is given.
The sad reality is that the nature of the Beatles' music does not fit well with our hectic, music-all-the-time habits. In a society with everyone constantly in a rush, all music has seemingly turned into background noise.
We’re merely hearing the music and no longer listening to it. This is a fate not befit of the Beatles.
Andrew Hall is a UF finance sophomore. His column appears on Thursdays.
