Tuesday Tunes: The Beatles’ “I Want To Hold Your Hand”

Editor’s Note: Song lyrics denoted in bold italics.

Had I come of age in the early ’60s, I’m sure I would have been swept up in Beatlemania. I’m sure it was pretty similar to Bieber Fever and all the pictorial evidence seems to support my theory — lots of fans legit screaming their heads off and getting themselves worked up into downright hysterics. It was quite the time, I’m sure!

Although I didn’t grow up during that time, my parents saw to it that I had a healthy diet of Beatles tunes throughout my childhood. They filled car rides with everything from A Hard Day’s Night to Magical Mystery Tour and everything in between. We all seemed to have our favorite Fab Four member too — I loved Paul while my father’s favorite was always Ringo — and our favorite song, of course. Mine have changed over the years. I went through a huge “Something” phase and another phase where “Please, Please Me” stood out above the rest as my main jam, but through it all, one song kept looping in my brain. It’s the song I’d always come back to over and over. It was my constant. And now that I’m older, I’m starting to see why…

The Beatles’ “I Want To Hold Your Hand”
From Meet The Beatles

I don’t remember the first time I heard the Beatles, but something obviously clicked during that first listen because they’ve been a part of my musical library forever. Remember how my sister and I saved up to buy almost all of their albums? In high school, I must have listened to Rubber Soul on repeat for days. I remember sitting in our living room, putting the CD in my disc-man and falling into the mesmerizing lull of “Nowhere Man.” As I got older, though, I realized that “I Want To Hold Your Hand” is really where it’s at.

Oh yeah, I’ll tell you something
I think you’ll understand
When I’ll say that something
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand


Oh please, say to me
You’ll let me be your man
And please, say to me
You’ll let me hold your hand
I’ll let me hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand

There is such a sense of innocence to this song, isn’t there? It practically screams of the power of young love. You know, those jitters and butterflies — and, yes, sweaty palms too! — of something as simple as just being around the other person. Maybe you can’t quite put your finger on it or find the right words to describe it, but you know that you’ve found something pretty special.

Plus, it’s such a simple request. You want to hold their hand. You aren’t asking for anything more than that. If you ask me, that’s a beautiful thing to ask of another person.

And when I touch you I feel happy
Inside
It’s such a feeling that my love
I can’t hide
I can’t hide
I can’t hide

I’ve often wondered what it must be like to have that kind of affect on someone. To have such power over someone and have them completely enraptured by you; it’s no small feat, that’s for sure. And something tells me that this sort of pull is strongest at the emotional level — beyond all that superficial surface-y stuff.

Because when you get down to it, that’s really the only connection worth having in the long-run, don’t you think? Sure, you could try to build some kind of life out of pure physical attraction, but I doubt that would ever be truly satisfying. I just envision getting really bored really quickly. You can’t build an entire life on something as fleeting as looks. I thank John, Paul, George and Ringo for teaching me this lesson so early in life. They probably saved me from A LOT of heartache and disappointment! xoxo

Which Beatle are you?

It was 50 years ago today, at around 1:30 p.m., that four plucky lads from Liverpool stepped off a plane at JFK airport in New York City and into the hearts of screaming fans everywhere. So on this last day of Beatles Week, we finally answer the ultimate question: Which Beatle are you? Because, really, when you think about it, don’t we all have an inner John, Paul, George or Ringo?

Take the quiz, and don’t forget to share your Beatle in the comments. I got… xoxo

Rare Beatles photos

When he was 18, photographer Mike Mitchell snapped these awesome black-and-white photos of the Beatles. The group was performing in Washington D.C. in 1964, around the same time as their Ed Sullivan appearance.

I love how these photos seem to capture the spirit of a Beatles concert (how fun must it have been to be among the thousands of screaming fans?), and as opposed to album photos and other photo shoots, you get an uninhibited, authentic glimpse of those cheeky boys just having a good time. How fun! xoxo

P.S. This week’s Ms. Bear’s Kitchen is coming your way this afternoon! 🙂

[Via Huffington Post]

My 10 favorite Beatles songs

From the infectious, sing-song-y hooks of early hits like “Please, Please Me” and “I Want To Hold Your Hand” to the deeper, moodier observations of life on later tunes such as “Eleanor Rigby” and “Here Comes The Sun,” the Beatles catalog spanned less than a decade, but defined a generation. These weren’t just songs. They were statements. Statements of a generation in flux. Statements of a generation craving a change, craving a better world.

Those four lads from Liverpool? They had something to say. And young people were more than ready to listen with open hearts.

Just like the albums, everyone has their favorite Beatles song — and usually, they’re extremely passionate about their choice. That just goes to show you the level of emotion that a simple Lennon-McCartney song can elicit. Powerful? Yes. Heart-wrenching? Absolutely.

With that in mind — and because I hate having to narrow my choices down — here are my 10 favorite Beatles song, in no particular order…

1. Yesterday: Somber, reflective, heart-tugging

2. Something: One of the most romantic songs ever written, hands down

3. I Want To Hold Your Hand: Such a wonderfully innocent look at young love

4. There’s A Place: A fun ditty to sing along to

5. In My Life: One of those rare songs that’s both sad and uplifting at the same time

6. All You Need Is Love: The perfect anthem for the ’60s

7. Strawberry Fields Forever: Because isn’t everyone looking for their own Strawberry Fields?

8. Hey, Jude: A Beatles staple

9. The Long and Winding Road: Makes me think about my own life every time

10. Let It Be: The Beatles’ lasting message

Your turn, friends: What are your favorite Beatles songs? Why do you love them so much? Which ones can you listen to over and over without getting tired of them? I’d love to hear! xoxo

[Photos via We Heart It]

What’s your favorite Beatles album?

Picture it: The Midwest, the beginning of 1997. Ironically, we were in the midst of a fierce winter (sound familiar??) and got socked with a huge blizzard, so we were in for a couple of unexpected days off from school. Well, my sister and I, being the semi-geeks that we were at the time, decided to use the time to have a Beatles Marathon — because, really, what else could a 15- and 11-year-old, respectively, do? How else could we possibly fill our time?

John, Paul, George and Ringo were going to save us.

And save us they did.

Over the next few days, we managed to watch A Hard Day’s Night, Help! and a three-hour documentary on the Fab Four.

Another example of our ever-growing fangirl status: We decorated an old jar full of Beatles pictures and deemed it our Beatles Jar. We were determined to buy every single Beatles album, so all our spare change went into that jar. And guess what? We own almost every one now! Granted, they’re CDs instead of actual albums, but the thrill of collecting each one is one of my favorite memories from my teen years. The fun of going to the store and deciding which one to buy because any sensible Beatles fan knows that each album is unique and distinct in its own right. No two are alike, which is what made each of their 13 albums so magical and revolutionary.

But let’s be honest: We all have our favorite albums. You know, the select few we keep playing on repeat, know all the words to and dance wildly to every single song as if no one’s watching. Yeah, I’m talking about those few. It’s tough to narrow it down, but here are my top four favorite Beatles albums…

*With The Beatles (1963): A fun, early album that showed the Beatles were here to stay stateside. Does it get any more infectious than “It Won’t Be Long”? I think not.

*Help! (1965): The soundtrack to my favorite Beatles movie is full of toe-tapping melodies and punchy beats. I used to listen to “It’s Only Love” and get all teen-angsty about love and Crush Boy. Oh, the memories…

*Rubber Soul (1965): Perhaps the first hint that the Beatles — along with their sound — were changing. I remember checking this album out of the library and loving the more mature lads, especially on “In My Life,” which, if I’m not careful, still makes me cry to this day.

Magical Mystery Tour (1967): Does it really get any better than “All You Need Is Love”? Growing up, I used to daydream about being carried away on a fanciful magical mystery tour. Still waiting…who knows, it could happen, right?!?!?!?

Here’s a full Beatles discography for your reference, friends! So, tell me, what albums do you love? Which ones do you keep going back to? Which ones never get old? Do you tend to gravitate toward the melodies, or do the lyrics pull you in? Let’s chat, shall we? xoxo