While there are dozens of different ways to spend Valentine’s with you, my dear readers, no list of songs came close to topping my reasons for a Beatles playlist. Great big fan giving credit where credit is due of course…

1- A cousin, with whom I shared an amazing friendship growing up, despite the 5 year age gap, started me on them. My cousin was in a band, they practiced in his house, where I also spent some summers (shout out to relations with pools, am I right?) and they covered a lot of songs. While I never did fall for Nirvana like he did at the time, the Beatles became a connection between us… you know, more than the bloodline or our mutual thing for writing, or any of the other common ground we shared over the years. (one day I may just post things from my 30th, including a little Doctor Who skit, with said cousin being the best Doctor on my budget…)

2- The Beatles spanned genres, writing comical or moving, love songs or protests, never just sticking to one thing… No one trick ponies, they had a message they wanted to tell, and did so, with or without the Beatles band. This is a good reminder to writers, to expand ourselves past just what we think we can do, and to experiment.

3- As I am revising and editing my current WIP, I am reminded of how these characters started; what they liked and did not like, whose tastes developed over time, etc. None of these thoughts would be quite as well remembered as the time I half awake/ half asleep dreamt of two of my chars, stepping outside their roles, debating lyrics. Like drunk but relaxed fools, living alone in the main stage of my brain, they sat playing their playlists (which was terrible for me- ever get the lyrics of one song stuck playing over the melody of another?) agreeing how great the song was, and why they liked it, before saying this other song might be better… If only I did that with real in real life, and not debating myself so much…

4- There are many artists, quite a few who rise up into my top 5, and the Beatles frequently tie with Elvis, but I challenge anyone to not hear the Beatles and instantly think of the songs they know. Some small corner of your file cabinet brain jolts to life and parrots out some choir you never could forget… Right?

5- Despite all the sides one tends to try to take in breakups, was there ever another band that was so devoted to their spouses? They had quite a few love songs under their belts, and yet among the popularity, they managed to find women they loved deeply in their own respective ways. Feel free to disagree, especially with the few cheaters, but John had Yoko, Paul had Linda, and I am not sure one got over the other if you know what I mean… if not, one should check a bit more into the lives of the Beatle men.

That’s all for today readers, 5 reasons for 5 songs, and my wishes for a Happy Valentine’s Day to you… however you choose to spend it. I will be diving into my bigger Beatles playlists, further debating my song choices against one another, assigning them to the characters in my head. #stillsane, #justawriter