Wednesday, Lafayette, Indiana

It was thirty-eight years ago this week that the Beatles officially broke up as a band. The news came out through the announcement by Paul McCartney that he was releasing a solo album. Word of the breakup happened on the heels of the release of their last recording together, the great Let It Be album.

Americans caught Beatlemania with their inaugural visit to New York and their storied celebration on The Ed Sullivan Variety Show. They ruled popular music for the rest of the decade that included a record twenty number one hits with unprecedented song writing and a mind boggling array of innovative styles. Every album release was a stunning surprise of new sounds, techniques and messages. They were, and remain today, the creative band without peer.

Even after four decades and the murder of John Lennon and death of George Harrison, the Beatles remain a towering presence in modern music. I realize that there are many younger people who only know the Beatles from their music, their own recordings or covers by others. I am not aware of another pop culture phenomenon to parallel the galvanizing influence of the Beatles in their day. They riveted the attention of the country, especially the young.

The Beatles offered a distraction from the angst of their troubled time - with the Vietnam War and deep generational tensions. But the distraction was not simply idle disconnection. Their music told stories alternately light and profound. They sang about romantic love and higher love. They sang about personal serenity and world peace.

They truly were a voice for many. I’m not sure who fills that role today.