My Search for Hidden Meanings in Beatles Songs

The Beatles became famous when I was four years old. My first experience with music criticism happened when older kids argued about their songs.

Nowadays, you can go to Wikipedia or Genius.com and get a full rundown on any hit song. Everything is explained and documented.

But in those pre-digital days, we had no authorities to turn to. So we constantly argued over what our favorite songs were really about.

The Rolling Stones released their hit single “Tumbling Dice” when I was 14. But nobody at my school knew what Mick Jagger was singing until Linda Ronstadt recorded a more comprehensible country-rock cover version five years later.

I didn’t learn the actual words to “Gimme Shelter” until just a few years ago. I’ve been grooving to that song for decades without a clue.

Frankly, I was shocked when I discovered the real lyrics. I’m convinced that it only got on the radio because censors couldn’t decipher them.

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