Next to art and my two beloved dogs, The Beatles had always been a source of happiness and comfort for me.
As a child whenever the world around me seemed to become too cruel and cold for me to handle, I had The Beatles to assure me that I was going to be alright. Their music has always had a calming affect on me. Between dealing with my parents' divorce, bullies at school, my father's emotional manipulation of my siblings and I, The Beatles were a source of calm and order in an environment that was rocky and uncertain and I clung onto them for years because of this.
I would listen to the fab four and I was relieved of all my worries for a short period of time. For that short period of time, I was safe and could be happy.
I adored their music, but I loved being a part of the fandom as well. Being a Beatlemaniac provided me with friends when I had none and allowed me to socialize and be accepted by people despite any differences I had to them. When I interacted with fellow fans online, it made me happy because I found what I was lacking in the real world. Making jokes about the Beatles, watching videos of their performances, discussing one's favourite Beatles/song/album/era with other fans was a wonderful experience.
For most of my childhood and much of my teenage years, The Beatles made me happy.
I soon stopped listening to the Beatles for a few years and I put them in the back of my mind. I still liked The Beatles but my 'Beatlemania' by that point had cooled down considerably and I moved on to other bands and other genres of music.
Recently I have found another band to be a loyal fan of (VIXX) in an entirely different genre of music (kpop) but I once again pulled out my Beatles albums and gave them a listen for the first time in years. Once again I felt happy only this time I wasn't looking to escape from anything. It felt like I was returning to an old friend I had not seen for a long time. But I felt happy and was surprised when I realized that I remembered the words and melodies of songs that I haven't heard in about a decade.
The Beatles it seems would always have the power to make me happy.
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