Got To Be Good Looking 'Cause He's So Hard To See

Beatles ManuscriptThe British Library is located just up the road from where I live. It might not be the first place you think of when you think art, but it houses some special pieces. Between the Magna Carta and Shakespeare's manuscripts, there's a lot to choose from. However, the one that stole my interest right away was the collection of original Beatles' manuscripts, which brings up another commonly asked question: what constitutes art? To me, the Beatles' manuscripts of their song lyrics are art. Their music, lyrics and all, are art. It's an art I understand better than any other, being a musician. Seeing them behind a glass case, handwritten by Paul and John, was an indescribable experience for me. I stood in front of the case for nearly ten minutes, in absolute awe of what I was looking at. British musicians have been a cornerstone of music all over the world and here I was, staring at handwritten lyrics by a band that changed the music world forever. Britain's contribution to music is impossible to ignore. Up until the 1960's, the USA was the foremost place for music. Jazz, blues, rock n roll of Elvis all developed in Memphis while Broadway music and Tin Pan Alley developed in New York. But suddenly, in the 1960's, the Beatles, who had been influenced by Elvis and others, took the world by storm, starting the British Invasion. Following them was a whole list of bands including the the Rolling Stones and the Who. Britain's newest export had suddenly become musical acts. Since then, Britain has sent the world artists such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Duran Duran, Coldplay and Duffy, just to name a few. To me, this is Britain's greatest art: its musical acts. It's amazing how many people, especially British people themselves, don't seem to realize how important Britain was in changing the music industry. The Beatles alone changed nearly everything about the music industry, from the way music was recorded to album covers to the idea of what an album could be. Perhaps the Brits take their own music for granted; perhaps they forgot the importance and impact their bands have had not only on the music world but on the world in general. And perhaps us back in the States, are just so used to the idea of British bands crossing the sea and gaining success that we don't think twice about it. But I cannot understand it. It's one of Britain's best contributions to the world, in my opinion. Seeing that manuscript only made that clearer to me.