AFTER ABBEY ROAD - Part 2

Gary Fearon            @Gary_Fearon_

Part 2 continued from June 16

There were some stories I was already familiar with, like how Paul McCartney was robbed at knifepoint while in Nigeria to record Band on the Run. Or how George Harrison was sued because “My Sweet Lord” bears more than a passing resemblance to The Chiffons’ “He’s So Fine”. But what was the inspiration behind “Imagine”, “It Don’t Come Easy”, “Silly Love Songs”, and the rest of the 220 singles they have released as solo artists?

Knowing other fans would be as interested in learning these stories as I was, I set about to research the most interesting and insightful details behind each song. At the same time, I was also mindful of the historical significance of these works, so I made sure to include events that happened alongside the writing, such as 9/11 or the death of one of their close friends. My research and writing spanned over six months while I scoured books, Internet sites, newspaper articles, interviews, anything I could get my hands on. Sometimes my biggest challenge was what to leave out. Throughout the process, my Beatlemaniac brother was a huge help, proofreading and making excellent suggestions for clarity.

In the end, instead of the single “year of wonder” I had first envisioned, After Abbey Road covers the entire fifty years of their solo singles in chronological order. Like Clemency Burton-Hill’s book, the songs themselves can be found on YouTube and other streaming sites. As readers go through After Abbey Road, it’s eye-opening to listen to each song and gain a greater appreciation for the individual genius that contributed to the most acclaimed band of all time.

The 50th anniversary of The Beatles’ last album was May 2020, so I timed the release accordingly. The paperback and eBook of After Abbey Road are available on Amazon, and I have to admit I get a little thrill each time I see a sale coming from Great Britain. I may never get to Liverpool, but maybe my book will!

As we speak, I’m working on the audio version. That will keep me busy for the next few weeks, and I still have other books in me that I can’t wait to get back to. But when I do finish with the audiobook and have a little time to relax and read again, I plan to check out Clemency’s book that gave me the initial spark. It’s the least I can do. 

Musician and songwriter Gary Fearon has written over 300 songs, advertising jingles and morning show parodies. He is also a veteran DJ and producer. As a Beatleologist and avid analyst of entertainment, Gary has produced radio specials on the Beatles, John Lennon, and numerous other recording artists.

A former Billboard Air Personality of the Year, his broadcast work has been recognized by the Associated Press, Radio and Production magazine, and over two dozen MARS awards for commercial production. His voice is heard daily on radio and TV stations across the USA and Canada as well as on audio books such as Eddie: The Life and Times of America's Preeminent Bad Boy.

http://www.garyfearon.com/

The Symphony of Syllables

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director

On a Sunday afternoon (and there happened to be one this weekend), one of my favorite getaways is to go to the symphony.  I'll never cease to be amazed by the astounding feat of eighty musicians all striking up the band at the wave of a baton, and staying in perfect rhythm for two hours amid a myriad of  constantly changing tempos.  There's also something about live orchestral music -- definitely its lack of words for one thing -- that allows me to become thoroughly enveloped in the musical experience.

Even while under the rapture of Rachmaninoff, the wordsmith in me is still present and accounted for, and can't help analyzing how the art of music can be very much like the art of writing.  They really have a great deal in common.

MAJORS & MINORS
A song with predominantly major chords (such as Do-Re-Mi) tends to sound positive, happy, hopeful, while a song in all minors (The Funeral March) evokes gloom, misery, danger.

HIGHS & LOWS 
We think of high sounds as bright and illuminating, while low, deep tones sound dark, even claustrophobic.
 
TEMPO
Fast passages suggest busy activity and forward motion, while slow passages evoke introspection and ponderance.

VOLUME
Loud is boisterous, triumphant, powerful.  Quiet is caring, tentative, gentle.

What does all of this have to do with words?  The same principles apply to every sentence we write.  Our choice of words have a huge bearing on the mood of the moment. Compare these simple sentences, for example:

1. "Will you let Lily know she's invited Wednesday for dinner?"
2. "Take that to your sister and tell her Tuesday is pot luck."

Number 2 has a little more punch because it's packed full of plosives (Ts and Ps).  Even if we don't read it out loud, our brain reacts to all those little percussive power points.

Another example:

1. He would be happy with nothing to do, if he could be sure that his boss didn't care.
2. If only he knew that Mr Abernathy didn't care, he would be just as happy having nothing to do.

Number 1 has a rhythmic flow, while number 2 has a less predictable cadence.  Nothing wrong with any of the above sentences, but if you're trying to further a particular mood (easygoing? Aggressive? Unsteady?) at this point in the story, you can see how a subtle variation can have subliminal impact.

One more:

1. I'm telling you, if you do that again, I promise never to forgive you as long as I live.
2. Don't.  Just don't.

I don't know about you, but I'd listen to the second one.

A great classical work often has multiple movements. A typical progression is Allegro (lively), Adagio (slower), Scherzo (swift), and back to an Allegro finale, bigger than before.  Isn't this very much like every story, in which we start with an interesting premise, then give the hero problems to bog them down, then they find the strength to answer the call of battle, then wave the flag of victory?  (That's when we break out the timpanis for some heavy duty hoopin' and hollerin'.)  And through it all we provide a roller coaster of ups and downs, fast and slow, hard and soft, to keep things from getting monotonous.

Every sentence we compose is part of a symphony, bigger than the sum of its parts.  Each measure of our composition will measure up if we put the right mood into the words we choose.  With over 250,000 words in the English language, we have a lot of notes to play with.