I once read that not liking The Beatles is like not liking the sun.
That’s one of my favorite quotes about The Beatles.
It pretty much sums up my feelings about them.
They have been my favorite band since I was about 6 years old and they mean the world to me. I see their influence everywhere and it makes me eternally happy.
When I see children singing along to their songs, I know that they’ll last forever.
Of course, The Fab Four didn’t just hold sway over music. They’ve influenced just about everything on the planet.
These are just two movies that show heavy influence from The Beatles.
HEAD (1968)
Directed by Bob Rafelson
Written by Jack Nicholson/Bob Rafelson/Micky Dolenz/Davy Jones/Michael Nesmith/Peter Tork
We all know that The Monkees would never have existed if it weren’t for A Hard Day’s Night.
Don Kirschner saw The Beatles’ movie and decided that he wanted a weekly show with a struggling band. He didn’t care if they could really make music. He could hire real musicians. And he did…for two albums.
Then the boys took over their careers. To an extent.
In 1968, the band was on its way out of favor of the teenage girls who were its core focus group. It was time for the band to end themselves. And Bob Rafelson and Jack Nicholson were onhand to help out.
Head tells the story of…um…The Monkess? Sort of? If you squint your eyes just right? It has something to do with the commoditization of music and war. Sort of.
Ok, so it’s just a really surreal film with some great music that has The Monkees in it. And they make fun of themselves throughout the entire 85 minutes. From the opening suicide scene where they jump off “the tallest suspension bridge in the world,” to the “early rap track” Ditty Diego where they call themselves robots, this is The Monkees committing career suicide. It’s a movie that their fans wouldn’t go see (what teenager wants to see a movie called Head? Unless it’s porn.) and no actual “head” would want to see it because it stars The Monkees. That means that NO ONE went to see it.
The movie is actually pretty damn good. No, it doesn’t make a lot of sense, but that’s not really the point. The point is pointlessness. The guys felt like their career as The Pre-Fab Four was basically over. Nicholson and Rafelson felt the same way, so they just did anything they felt like doing. Nicholson wrote most of the script (obviously while ingesting a lot of illicit substances) and wanted to take the Beatles’ influence (dig their hip pad) and turn it on its head. (See what I did there?)
The Monkees themselves are at odds over what the movie really means. Just watch the recently released Blu-ray with their commentary (recorded before Davy’s death). They’re all very friendly with each other, but you can tell that some of them have more love for the film than others.
They all agree, though, that the music is great. Circle Sky is one of Mike’s best rockers and the live version (with ONLY Monkees playing) is pretty killer. And, of course, Carole King and Gerry Goffin’s Porpoise Song is an amazing pop classic that never was. Peter would only last with the group for a few more months, but his contributions were great, too.
If you’ve never seen Head, check it out. It’s definitely a surreal 60s experience with some pretty funny stuff in it.
ALL YOU NEED IS CASH (1978)
Directed by Eric Idle/Gary Weis
Written by Eric Idle
This is a bit of a cheat, but I don’t care. All You Need Is Cash is a mockumentary based on a band called The Rutles. They started out as a skiffle group in Liverpool, went to Hamburg’s Rat Keller and then became the most famous group on the world. Their legend would last a lunchtime.
Dirk, Barry, Stig and Nasty were The Prefab Four. With music written by Idle and Neil Innes (who play Dirk and Nasty), this is a dead on parody of The Beatles. In fact, George Harrison (who produced and has a cameo) said that this movie got closer than any of the actual documentaries to hitting the nail on the head.
He always did have a better sense of humor than the rest of them.
The Narrator (also Idle) interviews many famous folks like Mick Jagger and Paul Simon. (Best Mick bit: “Why do you think The Rutles broke up?” “Women. Just women. Getting in the way.”) There are also guest shots by SNL folks like Belushi, Murray and Radner, among lots of others. (The film came from a short that aired on SNL.)
The story, of course, is great. But it would be nothing without the music. Idle and Innes are obviously huge Beatle nerds and wrote the songs accordingly. You can pinpoint exactly which song they’re parodying with each track. One is basically If I Fell with only one note changed in the chorus.
Yep. I love this movie. It was also recently released on blu ray. You should absolutely check it out if you’re a fan of The Beatles. Or Monty Python. Or classic SNL. Or music. Or life.
