Are you one of those people who go on YouTube just to find funny videos? I wouldn’t be surprised. I’m one of those people. However, when I get tired of talented toddlers and animals doing wacky things, there’s always one video that I can rely on to make me laugh every time. When I’m feeling down, I just type “John Lennon in the bathtub” into the search bar.
It brings me to a hilarious clip from my favorite movie, A Hard Day’s Night. It was The Beatles’ first feature film in 1964. The movie is supposedly a realistic yet whimsical portrayal of The Fab Four’s everyday adventures as Britain’s #1 sensation. If you like black and white movies, British comedy, the 60s, quick-witted dialogue and cute boys from Liverpool, this movie is perfect for you. Then again, I recommend it to almost everyone I meet because I’m so certain it will change their life, or something of that nature. Yes, it’s just that good.
I know a lot of music snobs will get annoyed with me for saying this, but after watching A Hard Day’s Night for the 23rd time I realized that technically The Beatles were the first real boy band. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not calling them the first band that had ever been composed of boys and I’m not calling them lip-syncing dancers. They are, however, the first rock-and-roll band that ever had a ridiculously huge following. In fact, they pretty much set the stage for pop music. If you watch the movie, you’ll know what I mean. For instance, in the first scene they are being chased by rabid fan-girls. In the last scenes they are playing a concert on TV in front of a live studio audience full of screaming girls (who, apparently, were not actresses but actual fans). While pretty much all of today’s big artists have big fan-bases, I can think of two recent girl-magnets that get similar attention: The Jonas Brothers and Justin Bieber. Their talent is debatable, but whether you like it or not, these boys are so popular that they have even wormed their way into our vocabulary. (Oh my Jonas! I don’t belieb it!)
After making these comparisons, I am forced to slyly mention that the Jonas boys put out their own movie, Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience, in 2009. Then, of course, we have Biebs’s new 3D flick Never Say Never. Both of the aforementioned are concert movies which also include documentary footage of the stars. While A Hard Day’s Night is fiction (and, in my opinion, way more entertaining) the premise is similar, as is the general exploitation of their fame. It’s funny that even back in 1964 popular musicians got movie roles for their charm.
As a final comparison, I can’t help but notice that a lot of people hate on Justin Bieber and The Jonas Brothers today. In fact, to demonstrate how overrated and talentless they are, people often relate them to bands like The Beatles. I wonder if these people realize that The Beatles initially received the same criticism compared to other musical legends. It seems that history repeats itself. So, what comes next? What is the next big thing? All I know is…it just won’t be the same as John Lennon in the bathtub.