Your teenage kids may tell you that the Beatles music is too old-school to rock out to now, but don’t have any of that. The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, wrote some of the best songs of any era and made some classic music. Their work is revered, and is still being played on a Beatles CD, with younger musicians still trying to unlock the magic formula of a Beatles lyric, and taking the time to learn how to play Beatles music. As a case in point, think about this: American Idol, one of the current bellwethers of contemporary culture featured, only last week an entire show in which the contestants had to put their own stamp on a variety of Beatles songs. Not all of them were successful at tackling a Beatles lyric, and sometimes the Beatles music was transformed beyond recognition into country music with banjos and fiddles, but still, that episode of AI showed the remaining power of the Beatles music.

What I’m trying to say in my own, inimitable, long-winded way is that the Beatles music remains relevant by sheer force of their original craftsman ship. These four young Englishmen wrote Beatles lyrics and Beatles music that are still loved by hundreds of millions of people all over the world. And it’s not just Baby Boomers; it’s also their kids and their kids’ kids. In fact I would venture to say that the Beatles’ songbook of recorded tunes, the stuff that made it onto Beatles records and a Beatles CD, still ranks among the most commercially valuable music ever written.

  As further proof that the Beatles music still holds a vast appeal is the recent release of the film, Across the Universe, a thinly plotted musical about star-crossed lovers in the 60s that is built around some of the best Beatles music, including the title tune and such classics as “Dear Prudence,” “Hey Jude,” “Come Together,” “Why Don’t We Do It In the Road?,” “Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite,” “Strawberry Fields Forever,” and many other songs featuring a classic Beatles lyric and Beatles music. The film, directed by noted stage director Julie (The Lion King) Taymor and was a huge hit, bringing the Beatles music to a whole new generation in a way they could relate to, performed by younger, contemporary performers, including the incredible Dana Fuchs. This is one of the best examples that I can think of why the Beatles music is still relevant to listeners of any age. Don’t believe me? Try flicking on a radio tuned to the FM spectrum and see how long it takes you to find a station playing either an original Beatles tune, or somebody covering a Beatles tune, even if it’s just a Muzak version.