YESTERDAY!

Saw “Yesterday” yesterday, a film whose core idea is so compelling it had to be made, had to create soaring expectations, and ultimately had to disappoint.

What if The Beatles, as a band, never existed, but one man only, an unsuccessful, mediocre singer-songwriter, knew their catalogue of songs (“One Man Only” is the tongue in cheek title of his ultimate album of pilfered Beatles tunes that he records), and as a result becomes the most famous singer songwriter on the planet? Amazing idea, right?

Yet, the very idea is challenged, unintentionally it seems, by the musical performances themselves, and by the unequivocal reality that The Beatles’ catalogue of 200+ tunes are nowhere near as remarkable and timeless without The Beatles themselves. (Think “Something,” as sung by Frank Sinatra! Ugh!) Classics like “Let It Be,” without Paul’s plaintive, angelic vocals, or “In My Life,” without John’s sonorous, yet tender nostalgia pouring through him, or “Nowhere Man,” “Because,” or even “This Boy” without the perfect blend of stratospheric harmonies that transcend anything in pop music, or any genre of music, for that matter, these would be merely good-to-really-good compositions. Add to the mix, The Beatles’ continuously explorative and experimental arrangements and ever-changing productions, their insistence on not having “a sound,” but rather to reinvent themselves on every album.

I mean, it does happen, occasionally, that someone’s cover of another’s hit song is equal to or even better than the original (Perhaps, “I Shot the Sheriff” by Eric Clapton, originally by Bob Marley, for example), but really, has anyone ever covered a Beatles song that tops the vibrancy and synergy and crackling originality of the Fab Four’s rendition? Elton John’s “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” Joe Cocker’s “With a Little Help from My friends,” U2’s “Helter Skelter,” all good, worthy as recordings, but...

Likewise, Himesh Patel’s covers, while sincere and sometimes passionate, fall way short of making it believable that the songs alone could create a globe-changing cultural phenomenon, similar to that created when The Beatles thrust those indelible tunes into the collective consciousness in just 10 mind-blowing years, 5 decades ago.

The Beatles were unique. Uniquely unique. For me, from age 9 on until today, they were and still are the soundtrack to this lifetime’s journey. And oh, the movie is worth seeing!