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I\u2019ve been in serious Beatles mode lately. You can chalk it up to the full court press marketing effort behind the recent remasters and Rock Band if you\u2019d like.\u00a0 In any case, as I have been re-listening through the discography, I\u2019ve been drawn to some of the songwriting refrains that pop up now and then. Most explicitly, I\u2019m excited by the way that I think the Beatles represent aspects of Critical Pedagogy within their catalogue.<\/p>\n
I am pleased by the dialectical nature of many of the later Beatles songs. Though I don\u2019t claim to be an expert on their songwriting practices, looking at the writing credits as well as post-Beatles albums, I\u2019d attribute most of this trend to John Lennon. [While I\u2019ll generally appreciate the patient, spiritual acceptance of circumstance that plods throughout George Harrison\u2019s All Things Must Pass<\/em>, I think that Lennon comes across as the more needed voice apropos critical pedagogy.]<\/p>\n The dialectic at the heart of many Beatles songs is one that finds discussion of differing viewpoints and a synthesis toward understanding and consensus. It is a deliberative process, if still imbued into the structure of a standard three-minute pop song.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s look at \u201cWith a Little Help From My Friends\u201d as an example:<\/p>\n Would you believe in a love at first sight?<\/p>\n Yes I’m certain that it happens all the time.<\/p>\n What do you see when you turn out the light?<\/p>\n I can’t tell you, but I know it’s mine.<\/p>\n Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends,<\/p>\n Mmm I get high with a little help from my friends,<\/p>\n Oh, I’m gonna try with a little help from my friends<\/p><\/blockquote>\n That the song\u2019s verse becomes a literal exchange between two voices demonstrates how dialogue helps move ideological bodies toward common visions, goals, understandings. It offers a problem-posing model of inquiry aligned with revolutionary pedagogical practice.<\/p>\n Similarly, \u201cHello Goodbye\u201d finds the dialectic between opposing voices. The song is a one-sided take at the vexing process that often yields consensus. Talking with my advisor about the difficulties in determining content within my classroom, it\u2019s clear that the dialectic between the \u201csocial justice\u201d content and the necessary, \u201ctraditional\u201d content is what\u2019s at stake. A dialogue between these two, typically polarizing areas is the place for student exploration \u2013 the distance between the misunderstood \u201cGoodbye\u201d and the whimsical, portentous \u201cHello\u201d is one that reflects this tension. Listen for the contradictory background vocals running throughout the second half of this song (\u201cI say yes, but I may mean no\u201d & \u201cI can stay \u2018til it\u2019s time to go\u201d as examples).<\/p>\n And again, while praise for the Beatles is not exactly in short supply \u2013 and yes there are those contrarians that downplay the influence of the Beatles or even claim that the Animals are their more preferred group (?!) – I think what I\u2019m presently finding most interesting about the group is the way they embrace tension and conflict within songs. As I type, \u201cPenny Lane\u201d is playing in the background (I threw on The Magical Mystery Tour solely based on my ever-evolving fascination with \u201cYour Mother Should Know\u201d<\/a>). What would have been a typical, plodding \u2013 and still highly successful \u2013 pop song is elevated by the inclusion of baroque instrumentation \u2013a motif the Beatles would regularly revisit. The syrupy vocals of \u201cPenny Lane\u201d are thrown into discord by the unexpected French Horn. And then, later in the album, you hear the way the dialectic extends across time: \u201cAll You Need if Love\u201d finds the Beatles reframing \u201cShe Loves You\u201d and even Glenn Miller\u2019s \u201cIn the Mood\u201d into a more contemporary vision of \u201clove.\u201d Likewise, \u201cGlass Onion\u201d on the White album revisits Lucy, the Walrus, and perpetuates the Paul is Dead<\/a> hype.<\/p>\n I realize there are tomes and dissertations and academic gobbledygook that intellectualizes what the Beatles have done. And while most of this post may be cast-off as yet another example of academic navel gazing, I\u2019m sincere in my efforts to point toward the pedagogical suggestions that Lennon and company are making; the revolutionary potential of the dialectic is one that can\u2019t be downplayed here.<\/p>\n To conclude, I want to compare two statements. In \u201cThe Word,\u201d the Beatles harmonize while singing, \u201cSay the word and you\u2019ll be free.\u201d Similarly, Paulo Freire, in so many words explained that to name the word is to name the world. A literal change is made manifest through the power of literacy and the power of dialogue. I think it\u2019s a vision shared by the Beatles and Freire and it\u2019s a vision that we can share, together, as educators.<\/p>\nTell people this is awesome:<\/h3>