Could it Be Anybody?
Alex Hinders, 2014.
Colored pencils, pen, and Love.
I’m a huge fan of the Beatles. This particular drawing made me think about the song “With a Little Help from my Friends” from the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album. That song has always fascinated me because on the surface it’s a happy little tune, but it asks some interesting questions. I’ve actually always felt that the entire modern notion of romance rests on the answer to one of these questions.
The chorus first asks, “Do you need anybody?” The main persona replies, “I just need someone to love.” Then the chorus asks the pivotal question: “Could it be anybody?” The singer doesn’t give a definitive response to this; instead, he merely replies, “I want somebody to love.” It could be that the singer has trouble with the concept of call and response – after all, he asks himself the question “How do I feel at the end of the day?” But in all likelihood, the singer wasn’t sure of the answer himself.
If the singer had said ‘yes’, then that would mean that any hypothetical lover could be replaced with any other lover. Such an answer completely dispels the modern notion of romance, and of love as being something special and ephemeral. You could see such an answer supporting the ‘free love’ convictions that some flower children had back in the 60’s — that love and sex were meant to be shared with everyone. It’s also the sort of philosophy that underpins the concept of arranged marriage, that the roles of spouse and lovers are merely roles to be assigned to people and nothing more than practical.
viagra online without prescription The condition of Erectile Dysfunction can cause situations such as divorce, breakup and problems in relationships. This reputed India based pharmacy female viagra pill launched many soft versions such as soft tabs, jelly and effervescent. In case of type 2 diabetic patients, both ACE inhibitors and ARB are used for cialis cheap treatment. On the other hand, if the machine senses that your breathing is sildenafil cheapest price not normal feeling.
If the singer were to answer ‘no’, then modern romance would be safe, but the singer would be left even more vulnerable. After all, this means that the persona of the singer can’t just go out to a bar and replace his former lover with someone new. This means that there’s no end for the persona’s loneliness in sight and the pain they are experiencing is going to continue. It’s entirely possible that the singer will never find another person that makes him feel like he did before – making his suffering endless. Clearly, this is a heavy question, indeed.
Joe Cocker has a cover of this song that recognizes what is really at stake. His version — which you might have heard as the theme song to the TV show ‘The Wonder Years’ — turns the tune into a hopeful ballad with elements of gospel and soul. Gospel and Soul have a connection to the church, which has attempted since ancient times to provide answers to the biggest existential questions we face as humans. I feel this psychologically contributes to the emotional gravitas of this version of the song – “Could it be anyone?” briefly becomes a question so important it’s propelled into the same arena as questions like “Why are we here?” and “What are we supposed to do with our life?”
…And questions like “Will Fred Savage ever get with Winnie Cooper?”
Anyway, my answer to the question of ‘Could it be anybody?’ has always been ‘no’ – though sometimes I wonder if life wouldn’t be easier if the answer could just be ‘yes’. Thank you for reading Magical Hamster: The Classic Rock Blog. Please come back next week when we do something a little out of the ordinary and look at “Ode to Billie Joe” by Bobbie Gentry. At long last I’ll reveal the truth about Billie Joe, his connection to the persona of the singer, and where extraterrestrial forces fit in.