Let’s give Peace a chance.
John Lennon
This time I will address, in three parts, some aspects of the work of The Beatles, a group from Liverpool made up of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, without a doubt, the highest expression of modern music in the world.
In particular we will comment on some of his ideas and thoughts immortalized in his musical work in various songs both as a group, as well as soloists. We will also comment on other actions such as interviews, statements and on their participation and organization in important events, all around their contributions to popular culture that have served to promote the culture of peace.
We cannot ignore that The Beatles, despite their official dissolution in 1970, continue to be an attractive and influential reference at a global level, as evidenced by the success of the recent three-part documentary “Get Back”, by filmmaker Peter Jackson, which reveals previously unreleased material from the most iconic band of all time. It is a historiographic documentary by The Beatles about the preparation of their last presentation that took place with Billy Preston on the roof of the Apple Corps building, located in London on January 30, 1969. “Get Back” was produced from the film material of the film “Let It Be” directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, which won an “Oscar” for best soundtrack.
Let us remember that The Beatles have contributed, among many things that are now everyday, the globalization of popular music in English; short films for television to promote songs; various styles and techniques developed by almost all the rock groups that emerged after the Liverpool quartet; they revolutionized the sound, style, and attitude of popular music; they inaugurated and invented methods and modalities of making and performing music; they organized and laid the foundations for world tours of massive concerts; they improved the equipment of amplifiers, microphones and monitors; they opened the doors of rock and roll to a whole wave of British and world rock bands, and they influenced universal culture.
Their impact at the beginning of the sixties would have been enough to become the most influential cultural force of their time, but they did not stop there, it is a group that continues to exert influence on a global level. Although his initial style was simple, with irresistibly catchy rhythms such as rock and roll and rhythm and blues. The Beatles spent the rest of the 1960s incorporating elements of classical music and traditional pop, among others, in innovative ways in their songs, working with a wide range of musical styles, experimenting in a sophisticated way in a wide variety of genres. , including folk rock, country, psychedelic, pop, and baroque; ranging from ballads and Indian music, to psychedelia and even hard rock, in such a way that they expanded the stylistic frontiers of rock, always betting on new musical territories in each version, without sacrificing the attractive effort of their early works. .
Many of their early works were romantic songs and with the passage of time and their artistic growth they explored other themes.
In the song “We Can Solve It” written mainly by Paul McCartney, we find a proposal for the conflicting parties to see the controversy from the other’s position, as well as to think about what each one says in relation to the conflict that affects them, it implicitly proposes active listening.
As we have stated in previous collaborations, taking advantage of peaceful dispute resolution mechanisms, based on responsible and honest dialogue, is a way to overcome conflicts. The part contributed by John Lennon of the song that we discussed says that life is too short and therefore there is no time to complain or to be arguing, wasting it is a crime. This idea is embodied in one of the principles that govern mediation, that of economics, which refers to saving time in managing the conflict in question. Let’s not lose sight of the fact that each person’s time is a non-renewable resource.
“The Word” is the first Beatles song that deals with love in an abstract way, in it we find a definition of the main element of dialogue, which is precisely the word. It is asserted in this song that the word is good, that the word is love and that it must be pronounced to free itself. As we have stated throughout this series, in every word we have the power of peace and therefore the power of the culture of peace.
On June 25, 1967, in a display of technology and promotion of world peace, the first live international satellite television production was broadcast, the program was called “Nuestro Mundo” and was seen in 31 countries by an audience of between 400 and 700 million viewers, the largest television audience ever made to date. The program lasted two and a half hours. The beginning of the program was accompanied by the song composed for it, sung in 22 languages by the Vienna Boys Singers. Artists from 14 countries participated, among which were the opera singer María Callas; the painter Pablo Picasso; The folkloric ballet of Amalia Hernández participated in Mexico, dancing in the Plaza de la Tres Culturas, and Italy with the filming of a scene, from Verona, from the movie Romeo y Julieta. The broadcast is remembered for the most famous segment that was in charge of the United Kingdom and starring The Beatles, who premiered their song “All You Need Is Love”, composed mainly by John Lennon for that occasion.
This program was an exercise in positive contagion of the culture of peace, which was crowned with the participation of The Beatles.
We can affirm that The Beatles, being a cultural reference, beyond their great musical work, have contributed to the transformation of conflicts through the positive contagion that the culture of peace requires.
* The author is a lawyer and professional mediator.
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Professional lawyer and mediator
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Reference-www.eleconomista.com.mx