Rewriting old songs for modern life is wrong

‘Well I’d rather see you dead, little girl Than to be with another man

You better keep your head, little girl

Or I won’t know where I am

You better run for your life if you can, little girl Hide your head in the sand little girl Catch you with another man

That’s the end ah little girl’

The above lines are from the opening of one of the more forgettable songs in The Beatles’ canon. ‘Run For Your Life’ is arguably the weakest of all songs from the Fab Four – John Lennon, who wrote the song, said as much in an interview in 1970.

And he is probably right. Musically it is lazy, it sounds as if it is thrown together and the overall tone borders on nasty. As the final track on ‘Rubber Soul’, it was an odd way to finish an otherwise superb album.

The song is a perfect example of how the greatest band to ever walk the earth were not immune to questionable lyrics. And ‘Run For Your Life’ is not an isolated song either. How about the following, from the song ‘Getting Better’ from the band’s seminal ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’:

‘I used to be cruel to my woman

I beat her and kept her apart from the things that she loved

Man I was mean but I’m changing my scene And I’m doing the best that I can’

Not exactly sentiments you would associate with a band who celebrated ‘peace and love’.

I’ll give you one more example, for good measure, from the fantastic song ‘Happiness Is A Warm Gun’:

‘When I hold you in my arms

And I feel my finger on your trigger

I know nobody can do me no harm

Because happiness is a warm gun, mama (Happiness bang, bang, shoot, shoot) Happiness is a warm gun, yes it is’

I’m not here to cast aspersions on The Beatles. In my mind they remain the greatest band in popular music, no act has come close to matching their creativity and impact. Yet the above examples show that many of their lyrics were of their time, out of step with what we deem acceptable as we head into the third decade of the 21st century.

And while we have yet to see a campaign seeking the banning of any Beatles songs, I suppose the way things are going it is only a matter of time. Because as we head into the final run-up to Christmas, it really is the season to be getting our knickers in a twist over the lyrics of old songs.

There used to be a time in Ireland when the holy day of December 8 signalled the start of Christmas. Now we know Christmas is upon us when the Irish nation gets into a tizzy because someone dared to suggest that ‘Fairytale of New York’ should be banned for the immortal line: ‘you scumbag, you maggot, you cheap lousy faggot’.

Then we have the classic Christmas song ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ which seems to have been erased from the record as people have argued that the male protaginist in the song is trying to ply his female counterpart with drink so he can get his wicked way with her. And because such a sentiment does not sit well with the #MeToo movement, the song has been banished, the record has been erased in a move that Orwell’s Big Brother would have been proud of.

We are in dangerous territory here. Retroactively banning or re-recording songs from years gone by to fit in with current acceptable morals is a pointless and futile exercise. It is cultural genocide.

All art, be they songs, books, movies, etc, are of their time, a unique, subjective piece of work created to engage us, challenge us, entertain us. Where do we draw the line?

Should we ban Martin Scorcese’s masterpiece ‘Taxi Driver’ for fear it will inspire a Travis Bickle-type crime spree? Or what about Vladimir Nabokov’s outstanding novel ‘Lolita’, where the middle-aged narrator of the story falls in love and becomes sexually involved with a 12-year-old girl? Should we start burning copies of this classic piece of literature because if ever there was an anti #MeToo novel, this is it?

The answer is, of course, no. We should be celebrating these outstanding works, despite their uncomfortable subject matters. By the same token, we shouldn’t be afraid to sing either ‘Fairytale of New York’ or ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ when your next festive singalong is in full swing. Singing these classics will not make you a homophobic or will not turn you into a person who supports plying members of the opposite sex with alcohol for your own advantage.

Merry Christmas!