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3.47pm
8 August 2013
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Hello everyone!
I’m getting very frustrated with some of the attitudes I’ve heard towards the gorgeous and brilliant Paul lately (not on the Beatles Bible I hasten to add!) When he performed Hey Jude at the Olympics my mum and I watched with tears in our eyes and shivers down our spines. He was AMAZING and had everyone on their feet and singing. I was so proud to be a Beatles fan that day. When it had finished I turned on the radio and there was a discussion going on about the ceremony. Everyone said how good it was, except for Paul’s perfomance which was apparantly “awful”. So many people called in to say that he had lost his singing voice and should retire gracefully. Needless to say I was furious! Why should he retire when he CAN still sing and is entertaining thousands of people all over the world? The next day, most of the people I spoke to agreed that he was crap! I actually had a row with my boyfriend about it on the train cos he was saying how bad he was and he should give up. I was furious and in the end had to bite my tongue with people as I didn’t want to fall out with them. My young nieces and nephew loved it however. It’s not just in relation to the Olympic ceremony, I seem to come across this viewpoint alot. Paul is a genius and should be respected as such. Even if you don’t like the Beatles, surely people should respect everything he’s done for the music business, all the people he’s influenced?
So my question is: Has anyone else come across this attitude or am I just unlucky to be surrounded by people with no taste (sorry if anyone I know is reading this. Love you really!) What is your response when people come out with this garbage? Do you get angry or simply laugh in their faces?
Thanks for listening to my rant. It was long overdue!
4.17pm
8 November 2012
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Hi Hannah. Welcome to the forum. No, it’s not just you. You might want to take a look at the Hey Dullblog thread and you’ll see us discussing similarly negative attitudes you’ve witnessed.
parlance
4.20pm
8 August 2013
Offline Thanks parlance I’ll take a look. It may make me angry though!
4.47pm
16 August 2012
Offline We all love to bash our idols once they’ve been around long enough. Most of the bashing seems to be coming from Millennials, who as they age are deciding to finally rebel against their parents by deconstruction the entire Baby Boomer experience.
E is for 'Ergent'.
4.54pm
8 August 2013
Offline SatanHimself said
We all love to bash our idols once they’ve been around long enough. Most of the bashing seems to be coming from Millennials, who as they age are deciding to finally rebel against their parents by deconstruction the entire Baby Boomer experience.
That’s true. Most of the young people I know don’t have much of an opinion on Paul and probably disregard his influence. But alot of them are into music like Rihanna (ughhhhhhh!!!!) so I don’t really value their opinions too much! Sorry, that’s the music snob coming out in me!
But alot of the people bashing him were older so I couldn’t really understand it. It’s sort of ageist in a way. Why should Paul stop performing just because he’s in his 70’s now? As far as I’m concerned, if he still wants to go on stage when he’s 100 and in a wheelchair that’s fine by me! He has produced the best music ever made so he’s entitled to do what he wants.
5.22pm
16 August 2012
Offline Yeah, how dare a 71-year-old not be able to hit high notes he originally sang when he was 19…?
E is for 'Ergent'.
5.30pm
8 August 2013
Offline SatanHimself said
Yeah, how dare a 71-year-old not be able to hit high notes he originally sang when he was 19…?
Exactly! I’m just going to take it as people are jealous of his fame, money and incredible talent and love to find reasons to pull him off his pedestal. People are drags sometimes!
8.32pm
14 December 2009
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Well, maybe in some cases. But come on, it’s not all from jealousy. Some of the criticism comes from misguided (or not) compassion, a fear of Paul embarrassing himself, or at least not being able to live up to their expectations. Or memories, especially in the case of older fans. Plus in the case of the REALLY older fans, there’s also a bit of unspoken fear-of-mortality in there, like “Damn, if Paul’s aging, that means we all are! How dare Paul remind us that we’re ALL getting closer to death one day at a time?”
Paul: Yeah well… first of all, we’re bringing out a ‘Stamp Out Detroit’ campaign.
9.15pm
8 August 2013
Offline Von Bontee said
Well, maybe in some cases. But come on, it’s not all from jealousy. Some of the criticism comes from misguided (or not) compassion, a fear of Paul embarrassing himself, or at least not being able to live up to their expectations. Or memories, especially in the case of older fans. Plus in the case of the REALLY older fans, there’s also a bit of unspoken fear-of-mortality in there, like “Damn, if Paul’s aging, that means we all are! How dare Paul remind us that we’re ALL getting closer to death one day at a time?”
There may be something in that Von Bontee. But why put him down if they don’t want him to embarrass himself? They’re just making it worse. No-one can really compete with themselves at the height of their youth, but Paul’s still a great performer. My mum was a teenager in the 60’s and she still loves Paul. It takes her back to her youth singing along to all his songs that she would have queued up to buy first time around.
9.22pm
10 June 2013
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I think it’s because in fact he is getting more badass, therefore people are getting mad.
"P. P. P. P. S- L. P. Winner."
9.30pm
8 August 2013
Offline WhereArtEsteban said
I think it’s because in fact he is getting more badass, therefore people are getting mad.
Yes, I like your thinking!
11.08pm
3 March 2012
Offline I don’t know… I hear less now than I once did. Mainly it’s people who somehow feel that anything pro-Paul MUST be anti-John in some fashion. They don’t want people to forget about John. I don’t even know how that would be possible. It’s strange. Me? Love Paul. Period.
A square is not a square when the sides are less than four...
11.22pm
1 August 2013
Offline Well, I thought Paul’s performance at the Olympics was pretty weak — same with the Jubilee concert. I guess he wasn’t in good voice that summer? Unfortunately the timing couldn’t have been worse, what with two such high-profile gigs back-to-back like that. But he seems to have since recovered, and has had great reviews throughout his current tour. *shrug*
11.39pm
Reviewers
17 December 2012
Offline I have to agree with several above. Paul had some off weeks voice-wise in an important summer. Not his fault. Hell, I’m off to see Dylan at the Albert Hall in November, and his voice (as much as some people here will accept he ever had one) left the building, so to speak, a decade or two ago. But right now, this minute, listening to him do I Forget to Remember, and so heartbreaking. I’ll live with the cracked voice if I can have genius phrasing, and Paul is a long way from a cracked voice. Everyone has off days.
"I only said we were bigger than Rod... and now there's all this!" Ron Nasty
To @ Ron Nasty it's @ mja6758
The Beatles Bible 2020 non-Canon Poll Part One: 1958-1963 and Part Two: 1964-August 1966
12.33am
8 August 2013
Offline …ontherun said
I don’t know… I hear less now than I once did. Mainly it’s people who somehow feel that anything pro-Paul MUST be anti-John in some fashion. They don’t want people to forget about John. I don’t even know how that would be possible. It’s strange. Me? Love Paul. Period.
Thanks for your responses everyone!
I think this is very true. I am a HUGE John fan but I love Paul too and Don’t get how some people cannot understand the equal importance Paul had in the Beatles. John loved him and wouldn’t take kindly to anyone mocking him.
1.06am
1 November 2012
Offline I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing him live in many years, but there are some video recordings of live performances by him that to my ears clearly show a decline in his singing ability. This can’t be just the difference between recordings of live, and actual live, since every single recording he did through the 80s and 90s had a superlative voice (even if some people may not, occasionally, like what he may have been singing — Michael Jackson duets, Broad Street, etc.).
However, I do take the word of most Beatles Bible fans who have seen this latest tour that he is singing excellently.
Second point is more general: Paul has had to put up with criticism for decades. One of the most enduring has been the inclination of many people to think he’s too “soft” and does too many “pop love songs” and/or “granny show tune” type stuff. One of my friends who loves rock and roll and loves the Beatles (but who likes many other bands better, including Talking Heads, Neil Young, and dozens of other hard rock and alternative artists) definitely has a prejudice against Paul, thinking he’s a something of a lightweight when it comes to rock, compared with many other rockers. This, I fear, is a common misconception. Paul I’d say is simply the best rock & roll singer in history, and the best pop rock singer in history too. I’d even say I think he’s a better folk singer than James Taylor, my idol.
Faded flowers, wait in a jar, till the evening is complete... complete... complete... complete...
1.19am
8 August 2013
Offline That is a common misconception that Paul is lightweight compared to his contemporaries. He has done some corny songs but with a body of work as large as his you’ve got to have some duds. What’s incredible is how few duds there are. He has written hundreds, they can’t all be masterpieces, he is human! I love that you consider him the best pop rock singer in history Funny Paper, if only more people shared your view!
1.33am
1 November 2012
Offline Thanks Hannah, maybe some day he’ll get that recognition (specifically about his voice being the best of all).
Faded flowers, wait in a jar, till the evening is complete... complete... complete... complete...
2.13am
8 August 2013
Offline Funny Paper said
Thanks Hannah, maybe some day he’ll get that recognition (specifically about his voice being the best of all).
I was listening to Helter Skelter today and his voice is just incredible. Not enough credit is given to his vocal range.
3.35am
6 August 2013
Offline Hannah said
Funny Paper said
Thanks Hannah, maybe some day he’ll get that recognition (specifically about his voice being the best of all).I was listening to Helter Skelter today and his voice is just incredible. Not enough credit is given to his vocal range.
Have you heard “Old Siam Sir” from Back To The Egg ? That’s a quality screamin’ singing song. And Paul incredibly keeps it at that range throughout the whole song. Very underrated rock tune from Sir Paul.
"There's no such thing as bad student... only bad teacher."
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