The Beatles were some of the most legendary musicians of all time. No matter how old you are or where you come from in life, you can probably connect with some of the lyrics in classic Beatles songs. In honor of these connectable lyrics, I thought it would be nice to compile a list of some of the best song quotes from The Beatles. This will give us all a chance to marvel in the wonder this group used to be. Here is a quick list of some of my favorite Beatles song quotes. Feel free to leave your own in the comments below.

• “All these places have their moments with lovers and friends, I still can recall. Some are dead and some are living in my life, I’ve loved them all.” – In My Life
• “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.” – The End
• “Black, white, green, red, can I take my friend to bed?” – All Together Now
• “Four thousand holes in Blackburn Lancashire, and though the holes were rather small, they had to count them all. Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall.” – A Day In The Life
• “He got walrus gumboot, he got Ono side boards, he one spinal cracker.” – Come Together
• “How does it feel to be one of the beautiful people?” – Baby, Your A Rich Man
• “I get high with a little help from my friends.” – A Little Help From My Friends
• “I’m sorry that I doubted you, I was so unfair. You were in a car crash, and you lost your hair.” – Don’t Pass Me By
• “In my hour of darkness, she is standing right in front of me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be.” – Let It Be
• “It’s getting better all the time, can’t get no worse.” – Getting Better
• “Joan was quizzical, studied pataphysical science in her home.” – Maxwell’s Silver Hammer
• “JoJo was a man who thought he was a loner, but he new it wouldn’t last. JoJo left his home in Tucson, Arizona for some California grass.” – Get Back
• “Let it be, let it be. There will come an answer, let it be.” – Let It Be
• “Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns, it calls me on and on across the universe.” – Across The Universe
• “Little child, little child, won’t you come dance with me? I’m so sad and lonely, baby take a chance with me.” – Little Child
• “Man buys ring, woman throws it away, same old thing happens everyday.” – I’m Down
• “My advice to those who die, declare the pennies on your eyes, cause I’m the taxman.” – Taxman
• “One thing I can tell you is we got to be free.” – Come Together
• “Please, please me, oh yeah, like I please you.” – Please Please Me
• “She said, I know what it’s like to be dead.” – She Said She Said
• “She’s a big teaser, she took me half the way there.” – Day Tripper
• “The newspaper said what are you doing in bed? I said were only trying to get some peace.” – Ballad Of John And Yoko
• “The sun is up, the sky is blue, it’s beautiful, and so are you.” – Dear Prudence
• “There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done.” – All You Need Is Love
• “We all want to change the world, but when you talk about destruction, don’t you know that you can count me out, in.” – Revolution I
• “When you told me you didn’t need me anymore, well you know I nearly broke down and cried.” – Oh! Darling

I could keep going, but I think that covers a pretty wide range of their songs. There are so many inspiring, humorous, and enlightening lyrics in the music from The Beatles that it would be hard to create a comprehensive list. If I did that, the list would be hundreds of pages long. I don’t care if you’re a teacher, a tattoo artist, or something in between – you can’t help but respond to these lyrics in a positive way. Listen to some of your old records after you finish reading this article and enjoy a great moment on me.

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Some artists define the musical eras they are a part of. Think of Ludwig van Beethoven, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra – they have all become the epitomes of their respective music areas. For the modern generation, one of the most defining characters is Adele. Her blues-y voice has brought soul back into the pop world, and she has literally transformed the sound of the radio. Few artists in today’s society can say that they have had that kind of impact on the world, but Adele can with confidence. Here are just a few of the many ways that Adele has changed the face of modern music.

Reaching out to an Older Generation

There is usually a defining line between older and younger generations, especially when it comes to musical tastes. A 21 year old administrative assistant is not going to listen to the same kind of music as a 50 year old college professor. At least, that used to be the case. Adele’s music transcends generations, encapsulating the old and young in deep notes and powerful lyrics they can relate to. The sound is chronologically universal, which is something that is unique to Adele and Adele alone right now. I think she deserves a little credit for that.

Redefining the Radio

Adele has a sound that is unlike any other on the charts right now, and she has truly redefined the music that radio stations play. Taylor Swift did this with country music, but Adele has done it with blues and soul. Her music is still very contemporary and upbeat, but it has that raspy, depressing quality that just makes you want to hear more. Adele doesn’t follow social convention, and I think that is what we all like about her. She’s unique in the most brilliant of ways.

Connecting to Every Situation

Adele’s music is all mostly about lost love or anger towards a former partner. These are emotions that we have all gone through at some point in time, which is why we can connect to her music so well. In my family, we usually pass music videos around through email when they remind us of something. I have received three or four emails from different people with Adele songs in them. Lyrics like “I guess she gave you things, I couldn’t give to you…Nevermind I’ll find someone like you. I wish nothing but the best for you…” connect with emotions that everyone has gone through, and they make people remember events from their past. It is that connection to memories that makes Adele such a successful artist.

Putting Stereotypes in Their Place

Adele is far from “fat,” but she is a little bigger than most people in the music industry. I love the fact that she looks like a real woman with real curves and she just belts out the voice of an angel. She is living proof that you don’t have to be a size two to be famous. You can still have whatever body or image you want and be a success. That provides the rest of us who are not-so-perfect with encouragement that we can do well in the future.

You don’t have to be a diehard fan of Adele to like her and the music she puts out. Even if you don’t like the way it sounds, I can guarantee you will like the lyrics. Adele has changed the face of modern music, and I hope that she is the first in a long line of people to do so. I’m excited to see what the future has in store.

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Techno has been popular in Europe for years now, but it has only recently made its way to the United States. My husband is a big fan of foreign music, so he has actually been listening to it since junior high. I recently got on the electric train, and I am now just as big of a fan as hubby is. If you are under the age of 30 and you haven’t listened to techno yet, you are seriously missing out. You might as well jump on the bandwagon now because it is only a matter of time before techno takes over the music world. Then you won’t have any choice but to relish in the awesomeness of it all.

What Is Techno Music?

Techno music is just music that was created through technology, not through people playing actual instruments. Techno artists have different sounds that they can pull from on a computer, and they piece them together to form really cool beats and rhythms. You can think of this as a software engineering process of sorts. Some of them, like Cascada or Daft Punk, will include singing along with the techno beats, while others like SkrilleX and Nicky Romero will only have music in their songs. All of them have the same cool, modern electric sound that people are starting to go nuts for. Who says you can’t do the same?

What Makes Techno So Cool?

A lot of older generations don’t really see the desirability in techno. They are used to simple songs or long guitar riffs, and that is what they assume to be music. I would never take anything away from that, but I have to give credit to the greatness of techno as well.

The reason why techno is so cool is because it can go places that no human could go in terms of beats, sounds, rhythms, and tones. A guitarist can only play a guitar so quickly. A techno artist can take the sound of a string on a guitar and take it to warp speed. There is just something enticing about the idea of someone creating music out of nothingness, just stringing sounds together and eventually creating a masterpiece. At the very least, that is why I like techno music. I can’t speak on behalf of anyone else.

Why Don’t I Ever Hear Techno Songs on the Radio?

If you get satellite radio, you can find entire stations devoted to techno music. My husband and I listen to Electric Area all the time, and that is actually how we have come across some of our favorite artists. SkrilleX, for instance, is a huge huge huge huge huge name in electric music, but we had never heard of him until we started listening to satellite radio. Techno artists just haven’t quite made it to mainstream radio yet.

Where most techno artists shine is on the internet. The video above from SkrilleX has 45+ million views. Their songs are downloaded millions of times over, and their videos are just as popular. Rumor has it that the Billboard Hot 100′s are going to start figuring in internet downloads as part of their calculations for top artists, so techno sensations may actually start making it onto the radio more often. Only time will tell really, but at least fans can use the web and satellite radio to connect with their favorite artists.

Conclusion

At this point in the article, you should be Googling some of the artists that I mentioned and seeking out your new favorite song. Techno may not be music for everyone, but it definitely gets addicting after a while. Check it out for yourself, and I bet you’ll be nodding your head in agreement in no time.

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Legendary hip hop group Run-DMC left a big impression on the 80′s era with their spare beats and heavy metal detour samples.  The trio set the hip hop trend for the next decade of music and set the pace for future artists by creating a full album instead of the single or double hit collection done by prior groups.  The group was more menacing and harder edged than their predecessors and American fans were sold on their image and sound.  Natives of middle-class New York, the original pair, Joey and Darryl formerly Run and DMC were friends and encouraged by Joey’s brother, Russell (also project manager and the one responsible for the recording label Def Jam with Rick Rubin) to form the rap duo.  Later the two enlisted their friend, Mizell as the DJ.  His adopted stage name, Jam Master Jay.

Their first single was released in 1983 called, “It’s Like That \ Sucker M.C.’s”.  It was the first single to become Top 20 R&B hits, but not the last.  Their fame and success was launched and fans loved their hard core sound and unique rapper style of overlapping lyrics and finishing each other’s lines.  A popular method also used by one of my other favorite old school rapper groups, The Beastie Boys.  Then in the mid 80′s after having several songs on The Top 20 R&B Hits, they released a second album, King of Rock with the same enthusiastic response.  As the album title suggests the group was crossing barriers between rap and rock and roll.  Run-DMC had become the most influential and most popular rappers in America.  While at the top of their game and a break into mainstream music they released “Raising Hell” followed by “Tougher Than Leather”, the first of their albums not to make it platinum.

A come back prompted by an MTV performance in 2002 with Aerosmith and KidRock, led to a U.S. tour where they only performed the hit, “Walk This Way”.    Shortly after the tour ended, Jam Master Jay was murdered during a studio session.  It was shocking news for fans, a devastating way for the group to wrap things up, and truly the end of an era.

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If you have dreams of making it big and want to know how to become an artist in the music industry then there are a few simple steps you must follow.  Any famous recording artist will tell you that it took blood, sweat and tears to get where they are.  It’s never an easy road to fame and fortune but the key is never to lose hope, believing in your-self may pave the way to becoming a star.  There are many artists that have made a career as local music artists.  Becoming a celebrity of sorts locally is actually the first step.  Being popular and gaining a fan base in your area will jump start your career and provide you with experience before hitting the global stage.  Building a large following will generate buzz and provide the means to market yourself through social media.  Using social media is the second step to making it big.  Make sure to sign up for Twitter, Facebook, Myspace and YouTube.  Connecting with your fans and staying in touch on a regular basis initiates loyalty and keeps fans informed on album releases, show dates and other important updates.   Also, get yourself a manager or agent that you trust and has your best interest in mind.  Agents assist in finding you bigger and better gigs and help manage finances and publicity.  Some agents are well connected and may be able to get you air time or published articles in newspapers and magazines.  Hiring an agent can be costly but if you hire an experienced one that is motivated, they are well worth it.  The last, must do step is to record a demo CD.  It doesn’t have to be done in a big, expensive, professional studio in order to have a clear, high quality sound.  Even a good desk microphone will do.   Hand them out to friends, family and give away or sell them at your gigs.  Create a promo package which includes a demo, bio, photo and a list of all the gigs you’ve played and send them to record companies with your information as well as your agents.  Follow up with an email and don’t forget, never give up.  Persistence is never a bad thing in the music industry.

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If you’ve ever played your favorite music on a superb sound system it might be like hearing it for the first time.  Suddenly, you hear new beats, rhythms and clarity that take the song to a whole new level.  It’s like watching a copied DVD movie with a mediocre picture at best and then watching it on Blu-ray.  So if you aren’t paying attention to the quality of your music you’re missing out.  Watching or listening to something in its best form gives you better appreciation and enjoyment.  There are audio equipment enthusiasts like my husband who decipher music like they’re in the Matrix and spend a fortune to enhance their experience, but it doesn’t have to be expensive.  If you spend a lot of time in your car listening to your top hip-hop playlist, it’s worth it to install a nice stereo with speakers, amp, and sub-woofer but if you are like me and are plugged into your ipod or other portable music player a majority of the time then the quality of sound typically comes from your headphones.  There are other methods when downloading  iTunes that can improve sound quality, like changing your defaults settings or decompressing the files but the biggest game changer is either to purchase an inexpensive converter or to buy better quality ear phones.  Good earphones cost anywhere between $50 and $200 dollars.  You could spend up to $600 but if you read reviews and do a little research you will find that there are $100 headphones that receive rave reviews and are comparable to the most pricey ones.  The in-ear earphones are the all-stars and implement better technology than the lower B list bud ones that big retailer’s sale.  They offer better performance due to their high precision drivers, plus for people like me that wear headphones multiple hours of the day, while walking around campus at Rasmussen College, when I exercise at the gym, when I’m in my dorm studying, and even to relax, they block out more outside noise and are much more comfortable.

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Hip hop music and artists categorized in this music genre have come a long way in pushing the boundaries of how mainstream America views and stereotypes rappers.   Here are a few ludicrous stereotypes that still exist.

All hip hop artists wear bling.  In fact the more successful they are the more bling they have to show off.  They love anything from gold teeth, iced out watches,  thick rope chains and sparkly name pendants.   Even their cars are pimped out with spinners, decals, and after market blingery.

Hip hop rappers grew up in the hood, otherwise known as the ghetto or projects.  This is an impoverished, neglected, or otherwise disadvantaged residential area of a city, usually troubled by a disproportionately large amount of crime.   Places like Compton, Inglewood or the Bronx are classified as ghettos.

All rappers are gangsters.  They may act the part but this categorizes them as either wanna-be thugs or often illiterate try-hard “gangstas” attempting to make themselves appear like criminals by selling drugs, smoking weed, or graffiting buildings and trying to look bad-ass by wearing their pants low, caps backwards, and sporting tattoos.

They have violent tendencies. Hip hop artists with a bad boy creed are known to carry an assortment of weapons from guns to knuckle rings.  They threaten and participate in violent behavior due to their gang participation and criminal lifestyle.  Shooting, stabbing and beatings are common in this culture.  Even famous rappers like Chris Brown, who keeps a mildly clean cut image, get arrested for beating their girlfriends.

Hard edged rappers have criminal records and have been incarcerated.  Having a parole officer for a rapper is like a man having a dog… they are their best companions.  Rapper Remy Ma, after a night of partying at New York City nightspot Pizza Bar,  argued with longtime friend, Makeda Barnes-Joseph, over $2000 that went missing from her purse. Thinking she stole the cash, Remy shot her twice.  She is now serving an 8 year jail sentence in a Women’s Correctional facility.

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With so many reality singing show competitions on television it’s far time one of them showcases a truly talented hip-hop contestant with potential.  X-factor is giving this talented rapper at the ripe old age of 15 a chance to win $5 million dollars cash, and in addition a Sony music recording deal.  A boy with the stage name, Astro who can entertain us with a smooth flow and down right creative, ingenious lyrics written by who other than, himself!   Astro commented in an interview that on a typical day he would rather write lyrics than hang out with friends and all that practice is paying off as he progresses each week through levels of the competition.  Standing out on the X-factor stage of lights, he outshines them and will no doubt be an upcoming star with enough confidence to fuel him to the moon.  Last week, Astro performed his own rendition of Eminem’s song “Lose Yourself,” which kept the Oscar Winning’s song structure but with all new versus, including a reference to boxing idol, Joe Frazier who died early that week and another lyrical line that created buzz, “I don’t need a pancreas to create insulin for me.”  The judges on the show, Nicole Scherzinger told him he was a champion and even Simon Cowell, the toughest critic and most difficult to impress of the 4 judges seemed to be equally impressed.  Simon stating that Astro was role model and that he indeed had the “x-factor.”   The crowd was on their feet showing approval after the performance and Astro addressed them by giving a shout out to all his fans, referring to them as his, astronauts and launching himself into an out of this world marketing supernova, but enough with the space references.  Even if Astro doesn’t get voted 1st place in order to win the $5 million dollars, my prediction is that he will make it to the top three and still have one of the highest paying careers when he lands himself a record deal.  Once the show is over I wager he will be flashing that swagger onstage rapping with top artists like Eminem.   Don’t forget to tune in tonight for another performance.

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Hip-hop has presented itself in the mainstream consciousness for over 2o years and it is still largely thought of as having solely crude, violent and often pointless lyrics.  The majority of hip-hop music being played on the radio is backed by big music labels and radio, but there is a rising number of talented hip-hop artists pushing the boundaries and transforming rap into academically viable poetry that anyone with a masters in education could appreciate.  Most of these underground artists, whose music is sometimes referred to as indie hip-hop, gives those of you who are already fans of the genre fresh new voices and artists to listen to that you may not be familiar with.  My top three are comprised of artists on my playlist that meet the criteria of a high standard of lyricism regarding; mastery and exemplary use of language, literacy and knowledge ability, and concept or overall subject matter.  My hope is to expand your playlist with brilliant artists who are profound, innovative and that will give you a new depth of appreciation for hip-hop.

Immortal Technique

Fierce, articulate and a political rapper, Immortal Technique’s arguments are serious and the flow is amazingly intense.  Some compare his intelligent to Malcolm x and his lyrics are sensible and the music can be emotional.  Major labels lacked vision and wanted a more pop friendly image but Tech has a hard core street style that compliments his political views.

Atmosphere

The rapper Slug in the group atmosphere is a tactical beast and best known for his clever yet slightly askew and profound lyrics.  He has become the poster boy for underground hip-hop and is able to combine spoken word poetry with good ole’ fashioned rap creating a powerful mix of honesty and abstract expression.  Many of his songs take us on a journey exploring the artists psyche and caverns of his mind.  It’s a poetic ride you gotta listen to.

Aesop Rock

You made need a dictionary to decipher every line this artists spits out but he is regarded by some as the most intelligent rapper to have ever lived.  It is hard to comprehend some of his lyrics but none of them are nonsensical.   They are just so intricately detailed and his abstract use of language makes it difficult to decipher but the images he paints and the way he says it creates a strong emotional response.  Whenever something clicks, and the meaning to one of his lines unlocks it can be the most satisfying experiences possible to reap from any art form.  His poetry is brilliant and extremely eccentric.  Aesop Rock is unique, different and well worth the effort.

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Bad meets Evil, a song full of dreams and nightmares, a perfect balance of rap and song.  I love this twisted melody and collaboration by Eminem and Bruno Mars.  Lyrics that portray the fight and struggle of making it big against the odds.  A common theme woven into Eminem’s music.  ”People don’t usually come back this way.  From a place that was dark as I was in. Just to get to this place.  Now let these words be like a switch blade to a haters rib cage. And let it be known that from this day forward. I wanna just say thanks cause your hate is what gave me the strength.  So let em bic’s raise cause I came with 5’9′ but I feel like I’m 6’8.″ Eminem uses his life’s dark passengers like characters in a story within the versus to represent resistance in our journey.  His message is clear, that when life gets tough stand up to it, stay strong, and fight.

In “Love The Way You Lie” featuring Rihanna, he bangs it out again, “And right now there’s a steel knife in my windpipe.  I can’t breathe but I still fight while I can fight.  As long as the wrong feels right it’s like I’m in flight.”  A song about being trapped in, and surviving the vicious cycle of abuse in a love-hate relationship.  The words grab hold of us because we can identify the feeling of something wrong feeling right and the mental struggle that ensues.  When composed brilliantly and paired with the talented voice of Rihanna it’s a tight duo bound to become a hit.

Get a crime scene investigator to help us with the lyrics in the song “Guilty Conscience” cause you’re about to have robbery, rape and murder on your conscience.  The creative concept of struggle for Eddie and Stan who are tied up in choosing between bad and evil when part of their conscience is thinking bad and the other is thinking straight.  It’s a lyrical poem full of meaning for the devil himself with lyrics like, “Alright, stop! (Huh?) Now before you walk in the door of this liquor store and try to get money out the drawer you’d better think of the consequence (But who are you?) I’m your motherf-in’ conscience.”

A successful white rapper from Detroit, Eminem’s music is a battlefield that makes my head spin, in a good way of course!  And if you haven’t heard, just released yesterday, download Eminem’s new, Yelawolf “Lets Roll” ft. Kid Rock on itunes.  Holla!

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