A while back a friend of mine told me about the "Mozart Test". I'm not sure if it was his idea, but what it meant was that you could judge a song's longevity, its timelessness by the running it by Mozart. If you honestly think that Mozart would have liked the song and appreciated its beauty - then it would be destined to be just as effective 10 years or a hundred years down the road.
"Yesterday", by the Beatles passes the Mozart test for me. It is simple but brilliantly elegant. The lyrics have less than 100 words. The chords relatively simple. No harmonies. Few instruments but the string quartet is certainly timeless. At just at 2 minutes long, it is one of those songs that carries so much emotion in few words and notes.
This remains one of my favorite songs of all times. I can't think of a more perfect song.
Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though they're here to stay
Oh, I believe in yesterday.
Suddenly, I'm not half to man I used to be,
There's a shadow hanging over me.
Oh, yesterday came suddenly.
Why she had to go I don't know she wouldn't say.
I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday.
Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play.
Now I need a place to hide away.
1 comment:
I do like Yesterday. Long and Winding Road has be in tears pretty much every time, as does The End. One day I'll tell you about my mum. But you can find her here:
http://shapersofthe80s.com/2012/10/06/2012-%E2%9E%A4-will-the-newly-restored-magical-mystery-tour-rewrite-our-view-of-the-beatles/
Third picture down but there's only half of her. :)
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