I was watching a documentary on the weekend called The Art of McCartney, about a new album which has recently been released of famous singers performing covers of songs that have been written by Paul McCartney. Some were when he was still with the Beatles, some when he was with Wings and some of them when he was a solo artist.
Now, I have been a huge fan of Paul McCartney in all his incarnations for years. He is a very talented guitarist, pianist, drummer etc. and incredibly versatile in the kinds of music he produces.
But the thing that most people love about McCartney and his music are the lyrics. They are at once very personal to the listener and yet totally universal at the same time. Take the lyrics for ‘Yesterday’ as an example.
Yesterday
All my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though they’re here to stay
Oh, I believe in yesterday
So deceptively simple and yet so profound. That is the genius of McCartney’s songwriting.
So as I was watching The Art of McCartney, I saw that Bob Dylan (another musical Gemini) was covering ‘Things We Said Today,’ and it got me thinking how much Gemini songwriters have influenced popular music since the 1960’s.
Bob Dylan’s music career pre-dated The Beatles by a few years, but he started out as a poet/ folk singer rather than a rocker. Throughout his career, many of Dylan’s songs have sounded like pure poetry as he winds his words around the music in a rambling, mesmerising way. Before Dylan went ‘electric,’ most of his lyrics were accompanied by an acoustic guitar and a harmonica, meaning that the messages behind his songs weren’t diluted by the music, but only emphasised even more.
Songs such as ‘It Ain’t Me, Babe,’ and ‘Don’t Think Twice, it’s Alright’ have a kind of haunting melancholy to them. You may not always completely understand what he’s singing about, but the captivating quality of Dylan’s lyrics reels the listener in, creating for them their own personal meaning.
If you were a teenager or in your early 20’s in the 1990’s, then chances are the music of Oasis was a big part of your life. The songwriting talent behind Oasis- Noel Gallagher- is not only a Gemini, but was apparently born on the same day that the Sargent Pepper album was released, May 29, 1967. Quite fitting for the man who saw himself and his band as the rightful heirs to The Beatles’ legacy.
Gallagher penned some of the greatest pop anthems of the 90’s, inspiring the wave of ‘Cool Britannia’ mania in much the same way as The Beatles were at the forefront of the ‘British Invasion’ mania during the 60’s.
Songs such as ‘Wonderwall,’ ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger,’ and ‘Champagne Supanova’ filled the airwaves and drew comparisons between Gallagher and his hero, Paul McCartney. Like McCartney-and many other Gemini songwriters- the lyrics of Gallagher’s songs could hold deeply personal meaning for his fans or they could mean nothing at all. Just another catchy little pop tune.
As they are ruled by Mercury, Geminis are well-known for their felicity with words. Endlessly quotable, quick-witted and clever, no one can turn a phrase like the Twins. The world is full of Gemini novelists, journalists and broadcasters. But there is something special about the Gemini songwriter who has the talent and genius to touch the hearts and minds of entire generations on the strength of their beautifully-crafted lyrics.
Rachel London 