The Johnny Bacardi Show

You may have heard about today, which marks the 40th anniversary of what I'm assuming is the final session for John Lennon's 1968 mix of the song "Across the Universe". Apparently NASA's going to commemorate this by beaming it out into the void, and when you go to the website for this anniversary observation, you get the following:

Monday, February 4th 2008 is the exact 40th anniversary of the Beatles recording their anthem of universal peace - "Across The Universe" - in 1968.

To mark the occasion, Beatles fans worldwide are invited to play that Beatles song at the same time of day - creating a harmonic convergence around the globe.

And the Beatles' universal message will NOT be restricted to Planet Earth!

The US Space Agency NASA will play a major part in the celebrations by beaming the song "Across The Universe" literally Across The Universe!

NASA is going to transmit the Beatles tune from a satellite antenna directly into outer space! And it will do this at the exact same time as fans Across The World are playing "Across The Universe"!


Well, that's lovely, I'm sure. But it's just WRONG. "Across the Universe" is FAR from an "anthem of universal peace". Just because celebrated peacenik Lennon wrote it, doesn't mean it's anything of the sort. They've totally misinterpreted the words. In fact, if you read the lyrics closely, you will find that it's a completely self-absorbed and solipsistic song about the creative process, Lennon's to be precise, and reflects the 1968 vibe of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's teachings more than anything. The "universe" he's reaching out to is entirely within his own headspace.

That doesn't mean I won't play the song at 6 PM CST tonight if I'm able- and I wonder if they want the original, which featured Yoko on BV's and recorded flying bird noises, or Phil Spector's 1970 Let it Be remix, or the 2005 Let it Be...Naked mix, or David Bowie's cover from Young Americans, or...aw, ta heck with it. Doesn't matter. Just shows to go ya how silly Beatlemania can be these days, and sometimes I can sympathize with the haters, I guess.