Commentary

I started off this article with the intention of picking apart the Beatles’ Rubber Soul. At the time I considered it my favorite album from the fab foursome. But as I listened to it while writing, I realized that this was no longer true. Rubber Soul is not my favorite Beatles‘ album. This is because such a title would require that I like the album in its entirety, from beginning to end, and that is simply not the case. I love certain songs, but Rubber Soul, as a whole, does not impress me in the same manner as some of their other albums. It isn’t Sgt. Pepper’s.

So why did I proclaim Rubber Soul to be the crème of the crop for years? Why did I completely overlook all of the other wonderful Beatles’ records and stick to this one?

As this question ran through my mind, “Michelle” began to play and I found myself, once again, praising Rubber Soul, wishing I were the belle that Paul so sweetly refers to, aggrandizing its value for including such a gem. And that is just it. While as an album, Rubber Soul lacks the “magnum opus” quality of Sgt. Pepper’s, it contains more than its fair share of songs that really stand out among the Beatles’ amazing catalog. “Michelle,” “Nowhere Man,” and “Norwegian Wood” perfectly display how wonderfully talented these four guys from Liverpool were. “Michelle,” in particular, has affected me and, as far as I can tell, every generation since its creation (I cannot even begin to count the number of Michelles I’ve met that happen to be named after the song).

It is all in the name, really. The repeated use of “Michelle” throughout creates an actual person, say a familiar character, in the mind of the listener. By using a name, the band gives the listener someone to relate to. I don’t know if the Beatles thought about this, but they certainly capitalized on it, whether it was conscious or not. “Michelle” is only one of quite a few of John, Paul, George, and Ringo’s fixations. Joining her ranks are Jude, Lucy, Rita, Eleanor, Lizzy, Maggie Mae, Penny, Sally, Lady Madonna…the list goes on. None, however, seem to have quite the same impact as Michelle.

I have noticed that a number of the songs I hold very dear are songs that create such a personality. A clear example is Interpol’s “Stella Was A Diver & She Was Always Down”….it is by far my favorite Interpol song and I honestly believe that this has to do with “Stella” herself, because were it not for her I would probably claim “Leif Erikson” and “Song Seven” to be my favorites. And I know for a fact that other people feel the same way, because I have definitely encountered quite a few Stella-ites in my time.

I guess the old adage, “It’s all in a name,” really does ring true.