Beatles Songs Sung in School
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Do you have memories of Beatles songs being sung in your school, either by you or by others? I started kindergarten in 1969, so the Beatles always seemed to be in the background somewhere. In another thread, I mentioned a performance of "Rocky Raccoon" that I don't really remember too well, but I remember getting the lyrics to memorize. I remember one assembly where a class of kids did "With A Little Help From My Friends", but they didn't sing "I get high." Around seventh grade, there was a talent show in our middle school that involved teachers and students. Two popular (and handsome) teachers sang "I've Just Seen A Face" with an acoustic guitar, harmonies included. They were a hit! Nothing else comes to mind just now. What do you remember?
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None. Lots of Sound Of Music songs, though. I wish I were kidding.
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My sister's middle school graduation song back in '77 was "In My Life" which was an interesting choice for those days (ours, in '75, was "We May Never Pass This Way Again" by Seals and Crofts ). A class two years prior to us did George Harrison's "Give Me Love" from what I remember. I don't ever remember singing any Beatles songs in school unfortunately, but my daughter and her class sang "Yellow Submarine" and "Octopus's Garden" (from what I recall) in Kindergarten last year--I thought that was cute!
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When I was in 3rd grade (1963/1964) myself and 3 other girls put on a Beatles show for all the 3rd graders. We played the songs on a record player and mimed the words (I was Paul!) I'm sure we did all the hits that were out then, like I Want To Hold Your Hand, She Loves You, I Saw Her Standing There, etc.)
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Nancy R:
When I was in 3rd grade (1963/1964) myself and 3 other girls put on a Beatles show for all the 3rd graders. We played the songs on a record player and mimed the words (I was Paul!) I'm sure we did all the hits that were out then, like I Want To Hold Your Hand, She Loves You, I Saw Her Standing There, etc.)
Must have been adorable!
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Used to sing Yellow Submarine during assembly in primary school
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The nuns in my grade school would never have permitted us to be singing Beatles songs in school for any reason but the closest I came to having that experience was in early September 1968...all of us 7th graders were walking home in double-file order from school, listening to WFIL or WIBG (Philly stations) on our synchronized transistor radios and hearing a Beatles song released for the very first time. The song that I recall vividly is "Hey Jude". DJ George Michael introduced it and commented how it was destined to be a big hit...although WOULD it be because of the 7 minute length of it? There had never been a hit that long at that time but sure enough, it happened! We all sang that song together as we walked home. I can remember it like it was yesterday. Sorry this is off-topic a bit but "school" jogged my memory a bit.
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I have clear memories of singing Yellow Submarine in the year of it's release, at kindergarten in 1966. Later, in primary school...the other stuff...you know, Maxwell's, Ob-La-Di, Paul's "granny music."
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Yes! For my 8th grade graduation we sang "In My Life". This was the year of "We are the World", which was almost chosen but a few kids with great taste in music persuaded the teachers otherwise (thankfully!). I was talking with some of my classmates recently and we are still proud still of that selection.
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Nancy R:
When I was in 3rd grade (1963/1964) myself and 3 other girls put on a Beatles show for all the 3rd graders. We played the songs on a record player and mimed the words (I was Paul!) I'm sure we did all the hits that were out then, like I Want To Hold Your Hand, She Loves You, I Saw Her Standing There, etc.)
This sounds like a ridiculously cute 3rd grade show! And you girls must have been the coolest kids in class.
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Scarlett14:
The nuns in my grade school would never have permitted us to be singing Beatles songs in school for any reason but the closest I came to having that experience was in early September 1968...all of us 7th graders were walking home in double-file order from school, listening to WFIL or WIBG (Philly stations) on our synchronized transistor radios and hearing a Beatles song released for the very first time. The song that I recall vividly is "Hey Jude". DJ George Michael introduced it and commented how it was destined to be a big hit...although WOULD it be because of the 7 minute length of it? There had never been a hit that long at that time but sure enough, it happened! We all sang that song together as we walked home. I can remember it like it was yesterday. Sorry this is off-topic a bit but "school" jogged my memory a bit.
Maybe off-topic, but a great story! Very vivid!
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Scarlett14:
The nuns in my grade school would never have permitted us to be singing Beatles songs in school for any reason but the closest I came to having that experience was in early September 1968...all of us 7th graders were walking home in double-file order from school, listening to WFIL or WIBG (Philly stations) on our synchronized transistor radios and hearing a Beatles song released for the very first time. The song that I recall vividly is "Hey Jude". DJ George Michael introduced it and commented how it was destined to be a big hit...although WOULD it be because of the 7 minute length of it? There had never been a hit that long at that time but sure enough, it happened! We all sang that song together as we walked home. I can remember it like it was yesterday. Sorry this is off-topic a bit but "school" jogged my memory a bit.
My daughter sang those songs at a Catholic Kindergarten she attended last year. No more nuns there, but when I was a kid there were nuns teaching at that school. I remember wondering during my daughter's show whether they would have selected songs like that back in my day. It was a cute show and she enjoyed it! Oh, re the 7-minute version of Hey Jude...wasn't there a shorter radio edit that appeared on the double A-side single (with Revolution) to solve that problem? Double-file order, huh?
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Erik in NJ:
Scarlett14:
The nuns in my grade school would never have permitted us to be singing Beatles songs in school for any reason but the closest I came to having that experience was in early September 1968...all of us 7th graders were walking home in double-file order from school, listening to WFIL or WIBG (Philly stations) on our synchronized transistor radios and hearing a Beatles song released for the very first time. The song that I recall vividly is "Hey Jude". DJ George Michael introduced it and commented how it was destined to be a big hit...although WOULD it be because of the 7 minute length of it? There had never been a hit that long at that time but sure enough, it happened! We all sang that song together as we walked home. I can remember it like it was yesterday. Sorry this is off-topic a bit but "school" jogged my memory a bit.
My daughter sang those songs at a Catholic Kindergarten she attended last year. No more nuns there, but when I was a kid there were nuns teaching at that school. I remember wondering during my daughter's show whether they would have selected songs like that back in my day. It was a cute show and she enjoyed it! Oh, re the 7-minute version of Hey Jude...wasn't there a shorter radio edit that appeared on the double A-side single (with Revolution) to solve that problem? Double-file order, huh?
No, the single was always the full 7-minute song. I've heard radio stations fade it early, and at least one Beatles hits collection (20 Greatest Hits in 1982) cut it to five minutes, but the actual 45 was 7 minutes, 11 seconds. There was no radio edit sent to radio stations. Here's a quote from George Martin in the Anthology: "We recorded Hey Jude in Trident Studios. It was a long song. In fact, after I timed it I actually said, 'You can't make a single that long.' I was shouted down by the boys - not for the first time in my life - and John asked: 'Why not?' I couldn't think of a good answer, really - except the pathetic one that disc jockeys wouldn't play it. He said, 'They will if it's us.' And, of course, he was absolutely right."
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favoritething:
No, the single was always the full 7-minute song. I've heard radio stations fade it early, and at least one Beatles hits collection (20 Greatest Hits in 1982) cut it to five minutes, but the actual 45 was 7 minutes, 11 seconds.
Thanks FT for the info and thanks for posting the album timeline above--I appreciate it.
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favoritething:
Nancy R:
When I was in 3rd grade (1963/1964) myself and 3 other girls put on a Beatles show for all the 3rd graders. We played the songs on a record player and mimed the words (I was Paul!) I'm sure we did all the hits that were out then, like I Want To Hold Your Hand, She Loves You, I Saw Her Standing There, etc.)
Must have been adorable!
Thanks! I wish I had pictures, but nobody brought a camera!
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Scarlett14:
The nuns in my grade school would never have permitted us to be singing Beatles songs in school for any reason but the closest I came to having that experience was in early September 1968...all of us 7th graders were walking home in double-file order from school, listening to WFIL or WIBG (Philly stations) on our synchronized transistor radios and hearing a Beatles song released for the very first time. The song that I recall vividly is "Hey Jude". DJ George Michael introduced it and commented how it was destined to be a big hit...although WOULD it be because of the 7 minute length of it? There had never been a hit that long at that time but sure enough, it happened! We all sang that song together as we walked home. I can remember it like it was yesterday. Sorry this is off-topic a bit but "school" jogged my memory a bit.
Not OT at all! I just remembered singing (I think) I Saw Her Standing There or maybe All My Loving on the playground (by myself) in 3rd grade, 1964.
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dappa-macca:
Nancy R:
When I was in 3rd grade (1963/1964) myself and 3 other girls put on a Beatles show for all the 3rd graders. We played the songs on a record player and mimed the words (I was Paul!) I'm sure we did all the hits that were out then, like I Want To Hold Your Hand, She Loves You, I Saw Her Standing There, etc.)
This sounds like a ridiculously cute 3rd grade show! And you girls must have been the coolest kids in class.
We wore Beatle wigs and made guitars out of cardboard. I can't remember what the drums were made out of. Also can't remember who played Ringo!
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My English teacher loved the beatles in school so every time we went into his class we played the film help and use to sing all the songs all lesson I failed my English GCSE but had know the words to the help so not all bad
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We sang Ob La Di Ob La Da in the school choir and my 8 year old Son had yo learn Let It Be for his school Choir