Radio surfing lands "Twist and Shout" gold

Some songs, you just have to listen to all the way through.

That is the case with The Beatles' version of "Twist and Shout."

I was driving today and was running through the radio to find something to listen to. Sure, I could have turned on my iPhone (that's what I usually do). 

But I was in the mood to be surprised.

I have "Twist and Shout" on the iPhone. I have it on a couple CDs (it sounds particularly raw and fresh on the remastered "Please Please Me" album). It is not a hard track to locate. But there was just something so pleasing about hearing it over the airwaves. There was something powerful in cranking the volume and rolling down the windows and enjoying a day that felt like a classic summer day.

Touch that dial? Find something else? No way. No way. Some songs have to be enjoyed til the fade. You have to hold those moments and really revel in them.

Now I know how Ferris Bueller felt!

I could talk about the Isley Brothers. I could talk about the "La Bamba" structure. I could talk about John Lennon singing the song as the last performance of a marathon session. I could talk about his shredded voice, about chugging milk and sucking on lozenges to keep going. I could talk about how his throat felt like sandpaper for weeks afterward.

But that's all beside the point (well, it is tonight anyway).

Why analyze? Why overthink? Good rock and roll, good music in general, can be felt. Your fingers tingle, your heart swells, your throat opens up. Out come the air guitars, and everyone gets to be a rock god for a good two minutes.

I really felt this song today, it lifted me up pretty good. I hope it lifts you, too.