Thursday, February 14, 2008

Forget the Candy and Flowers

I don't know why people spend so much time thinking about valentine gifts. The traditional gift of flowers say "let's contemplate beauty, then watch it fade & rot", candy says "go ahead, add a few more pounds to your chunky butt, no one will notice", while jewelry fairly screams "I've been a baaad boy".

If you ever deviate from the traditional gifts and think of something completely unique, you will then be in a position of having to top yourself every subsequent year. It will be expected. The only way you will be able to get out from under that onus is to end the relationship.

I guess you can tell I'm not into token mass-produced gifts. To me, on valentine's day, the nicest thing to give or receive is a personal note expressing your feelings about someone. While that may seem like a cheap date, it's not as easy as it sounds. Real true feelings are difficult to express in a meaningful way, especially when it comes to something as complicated as love.

It was The Beatles who burst into my pre-teen world igniting feelings of love beyond the usual family & friends variety. I was lucky to have my world first rocked by them because they proved to be so prolific & trend-setting that to this day, almost every Beatle song brings back specific memories of places and times in my life. I believe this type of early & continuing influence lays solid groundwork for other long-lasting relationships. Their songs form an on-going mosaic of life.

I saw an interview of Paul and George some years ago, well after everyone had gone their separate ways, maturing into their own life pursuits. The interviewer asked them if, with all the problems in the world today, they could still believe that all you need is love. Paul immediately jumped in & got caught up in trying to apply a realistic view of the many aspects of life that were just as important as love. When he faltered in his re-definition of love, George, who had been quiet up til then, softly said, "That's what I said then, I believed it then, and I'm sticking to it now. Love really is all you need." You can probably tell George was my favorite Beatle.

So, with that in mind, here's my all-time favorite valentine .....
"All You Need is Love", the Yellow Submarine version:


And here's a heart-favorite of D.K. & E.K., partners in this thing called life for 32-years and counting,"Here, There and Everywhere":


HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY !!!!!

20 comments:

Dada said...

Nice, nice!

"almost EVERY Beatle song brings back specific memories of places and times in my life. .... Their songs form an on-going mosiac of life."

Very nicely said, D.K. So many of their songs have the power to trigger the memory of a specific moment or event that remain an integral part of who I am and why I am this person. (And some can still well up the eyes with water!)

Happy VD, D.K.!

pissed off patricia said...

Happy Valentine's day to you.

After the week we had here due to Murphy's death, it's nice to have a reason to smile. Balloons, candy, flowers and cards that convey happiness are muchly welcomed and they are here. Smiling feels real good.

Oh, the love I had for Paul. Just the sight of him made my young heart flutter in time to his music.

D.K. Raed said...

Dada:
Happy VD to you, too (umm, that DOES stand for Valentine's Day, doesn't it?). LOL! and thanks for subtly pointing out I misspelled MOSAIC ... I'll correct it now. The Beatles wrote so many love songs, you wouldn't believe the hard time I had finding one that didn't have a fatally bad element, hence no good for a valentine (i.e., I started my search by listening to "Baby, It's You", but when I heard the part about sitting home alone & crying, well, not exactly happy valentine material, eh?).

PoP:
Balloons! How did I miss balloons?!? And of course, I used to love those little heart candies with the corny valentine sayings -- the kind that kill all the good bacteria in your mouth! So you were a Paul bird, eh? My second fave was John. Hope you have lots of smiles today, you deserve it!

enigma4ever said...

oh that is so sad I did not know murphy died for POP...ssso sad....

About Valentines day....I have never had anyone really douse me with candy and gifts or even dinner....but I think what counts is letting those you know that they matter....lovely post...and I love the songs...

D.K. Raed said...

Enigma:
OK, that seals it. We are definitely going to have to get Keith Olbermann & you together for dinner, maybe at some rustic ski lodge with hot cocoa & a big stone fireplace! Now, why do I get the feeling you would be bringing HIM flowers?

Cartledge said...

So much of the music of that era, the early part at least, reflected a delightful, naive innocence.
It really is worth remembering on such an auspicious day. I've never been in the habit of saying happy Valentines Day, but there - I said it...

enigma4ever said...

Ahhh Cart is right the innocence...it is so soothing now....and how nice that Valentines Day is something good for all of us...


Okay Now I am testing the Great Blogger Email system...which sucks...( most of my email is getting filtered now...)

Anon-Paranoid said...

d.k. raed...

Sorry this is so late.

Happy Valentines Day and...

God Bless.

D.K. Raed said...

why, Cart, you incurable romantic, you! I wasn't even sure VD was celebrated in 'stralya.

Enigma: I think the music is deceptively innocent. To get past censors & public cultural mores, much was written between the lines. Blogger email woes AGAIN?

Anony-P: not late for me; in fact, Happy Valentine's Day Night to you, too!

"Some Roses are pink,
Some tulips are double,
If hearts could think,
We'd all be in trouble."

Cartledge said...

Yes VD spread here as well... But Feb 14 has longed been celebrated here by romantics, as you call them.
Me! I've always been a fan of the Valentines Day Massacre, what a surprise that must have been.
Trouble only started by mixing with you lot. My carefully crafted, hard shell is being attacked by nice!

azgoddess said...

happy belated v-day to you and yours DK...hugs

thanks for the great videos..and music

and the beatles - oh yea - i was a ringo fan...humm, wonder how he spent his VD?? lol

D.K. Raed said...

Thanks AZ. I bet Ringo was in Vegas for that big revival show he & Paul & Yoko collaberated on with the Cirque de Soleil.

ps, don't you think Cart (comment above) kind of resembles the current Ringo, just a bit? hmmmm, maybe a long lost australian relative ...

Cartledge said...

d.k., that comment has often been made over the years, so I guess there is some strange similarity in looks.
With my funny accent some Canadians thought I really was. I have always been kind in response, even amused, but never really delighted.

Fran said...

Well sending Love to you! Nice choice of tunes. I was a huge John fan-- I have to laugh at the gynormic sideburns now.
I have a friend who does *unvalentines*- they wait till they are just about giving the roses away-- next week it will be 2 dozen for a pittance!
But somehow, the husband seems to make roses appear, and some kind of magical thing.
this year it is tickets to see a Chinese drum troupe doing a performance next month.
There is not an ever increasing expectation... but the guy just seems to come up with something to wow me with. I don;t demand or expect it... he has fun with it.
So it is all about love. and caring, just something sweet.

enigma4ever said...

Cart: we all had HUGE Crushes on Ringo...( also george...) so that is HUGE compliment...

Fran....ahhhhhhh you made me cry...waaaaaa I want one of those one day....

D.K. Raed said...

Fran:
Now your guy really knows how to do it right, to have fun with it! And the fact that it pleases YOU is the most important of all. I've known those people who have to top themselves each year & it seemed to me a desperate search, not really an expression of love & caring. Not worth it to me, it must be fun (like a Chinese Drum Troupe!).

Enigma:
It does sound good, doesn't it? I may have to revise my previous spurning of valentine's gifts.

D.K. Raed said...

Cart:
I wondered if you'd ever heard that before, but had no idea such a comparison to an obviously well-loved icon would not delight you. hmmmm ... well, let me assure you I always considered Ringo the most unique Beatle. And he branched out into many other areas, beyond Beatleness. He gets along with everyone & the occasional interview always shows him to be smart & witty. You should take it as a compliment! Any doubts? See "Cave Man" sometime.

Cartledge said...

I graciously stand corrected and shall take my drum sticks out of mothballs :)

D.K. Raed said...

Cart: AHAH! I bet you could make a fortune showing up in small nightclubs in the wee hours.

TomCat said...

Thanks for the memories, Red. Beatles music also documents my youth, and they were indeed revolutionary in a social as well as political sense.