I Am Your Twitter Beatles Song Personality Reader
Posted by Lauren | Under Muzak, Random Thoughts with 1,308 views Saturday Jun 7, 2008I would like to develop a new skill. Unlike writing or cooking, this new skill I have in mind doesn’t have any practical purpose at all. I’m not even sure if I can call it a skill, really, but at the very least it makes for an interesting topic for those awkward social situations where you need to keep the conversation going but can’t quite think of anything to say.
Yesterday morning, Elliott Smith’s cover of “Because” came up on the random playlist at the exact same moment I happened to be thinking of a particular friend. I literally dropped whatever I was doing and stood completely dumbstruck by the freakish coincidence and by the discovery that the lyrics of the song was an almost exact reflection on his views on life, love, and beauty. “Because” is his favorite Beatles song. (Not long after the song ended, I received a text message from that friend. Life is full of strange coincidences.)
I immediately started forming a haphazard theory that maybe there’s a lot you can tell about a person by his or her favorite Beatles song. A song, in the most basic sense, is a poem set into music. Let’s assume that poetry (lyrics) is a reflection of universal human experiences, thoughts, attitudes, etc. Let’s also assume that a person loves a particular song because he or she feels a strong, personal connection to its message - the song could either reflect certain beliefs, philosophies, behaviors, or ways in which he/she perceives the self. Why The Beatles? Because you’d be hard-pressed to find a person who has absolutely no clue who the Beatles are and because I’m so out of the loop with pop culture that I’d be like, “Who? What?” if another song or artist was mentioned.
Testing out my theory was something that happened by accident. All it took was a single Tweet on Twitter*, and soon my friends were asking me what I have to say about their favorite Beatles song in 140 characters. It was a Friday morning and I guess nobody was in the mood to do anything productive.
FRITZ
Fritz started off the whole conversation when he said:
Fritz: Mine’s “I Got a Feeling”, tell me what you think. 
Me: You work hard and party even harder. Also, you keep missing the jeepney and are usually almost late for work.
Fritz: WTF? You can tell that from a Beatles song?! Your reading powerz can kick Nostradamus’ butt anytime!
What a sarcastic, this Fritz. =P
ADE
Then there was Ade, who is probably the biggest Beatles fan among my friends.
Ade: My faves, as you know, are “In My Life”, “Come Together”, “I Am The Walrus”, and “A Day In The Life”. What does that say?
Me: That’s a lot of songs! Which one’s the ultimate favorite? My Beatles Song Personality Reading Abilities can only handle one.
Ade: “A Day in the Life”
Me: You can’t decide if you love and hate your routine and it drives you nuts. You’re also too afraid to go for what you really want.
Over Y!M, Ade confirmed that my Beatles song reading is in fact correct. w00t!
KLASSY
Klassy saw what was going on through Facebook and decided to join in.
Klassy: My favorite Beatles song is “Helter Skelter”.
Me: You try your best to depend on no one but yourself when you hit very low points in your life, but deep down you want someone who will help pull you back up.
Klassy: HUHLOLZ. Spot-on. You read me well :p
COCO
Coco: Butting in on this Beatles action before I go to sleep with “HelloGoodbye.” Also, “We Can Work It Out” and “Eleanor Rigby.” K.
Me: Based on Hello Goodbye, you like being around people who have more differences than similarities with you. Amirite?
Coco hasn’t gone online since yesterday so I guess I won’t know if I was indeed right.
MARCO
Marco: My favorite Beatles Song is “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!”
Ade: Um, you like circuses?
Me: You treat life or social situations as one big performance. You’re very guarded and put on different masks around people.
Marco: BLASPHEMY!
PAU
Pau: Sige nga. Mine’s “Come Together”.
Me: You’re not as safe and conventional as you seem, and you only reveal the twisted side of your personality to like-minded folks.
I know that reading sounds like a lot of bull, but what I really meant to say was that just like Come Together (which sounds like a safe pop song unless you pay attention to the whacked-out lyrics), Pau seems completely normal and harmless - at first. Then you get to know him and realize that he’s perfectly capable of running through a crowded street wearing nothing but boxers while screaming something really random like, “PROTECT YOUR VAGINAS!” Except I couldn’t say that in less than 140 characters.
Throughout the duration of Twitter Beatles reading, I realized two things. First, the less I know about the person, the more my reading sounds like a fortune cookie fortune. They’re not as specific as I’d like them to be, and I’ve got no clue if I hit the mark or missed completely (seriously - did I come anywhere near at all?). Second, the readings I gave to friends I know well (Fritz, Ade, Klassy) came not so much from their Beatles song as from the things I already know about them. Which got me thinking that maybe it works the other way around. Maybe I can only make a more or less accurate connection between personality and favorite Beatles song when I’ve achieved a certain degree of knowledge about that person.
Before going to bed last night, I asked Ale the favorite Beatles song question. To my surprise, he told me that he doesn’t really listen to the Beatles and that the closest thing he has to a favorite song is John Lennon’s “Imagine” - or rather, A Perfect Circle’s cover of “Imagine”. I said that if he could be a Beatles song, he’d definitely be “I Am A Walrus” - crazy, unpredictable, and scatterbrained. Sometimes I have trouble keeping up with him because he likes to jump from one thought to another totally unrelated one.
Was I correct? Well yes, but not in the way I expected.
“You do know what walruses are known for, don’t you?” Ale asked once he was done laughing hysterically.
“Um, no. What?”
“Walruses are the mammals with the biggest penises.”
See how that random bit of information came from out of nowhere?
As for me, my favorite Beatles song is “In My Life”. Explanation in less than 140 characters: I may not be good at showing it, but I love everyone who’s been a part of my life, even the assholes. I wouldn’t be who I am without them.
* Twitter, for those of you who aren’t glued to the Internet like I am, is a live micro-blogging tool where you answer a simple question (”What are you doing?”) in 140 characters or less. It’s great for finding out what your friends are doing or feeling and using that as an excuse to procrastinate.
Yay comments are back!
Anyway, I find your ability eerie. You kind of beat my YM psychic skills.
Ades last blog post..BREAKING NEWS: Cat Gets Run Over By A Motorcycle, Turns Into A Woman
Ok, so you did those readings without the help of an online Beatles Guru-type thing? Color me impressed. Also, green.
And I hate that picture of me.
Paus last blog post..Gettin’ Busy!
So okay. What can you tell about my fave Beatles’ songs: Eleanor Rigby, Fool on the Hill, and If I Fell…
My favorite Beatles song is “Octopus’ Garden,” the version they re-released recently in the Love album.
luiss last blog post..Of Failed Startups
More than anything, choosing that photo of me on stage was brilliant! Yeah, you know me inside and out but the lyrics of “I’ve Got A Feeling” did give you good basis with what you said. George sang it with a passion that sounds like he’s out to shatter his vocal cords. I’d wanna do that soon myself.
Fritzs last blog post..Extra Challenge: Saving 2 Megapixel Portraits with Photoshop
I dont rry listen to The Beatles, but my fave is We Can Work It Out (oh hai, Heather Nova cover). Do me!
Helgas last blog post..ON READING AND DISTRACTIONS.
oh, hey, thats actually right about marco.
lizs last blog post..On The Strength of All Convinced
oooh. you’ve got the skillz. My fave’s day tripper, but since you don’t really know me, I get fortune cookie?
oooh. beatle’s reading power. nice. my fave’s day tripper, but you don’t really know me, so I get fortune cookie?
cigarette-girls last blog post..my other home is the bookstore
Yeah, I don’t know if the photo with my stupid, jackassy grin was necessary. Anyway, you got it almost right because I don’t like being around most people, in general. And if I were forced to be around strangers, I’d prefer that we didn’t have much in common. Less shit to talk about.
Sry, that was the only decent photo of you in your Facebook! I wasn’t sure if you’d appreciate me posting the one of you with your pants down.
I love Fritz’s picture, and Klassy got bangs?? Anyway, mine is, I’ll follow the sun and of course Pennylane!
alohapennys last blog post..What to do when you’re bored at work
Pau looks like he’s getting married LOL. What? What do you mean he did?!
Fritzs last blog post..Extra Challenge: Saving 2 Megapixel Portraits with Photoshop
Pau’s married what?
My favorite Beatles songs are “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, “Something”, “Norwegian Wood” and “When I’m Sixty Four”.
My all-time favorite band is the Beatles (U2 comes next). I had a Beatles hankie when I was still in Grade 4! Lyk Srsly. My cigarette case (I smoked for 10 years) had the Beatles on it. If that doesn’t make me a Beatle fan, I don’t know what will.
It’s hard to name ONE favorite song, so I’ll name one that I sing to myself a lot
“With a Little Help from My Friends”
Lauren! I love this post hahaha :p
My favorite Beatles songs are “Girl”, “And I Love Her”, “Tomorrow Never Knows”, and of course, “Because” too. Haha
I miss you guys!
Jebs last blog post..LA Dodgers vs. Cincinatti Reds 5.20.08
Okay, here goes everyone’s favorite Beatles’ song reading. *deep breath*
Luis - You definitely want the good life, but the yacht and the money wouldn’t mean anything if your friends didn’t get to enjoy them too.
Helga - You’re very headstrong, especially when it comes to your ideas/opinions, but it’s easy for you to get along with people who have little in common with you. As for the people you love, the strong differences don’t even matter.
Cigarette Girl - LOL, you’re right, I don’t know you so I’m taking a wild guess here. You’re really afraid of intimacy, beyond normal levels.
Penny - Even though you really love the people in your life, you wouldn’t hesitate to leave them behind for something better - but that doesn’t mean you love them any less.
Nightdreamer - Going out on a limb here! You feel really alienated/disconnected from the rest of the world. You know someone who’s just like you in that sense and you’re desperately trying to make a connection with that person but you can’t, and it’s frustrating you.
Sha - You’re fiercely independent and proud, and there are times when you find it hard to admit that you do need help from your friends to get by.
Jeb - Wow, the meanings of your favorite Beatles songs are very consistent. You love life, definitely, and you find beauty in everything that you see, even in things most people would consider ugly or wouldn’t even notice. You’ve got so much love to give to all the good people you’ve ever met. The girl you love right now is one very very lucky woman because you hold her in high esteem and would never disrespect her in any way, even if she does something to hurt you.
So am I anywhere near right?
“You definitely want the good life, but the yacht and the money wouldn’t mean anything if your friends didn’t get to enjoy them too.”
Gee-whiz, that’s gotta be the most self-serving fortune cookie ever!
luiss last blog post..Of Failed Startups
OMG Lauren… that’s, that’s really accurate!
Nightdreamers last blog post..My Friend Needs Help
hmm… not bad!
cigarette-girls last blog post..I hate it when you play innocent
My favorite Beatles song is ‘Penny Lane’.
HIT MEH. =D
Mia M.s last blog post..MISS PLACED’S ADVISE! The pros and cons of worldwide roaming
Hi, Lauren:
In my life, there is no such thing as coincidence… The Beatles’ song, “Imagine” has always been my favorite since I was 14 years old and I could play the melody on the piano… The song reminds me to always wake up being grateful for the gifts that God and the Universe has given me — and to meditate on “What happens if I have eyes that cannot see, hands that cannot write, feet that cannot walk,” and so on… I’m not sure if this song was composed after their enlightenment trip to India. What’s important is that I am manifesting many of my dreams… And that, my dearest niece, is what “Imagine”s” gift is for many people, including you.
Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today…
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace…
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world…
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one
Tita Lornas last blog post..Cheapest internet airfares to the Philippines!
Imagine… http://youtube.com/watch?v=R5kjf_L328s
Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today…
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace…
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world…
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one
Tita Lornas last blog post..Cheapest internet airfares to the Philippines!
Hi lauren
I’m one of your fans. keep writing and posting your thoughts in this blog.
I check your blog daily.
Your decision to take Creative Writing is great.
You are talented and you need to hone your skills.
You have already developed your style and you just need to
perfect your craft.
Take care
“something”
if you have the time
marcs last blog post..Inherent Alpha Male Stupidity