A Class on the Beatles?

I have mentioned before that I am lucky enough to be taking a class on my favorite band: The Beatles.

As we come to the end of our semester, we are learning about the Beatles' final years as a group.

Today in class, we watched this video of the Beatles performing their hit song "Hey Jude" in 1968.

Our professor told us that recording "Hey Jude" was a fun and special experience for the members of the group.

With all the tensions building in the band during their later years, there was a brief period during the recording of the White Album in which Ringo Starr quit the band. All three of his bandmates begged the legendary drummer to return until he finally did.

The parrot on Paul's shoulder probably refers to the line "the movement you need is on your shoulder." Paul originally wanted to discard the lyric, but John told him to keep it.

George Harrison covered Ringo's drumset with flowers to welcome him back into the band. The next song that the Beatles recorded together was "Hey Jude." The four of them were in high spirits, happy to be together again (for the moment).

I will admit that I got a little emotional watching this recording of the song. I started to think about how much the Beatles have meant to me since I was a kid. I am truly grateful to have had the opportunity to take an actual class on the band that I love so much.