Four men on their own rainbow.
Making their own kind of music.
Awaiting something - something unknown.
Once they were one. Happy. Open.
Album after album, movie after movie,
romance after romance,
styles after styles.
You guys were too good to be for real.
Thank you.
You brought us together.
Made the world sing out.
Changed the world forever.
You've had your hard times,
and then there were always the good times.
I remember all of them.
From hamming it up and dancing with Ringo
outside of his Beverly Hills Hotel bungalow
in front of the camera, while he read my book,
"How To Say I Love You" in different languages,
as his wife Maureen had a fit and wanted to leave.
To that amazing night at John Phillip's house
in Bel Air, meeting fun and smart, gorgeous George
and Donovan, face to face, breath to breath.
My friend to stunned to speak; I with
wide eyes in shock and gratitude.
(Thank you, Donovan, for dedicating "Hurdy Gurdy Man"
to me at your concerts.)
To Paul waving to me out of his limo on
Sunset Boulevard and to the premiere
of The Magic Christian as a high school grad night.
Searching for the Beatles high up on Blue Jay Way,
fog or no fog. Only in Los Angeles!
A new decade, a new life.
It is understandable.
You are all different.
You need to change, too.
We, however, mourn...nothing will be the same.
If you only knew in 1964 what awaited you in 1970...
If WE only knew!
Why couldn't the party go on forever?
We were not prepared.
© Copyright, 1970, 2002, Estelle Nora Harwit Amrani
I saw all 4 Beatles at least once in my lifetime outside of the concert setting. I briefly saw John driving down Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood, and Paul waved and sent me kisses as he drove in a limo on Sunset Blvd. Ringo and I met at the Beverly Hills Hotel at his cottage. He saw me and pushed open the screen door and came bouncing out of it - it was a riot. He and I were filmed dancing and joking around together as his then wife, Maureen, and a group of reporters watched. Ringo loved this little book I carried around with me - it was on love sayings in different languages. He opened the book and read several of them in a comical way. He was a doll. His wife was impatient, however. That night was the opening premiere of "The Magic Christian" so he was in town for that. I went to that premiere, as well, rather than attend my high school prom. I met George when he was with Donovan (Leitch, the folk singer) at John Phillips' house in Bel Air, where I used to hang out on occasion. George was very sweet, lots of fun, smart, and had a great sense of humor, a great love for humanity. And what a talent. I'll never forget him. I'll never forget any of them. Great guys.