Beatle fans can argue all day about the merits of certain songs or albums. But there's no debate that the Beatles always were for the positive. "Peace and love" as Ringo Starr likes to says.
John Lennon was always a strong advocate for peace, which he demonstrated with "Give Peace a Chance." In 1969, he told a reporter, "My songs are all about peace. We make music and films mainly, and they're about peace. It's like the Beatles singing, 'All You Need Is Love' and I'm singing 'All You Need Is Peace.'"
His '60s interviews almost constantly discussed the plans he and Yoko Ono had for making peace come true. Ono has continued that effort with her Imagine Peace website and the Imagine Peace Tower, which is a monument to peace.
George Harrison always had a very peaceful undertone to his music. One of his best-known songs said, "Give me love, give me peace on earth, give me light, give me life, keep me free from birth, give me hope, help me cope, with this heavy load, trying to, touch and reach you with, heart and soul."
Paul McCartney has performed John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance" as part of his concerts. In 2008, he told Israeli leaders from OneVoice, “My little bit is to try to bring people together through music … It seems to me that most of the people are quite moderate and would like a solution. They would like peace like most people in the world … They want the governments to decide quite quickly on two states, on two nations rather than this conflict. They want it to work so they can both be separate and peaceful.”
Ringo's Starr wistful "peace and love, peace and love" probably brings smiles to people who hear it, but it has a serious undertone. Though he's not as open about his peace work as Yoko Ono, he's traveled to Iceland for lightings of the Imagine Peace Tower in a direct show of support for what the tower represents.
There are so many more examples. The Beatles themselves used the word "love" 485 times in their songs. But they never said it more directly than in these lyrics: "All you need is love. All you need is love. All you need is love, love. Love is all you need." (See the Beatles sing "All You Need Is Love" in the video at left.)
Earlier in the year, Yoko Ono put this wish on her website: "So keep Imagine Peace in your head. Have a clear picture of where we stand, what we are doing, and where we want to be. Know that we are connected in our hearts and minds. War Is Over, if you want it!"
As another Beatle friend, the late great Dusty Springfield, sang, we're wishin' and hopin'.
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