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甲壳虫乐队（The Beatles）是一支颇具传奇性的乐队，成立于1959年。它开创了许多新的音乐风格，启发了不少新的思维和概念，并丰富了流行音乐的形式与内涵。它的那种“把明天遥远地抛在脑后，愿你多欢乐”的无忧无虑的情调，一扫当时充斥在英国舞台上的陈腐、伤感、古板和陈旧的气氛，从而几乎使英国年轻的一代狂热不已。它的出现对当时的乐坛产生了巨大的冲击。在世界摇滚史上，该乐队及其灵魂人物约翰·列侬（John Lennon）被公认为是真正的摇滚乐“教父”。《随它去》（Let It Be）就是他们的代表作之一……
In 1956, sixteen-year-old John Lennon formed his first band The Quarrymenwith the addition of Paul McCartney and George Harrison and, later its name was changed into the Beatles in 1960, before Ringo Starr joined them in 1962 to form the Beatles we know today. The word beatles came from both beetles and beat. Beetle is an insect like Buddy Holly’s Crickets, beat means The Beat Generation.
As the vocalist1, guitarist and composer2， John Lennon played a critical3 role in the band. At age five, Lennon was sent to live with his aunt Mimi after his parents separated. Mimi ran a very strict household. Lennon very quickly became bored at school, preferring drawing and writing about his classmates and teachers to his studies. Rebellious at an early age, he had a very rough school history, going AWOL (absent without leave4) from classes and petty5 stealing. His future looked bleak until Mimi got a letter of recommendation for Lennon to Liverpool Art College, because of his drawings.
It was at Liverpool Art College, in 1956, that a friend played him Elvis’ Heartbreak Hotel, and Lennon ’s musical interest was piqued6. Then he heard Lonnie Donegan’s Rock Island Line on Radio Luxembourg, and became part of the new Skiffle craze by begging his Aunt Mimi until she broke down and bought him a guitar, although she forever told him he would never get anywhere with it. He had already learned to play the harmonica7 during his childhood, and he taught himself the guitar by applying banjo8 chords that his mother had taught him. Soon he set up his first band.
Having experienced the horror of World War II as a child and then living through the Vietnam era as a young man, Lennon came to embrace9 and embody10 pacifism11. He was the voice and vision that powered such Beatles classics as “All You Need Is Love” and “Strawberry Fields Forever.” Lennon didn’t invent rock and roll, but he did more than anyone else to move it forward and instill it with a conscience. It is said, as the most daring and outspoken of the four Beatles, he helped shape the agenda of the Sixties—socially and politically, no less than musically.
The group disbanded in 1970, after the release of their final album, Let It Be. In the years that followed, each Beatle went on with their respective12 solo careers. In 1975, Lennon dropped out of sight for five years. His eventual return to the recording scene in 1980 was one of the more eagerly anticipated musical events of the year. However, on December 8, within weeks of his re-emergence, Lennon was shot to death by a onetime Beatles fan outside his New York City apartment.
Years after John Lennon’s death, the Beatles released two new songs Free As A Bird and Real Love. Both of these songs were originally conceived13 by John Lennon in the 1970s. Paul McCartney, Ringo and George, finished the songs. Using Lennon’s voice from his original demo14 tapes, the Beatles were together again in the songs then.
1956年，16岁的约翰·列侬成立了他的第一个乐队“采石工乐队”。后来保罗·麦卡尼和乔治·哈里森相继加入，乐队在1960年更名为甲壳虫。1962年，林戈·斯塔尔最后加入，我们今天所知的甲壳虫乐队正式形成。“Beatle”来源于“甲壳虫”和“击打”两个词， “甲壳虫”和当时巴迪·霍利的乐队名称“蟋蟀”类似，也是种昆虫；“击打”则代表“反传统的一代”。
作为歌手、吉他手和词曲作者，约翰·列侬在乐队中起着重要的作用。列侬5岁时，由于父母离异，被送去和姑妈咪咪同住。咪咪家教甚严，列侬很快厌倦了上学，比起学业，他更乐意绘画和写一些关于他的同学和老师的事。由于小小年纪就产生叛逆心理，他在学校的历史纪录很糟糕，上课常常开小差，还搞小偷小摸。幸亏咪咪为列侬争取了一份进入利物浦艺术学校的推荐函，因为他画画不错，这才让列侬的未来看上去不那么黯淡。
1956年，在利物浦艺术学校，一位朋友给列侬播放了艾尔维斯的《伤心旅馆》，这首歌激发了列侬对音乐的兴趣。后来，他听了卢森堡电台播放的民歌爵士乐手龙尼·多尼根的《摇滚岛》，并很快投身到这股新兴的民歌爵士乐热潮中。为此，列侬苦苦央求咪咪为他买了把吉他，尽管咪咪总告诫列侬，说他决不会在吉他上有所成就。列侬在孩童时期便会吹口琴，运用母亲曾教给他的五弦琴拨弦法，列侬又自学了吉他弹奏。不久，他成立了自己的第一支乐队。
由于童年时体验过二战的恐怖， 青少年时期又经历了越战，列侬开始信奉并表达和平主义。是他的声音和想象力，让甲壳虫的经典作品，如《你所需要的只是爱》和《永远的草莓地》熠熠生辉。虽然摇滚乐不是列侬发明的，但是在推进摇滚乐并将道德心注入摇滚乐方面，他做得比其他任何人都多。有人说，作为最大胆坦率的甲壳虫乐队成员，列侬不仅在音乐方面，更在社会和政治方面，帮助塑造了20世纪60年代的日程。
1970年，在发行了最后一张专辑《随它去》后，甲壳虫乐队解体。在此后的岁月里，每位成员各自继续自己的独唱生涯。1975年，列侬失明，五年后才恢复视力。1980年，他重返录音棚，此事成了当年最为大家热切期待的乐坛事件。但是，同年12月8日，列侬复出仅数周后就在其位于纽约市的公寓外被一个前甲壳虫乐队的乐迷枪杀。
列侬去世多年后，甲壳虫乐队发行了两首新歌：《像鸟儿一样自由》和《真爱》。它们是列侬在20世纪70年代构思的。保罗·麦卡尼、林戈和乔治一同完成了其最终的创作。他们采用了列侬留在录音样带上的声音，这样，甲壳虫乐队的全体成员又在歌声中相聚了。
胡军 摘译自I Am the Beatles
Let It Be随它去
《随它去》是一首由麦卡尼创作的出色歌曲。开始人们认为只是关于他已故母亲玛丽的歌，然而，这个作品更是一条传递给其他甲壳虫成员的和平讯息。它表达的意思是，尽管乐队内部存在不少分歧，尽管甲壳虫即将解散，大家要做的不过是——随它去。此歌1970年3月发行，而在1969年1月录制时，没有人会想到，它将成为甲壳虫乐队发行的最后一支单曲。
When I find myself in times of trouble,
Mother Mary comes to me,
Speaking words of wisdom,
Let it be...
And in my hour of darkness,
She is standing right in front of me,
Speaking words of wisdom,
Let it be...
Let it be,
Let it be,
Let it be,
Let it be,
Whisper words of wisdom,
Let it be...
当我发现自己陷入困境，
玛丽妈妈会来到我身边，
说出智慧的话，
随它去……
当我处于黑暗之中，
她就站在我面前，
说出智慧的话，
随它去……
随它去，
随它去，
随它去，
随它去，
轻声说出智慧的话，
随它去……
In 1956, sixteen-year-old John Lennon formed his first band The Quarrymenwith the addition of Paul McCartney and George Harrison and, later its name was changed into the Beatles in 1960, before Ringo Starr joined them in 1962 to form the Beatles we know today. The word beatles came from both beetles and beat. Beetle is an insect like Buddy Holly’s Crickets, beat means The Beat Generation.
As the vocalist1, guitarist and composer2， John Lennon played a critical3 role in the band. At age five, Lennon was sent to live with his aunt Mimi after his parents separated. Mimi ran a very strict household. Lennon very quickly became bored at school, preferring drawing and writing about his classmates and teachers to his studies. Rebellious at an early age, he had a very rough school history, going AWOL (absent without leave4) from classes and petty5 stealing. His future looked bleak until Mimi got a letter of recommendation for Lennon to Liverpool Art College, because of his drawings.
It was at Liverpool Art College, in 1956, that a friend played him Elvis’ Heartbreak Hotel, and Lennon ’s musical interest was piqued6. Then he heard Lonnie Donegan’s Rock Island Line on Radio Luxembourg, and became part of the new Skiffle craze by begging his Aunt Mimi until she broke down and bought him a guitar, although she forever told him he would never get anywhere with it. He had already learned to play the harmonica7 during his childhood, and he taught himself the guitar by applying banjo8 chords that his mother had taught him. Soon he set up his first band.
Having experienced the horror of World War II as a child and then living through the Vietnam era as a young man, Lennon came to embrace9 and embody10 pacifism11. He was the voice and vision that powered such Beatles classics as “All You Need Is Love” and “Strawberry Fields Forever.” Lennon didn’t invent rock and roll, but he did more than anyone else to move it forward and instill it with a conscience. It is said, as the most daring and outspoken of the four Beatles, he helped shape the agenda of the Sixties—socially and politically, no less than musically.
The group disbanded in 1970, after the release of their final album, Let It Be. In the years that followed, each Beatle went on with their respective12 solo careers. In 1975, Lennon dropped out of sight for five years. His eventual return to the recording scene in 1980 was one of the more eagerly anticipated musical events of the year. However, on December 8, within weeks of his re-emergence, Lennon was shot to death by a onetime Beatles fan outside his New York City apartment.
Years after John Lennon’s death, the Beatles released two new songs Free As A Bird and Real Love. Both of these songs were originally conceived13 by John Lennon in the 1970s. Paul McCartney, Ringo and George, finished the songs. Using Lennon’s voice from his original demo14 tapes, the Beatles were together again in the songs then.
1956年，16岁的约翰·列侬成立了他的第一个乐队“采石工乐队”。后来保罗·麦卡尼和乔治·哈里森相继加入，乐队在1960年更名为甲壳虫。1962年，林戈·斯塔尔最后加入，我们今天所知的甲壳虫乐队正式形成。“Beatle”来源于“甲壳虫”和“击打”两个词， “甲壳虫”和当时巴迪·霍利的乐队名称“蟋蟀”类似，也是种昆虫；“击打”则代表“反传统的一代”。
作为歌手、吉他手和词曲作者，约翰·列侬在乐队中起着重要的作用。列侬5岁时，由于父母离异，被送去和姑妈咪咪同住。咪咪家教甚严，列侬很快厌倦了上学，比起学业，他更乐意绘画和写一些关于他的同学和老师的事。由于小小年纪就产生叛逆心理，他在学校的历史纪录很糟糕，上课常常开小差，还搞小偷小摸。幸亏咪咪为列侬争取了一份进入利物浦艺术学校的推荐函，因为他画画不错，这才让列侬的未来看上去不那么黯淡。
1956年，在利物浦艺术学校，一位朋友给列侬播放了艾尔维斯的《伤心旅馆》，这首歌激发了列侬对音乐的兴趣。后来，他听了卢森堡电台播放的民歌爵士乐手龙尼·多尼根的《摇滚岛》，并很快投身到这股新兴的民歌爵士乐热潮中。为此，列侬苦苦央求咪咪为他买了把吉他，尽管咪咪总告诫列侬，说他决不会在吉他上有所成就。列侬在孩童时期便会吹口琴，运用母亲曾教给他的五弦琴拨弦法，列侬又自学了吉他弹奏。不久，他成立了自己的第一支乐队。
由于童年时体验过二战的恐怖， 青少年时期又经历了越战，列侬开始信奉并表达和平主义。是他的声音和想象力，让甲壳虫的经典作品，如《你所需要的只是爱》和《永远的草莓地》熠熠生辉。虽然摇滚乐不是列侬发明的，但是在推进摇滚乐并将道德心注入摇滚乐方面，他做得比其他任何人都多。有人说，作为最大胆坦率的甲壳虫乐队成员，列侬不仅在音乐方面，更在社会和政治方面，帮助塑造了20世纪60年代的日程。
1970年，在发行了最后一张专辑《随它去》后，甲壳虫乐队解体。在此后的岁月里，每位成员各自继续自己的独唱生涯。1975年，列侬失明，五年后才恢复视力。1980年，他重返录音棚，此事成了当年最为大家热切期待的乐坛事件。但是，同年12月8日，列侬复出仅数周后就在其位于纽约市的公寓外被一个前甲壳虫乐队的乐迷枪杀。
列侬去世多年后，甲壳虫乐队发行了两首新歌：《像鸟儿一样自由》和《真爱》。它们是列侬在20世纪70年代构思的。保罗·麦卡尼、林戈和乔治一同完成了其最终的创作。他们采用了列侬留在录音样带上的声音，这样，甲壳虫乐队的全体成员又在歌声中相聚了。
胡军 摘译自I Am the Beatles
Let It Be随它去
《随它去》是一首由麦卡尼创作的出色歌曲。开始人们认为只是关于他已故母亲玛丽的歌，然而，这个作品更是一条传递给其他甲壳虫成员的和平讯息。它表达的意思是，尽管乐队内部存在不少分歧，尽管甲壳虫即将解散，大家要做的不过是——随它去。此歌1970年3月发行，而在1969年1月录制时，没有人会想到，它将成为甲壳虫乐队发行的最后一支单曲。
When I find myself in times of trouble,
Mother Mary comes to me,
Speaking words of wisdom,
Let it be...
And in my hour of darkness,
She is standing right in front of me,
Speaking words of wisdom,
Let it be...
Let it be,
Let it be,
Let it be,
Let it be,
Whisper words of wisdom,
Let it be...
当我发现自己陷入困境，
玛丽妈妈会来到我身边，
说出智慧的话，
随它去……
当我处于黑暗之中，
她就站在我面前，
说出智慧的话，
随它去……
随它去，
随它去，
随它去，
随它去，
轻声说出智慧的话，
随它去……