Guest column

rhythm and blues to country to classical -- into their music.

m ore importantly, they changed the world. and not just clothes and hairstyles, though they did do that. they changed how we see and experience the world. When they sang “all You Need Is Love,” we believed them.

the Beatles’ impact was worldwide -- even in the former Soviet union. I recently watched a fascinating documentary on oPB called “How the Beatles Rocked the Kremlin.” during the 1960s, the uSSR banned the Beatles. to them, the Beatles represented Western culture and corruption. t he government actually put out anti-Beatles propaganda.

Yet Soviet teenagers loved the Beatles as much as I did. But in the uSSR, being a Beatles fan was strictly underground. Kids couldn’t go out and buy their records, so they had to get smuggled copies. t hat was how they rebelled, by listening to the Beatles. the documentary suggests that the Soviets were more afraid of rock music than of nuclear weapons, and that ultimately, the Beatles helped to bring down communism.

Now, I can’t help but bring these things back to schools and students. a s I watched this program about the Beatles, I got to thinking about the power of music in our lives today.