And in the end…

Plenty of Beatles fans make the case that John Lennon was the Beatles’ true talent.  For these Lennon purists, Paul was just a pretty boy who wrote simple lyrics and a few nice melodies.  Lennon was the one who pushed the music in new directions and created the songs that captured the world’s attention.   For those who feel that John Lennon was the Beatles’ driving force, Paul McCartney did nothing more than play bass alongside a musical genius and write a few silly little love songs.

Yet it was Paul and not John who wrote and sang the lyrics at the end of Abbey Road, that 1969 Beatles album that is their last and arguably their greatest.    After a medley that includes such hits as You Never Gave Me Your Number and She Came in Through the Bathroom Window, the music slows down, and Paul sings quite magically:

“And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”

It is the so-called golden rule, that most basic of ethical statements made by religious movements throughout history.    In the Bible, the rule is stated simply as “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Leviticus, 19:18) In the Talmud, the great sage Hillel is recorded as stating; “That which is despicable to you.   Do not do unto your neighbor.”  (Talmud Bavli, Tractate Shabbat)   In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is quoted as saying, “So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them.” (Matthew, 7:12).   According to the Conversations of Mohammed, the Islamic prophet stated, “That which you want for yourself, seek for mankind.” (Conversations of Mohammed, 63).   

To suggest that Paul McCartney’s declaration of the Golden Rule is somehow superior to the thousands of “golden-rule” assertions that preceded it is ridiculous.   Yet Abbey Road has certainly done much to popularize the message in our own generation.  Through Paul’s singing, the message of the Golden Rule has been and will be listened to by millions.  The Golden Rule, this basic foundation on which so many ethical, religious and spiritual traditions are based, was popularized by Paul McCartney who sang it on side b of a 1969 rock and roll album.

In the end, the Beatles had a tumultuous break-up.    As Lennon began dating Yoko Ono and developing a new life philosophy, as Harrison began to desire a solo career, as debates over managers and the direction of the bands’ new label began to cause tension, the Beatles lost their cohesiveness, their sense of togetherness.  It is almost fitting that Abbey Road was recorded during this time.  Paul delivered a simple ancient message in the midst of such chaos.   This ancient message was a perfect way for the Beatles to sign off, to officially say goodbye to the millions of fans who had listened to their music for over a decade.    Paul’s words not only spread the message of what is most important in our lives, but helped fans cope with the loss of an iconic band that had become such an integral part of popular society.

The golden rule, which maintains that meaningful relationships are reciprocal, is a basic foundation of human happiness.  According to the rule, happiness, fulfillment, joy, content or whatever word you deem appropriate to connote the basic human condition of wholeness is found in the quality of one’s relationships.     In his classic piece I-Thou, the philosopher and theologian Martin Buber strenuously argues that relationships built on mutual interests are what the world is based on, what we are here for.   For Buber, “the world is not comprehensible, but it is embraceable: through the embracing of its beings.”    We may not understand our world but we can relate to it.

Part of the appeal of the Beatles was the portrayal of the relationships that existed within the band.   These four boys from Liverpool not only created great music, but seemed to get along in unusual and powerful ways.   Films such as 1964’s A Hard Day’s Night and the iconic 1968 animated film Yellow Submarine played on the notion that the Beatles were a group of young boys who were in over their heads, yet had developed deep friendships with one another.  Whether or not this was true is irrelevant.   The first great Rock and Roll band was popularized by the notion that they cared deeply about each other and were on a tenuous journey together.   This was a group of four boys who understood the Golden Rule and had applied it to their own relationships for a decade.