60 Years of Revolver: A Retrospective Through the Lens of a Young Autistic Woman

While the Beatles are seen, at least by today's standards, as the most iconic rock band in history, it wasn't until Revolver that they started moving from "bubblegum boy band" to more substantial rock and roll. Granted, Rubber Soul did have some hits, but this is by far the turning point where the band made.

The first song, "Taxman" solidifies them as Republicans. A popular "dad joke" made by my father was that they didn't like the government taxing them, so, among other reasons, they have to be Republicans! (Granted, it was eventually revealed that John Lennon, the most rebellious Beatle, was a closet Republican, but that's another story. Quite a surprise, given that most hippies tended to be Democrats back then, isn't it?) "Eleanor Rigby" describes the extreme loneliness that ordinary people can have. And of course, several tracks from "Love You Too" to "Tomorrow Never Knows" solidify the Beatles' use of Indian music, especially the sitar, in their music from 1966 to their breakup in 1970.

How does my own experience tie into this? Well, when I was in ninth grade, I went through a pretty big Beatles phase- not as extreme as most of my other pop culture phases, but still intense enough to make me believe that I was John Lennon reincarnated. No, really- he was an oddball with numerous issues, trying to find himself in this world, a bit like me, a troubled girl who wanted to do good for the world, but her inner demons kept getting in the way. My mom thought it was a little odd, and the girls at school thought it was really odd. But Mom was so excited at the prospect to relive her childhood, that she kept buying their albums as well as eight day's a week worth of paraphernalia- from clothes to games- pun intended. Thanks, Mom!

Even as a kid, I would perform "Yellow Submarine" with my summer camp. Now, a lot of the Beatles' songs have become well-known as children's songs (at least the ones not involving sex, drugs, or rock and roll. And even some of the "rock and roll" ones done on drugs, oddly enough, qualify as children's songs.) Needless to say, even my mom's family was impressed, especially my uncle who enjoyed performing it on guitar as a young man. I already knew the songs from my "Kids' sing the Beatles" CDs that my mom got me as a kid, and while she wasn't a fan (they're basically Kidz Bop Beatles, for those not in the know) I enjoyed them. Heck, I even had a CD of kids singing patriotic songs (mind you, this was shortly after 9/11, where there was a big wave of patriotism) that included two Beatles songs and John Lennon's "Imagine!" So you could tell that I was quite the expert on them long before I was set to perform.

 Now, love for the Beatles in the autism community isn't all that unusual- a friend of mine from school, who communicates through typing, runs a Beatles show on Sirius Xm, and yes, she did a special on the Beatles' Revolver. (If you're interested, I highly recommend it. She has really interesting insights into the Beatles and their impact on society and their music.) Likewise, my autistic sister LOVES the Beatles, "Biggest GenZ fan" wouldn't be putting it too mildly. Heck, I used to carry along a John Lennon book (by acclaimed James Patterson, no less!) and she'd say with sheer glee "Hey, get that book out of the car! I want you to read it to me!" Seriously, she was as excited as a kid on Christmas- mind you- she isn't a big reader, so you can picture how proud I was of myself.

So, there you have it. How the Beatles impacted the autism community as a whole, and helped shape us to become the people we are.

Jennifer Rose is an autistic author and novelist whose work explores identity, imagination, and what it means to think differently in a world built for everyone else. Her novel Manimal Crackers draws on her own experience as an autistic writer to tell a story about impulsivity, mentorship, and finding your footing. She is also the author of It's Not a Perfect World, But I'll Take It (Skyhorse Publishing), a memoir in fifty life lessons about growing up autistic. Jennifer is currently developing a literary magazine, Autonomy, for autistic writers and readers.