It Was 19 Years Ago Today a Whole New Generation of Ears Were Introduced to the Beatles

It was on March 19th, 1996 a new generation became Beatles fans and seasoned Beatles fans were treated to only the 2nd new single from the band in a couple decades with the release of "Real Love" from the 2nd Beatles Anthology.

It was the 2nd anthology that turned me from a casual Beatles fan to a Beatles superfan.  I'd been a fan of the earlier Beatles, but I was almost 18-years-old at the time.  That meant I was maturing, musically-speaking, and the bubble-gum pop sound of the earlier music from the Beatles didn't have as strong a hold on me as it had.

The songs featured on this 2nd Anthology, while not songs I hadn't heard on the radio prior, became more to my liking as far as Beatles songs went.  The fact that the album featured a song never heard before was the icing on top of this Beatles sundae.  It was kinda cool having that same feeling our parents had waiting for and then hearing a new Beatles record for the first time.

"Real Love" was a song written and recorded by John Lennon in late 1979 into early 1980 prior to his death in December of that year.  After being pulled off the editing room floor and finished for a Lennon documentary in 1988, the surviving Beatles laid down backing vocals for the song in 1995, setting the stage for its release on this date 19 years ago.

This 2nd of three total Beatles Anthologies went to #1 on the album charts, selling over 600,000 copies its first two weeks of release, and to date has sold in excess of 4-million copies.