CARPI. A work that is above all a declaration of love, passionate and true as only a teenager can do. A book that was born first as a social column, where it attracted the interest of many musicians in our area and became a case.
“The Beatles Everyday” It has been a daily appointment on Instagram and Facebook every day at 2pm, since January 1st 2023, Federico Martelli from Carpithen 16, published a review of the Beatles’ 215 songs, which were later increased to 221 with the inclusion of one song each from the former Fab Four’s solo career and the addition of “Now & Then,” released posthumously last year.
Today “The Beatles Everyday” has also become a bookpublished in a bilingual Italian and English version by Officine Gutenberg of Piacenza (20 euros). The introduction is by Antonio Bacciocchi, musician, blogger and journalist of Radio Coop. Federico, born in Carpi but now living in Correggio, has always breathed music around him since his birth and, despite his family, in this adventure he did everything by himself, declining any offer of help.
How does it feel when adults marvel that, at such a young age, you wrote a book about the Beatles?
«It has a bit of an effect on me too. I admit that not everyone thinks of writing something that went from a social column to a book. It didn’t start out with this idea, but now it has a lot of an effect on me. It was a social project, something that I felt was much more within my reach. That wasn’t something for everyone either, but something I had studied and started to create. Then I met Giovanni Battista Menzani of Officine Gutenberg and Antonio Bacciocchi of Radio Coop, who wrote the preface, and the idea of turning The Beatles Everyday into a book was born».
Can The Beatles communicate with an 18-year-old today as well as they did with an 18-year-old in 1964?
“Obviously I can’t get into the mind and heart of a boy from ’64, but I can imagine that back then everything had a greater impact, both in terms of the sound and the content of the Beatles’ songs. At the time, rock was still in its infancy, everything was innovative and new. Today, rock is seventy years old, we have decades of rock behind us, there is less amazement. Personally, I believe that the Beatles’ discography carries with it universal messages that are told in a unique way, which is difficult not only to surpass but also to approach.”
Your book is becoming a bit of a social media sensation: what are the comments that have struck you the most, both positively and negatively?
“So far there haven’t been any comments that were too aggressive or that particularly hurt me. There are people who don’t agree with the ratings I’ve given to the songs, and generally they accuse me of being too severe, never the opposite. The only unpleasant comment was from a person who said that it makes no sense to buy a book about the Beatles written by an eighteen-year-old. The thing that has struck me the most is the feedback from people who tell me they’ve found something new in the songs I’ve reviewed. Having given someone the opportunity to appreciate certain songs in a new and different way is truly a great satisfaction.”
Tell us about your dream.
“If Paul or Ringo even knew my book existed I would be the happiest person on earth. It would be amazing: they’ve seen books about the Beatles all their lives, to know that they had this kind of impact on a 16-year-old boy I think would put a smile on their face.”
Why another book about the Beatles?
“I’ve always been a huge Beatles fan, since I was a child. Initially thanks to my parents who love them and have always listened to them: in every moment of my childhood and my life, even if there were periods in which I listened to less music, I never stopped listening to them.”
What advice would you give to those who are approaching the Beatles today?
“It’s not easy, especially for young people, to approach the Beatles. It’s true that these songs are still appreciated today, if only because they are not very long and get straight to the point. If I had to recommend an approach, I would focus on the two collections, the red and the blue, which include the most well-known songs: I think it’s the best part of their discography to introduce new people to this band. But I think that in each of their albums there are different genres and experiments, so you have to search a bit but then you find at least one song that is perfect for any listener. It can be a complicated challenge, but the reward repays any effort.”