Music critic Rob Sheffield will discuss why The Beatles are still a thing at Kelly Writers House this Thursday

The Beatles | photo via www.facebook.com/thebeatlesUPDATE: Due to the Eagles Parade, this event has been re-scheduled to Thursday, February 15th at 5:00 p.m. Location and panelists remain the same.

Ah, The Beatles. When you have a mania named after you, it’s safe to say you’re kind of a big deal — and probably will be for a while. So it makes sense that these cheeky, brilliant Brits are still regarded with accolades and reverence. Right?

But then again, it has been fifty years since John, Paul, George and Ringo split, and yet Beatlemania still rocks and rolls on; albeit with a few modern updates. “Hey Jude” is still playing — just now it’s streaming on Spotify. Beatles’ merch is still selling like hot cakes — just now from Forever 21 stores. And their presence is still felt on college campuses — just now in the classroom with uber-specific courses rather than blaring from record players in the dorms.

So why has their relevance transcended time? Rolling Stones music writer, Rob Sheffield, asks this in his book, Dreaming the Beatles, and along with fellow critic (and Penn professor) Anthony DeCurtis, will ponder these questions with you at Kelly Writers House this Thursday.

Personally, my love for the Fab Four stemmed as an offshoot of my dad’s love for them. He’s a major Beatles mega-fan who, when I was younger, instilled the birthday tradition of the whole Cooper clan dancing in the living room with the birthday girl or boy to the jangly, tambourine-filled jam, “Birthday.”

If my dad hadn’t shared his vast knowledge and interest in The Beatles as I was growing up, though, I probably would have been limited to their mega hits and wearing their band shirts just because they looked cool. So maybe that’s a part of it — the passing on of one generation to the next. Maybe it’s the current trendiness of vintage everything. Or maybe they were really just a once-in-a-lifetime amazing band, and will stand the test of time forever and ever. Who knows. Maybe Rob Sheffield does.

The event begins at 5 p.m. this Thursday, February 8th and is free and open to the public. Check out more info on the event here, and listen to one of my favorites, “Dear Prudence,” below.