Even at the height of Beatlemania, a concert by the band wasn’t enough for two lesbian lovers to break each other’s gaze.
A vintage photo from a 1964 Beatles concert is making the rounds on the gay internet, thanks to two audience members whose love looks palpable, even in a photograph. The true story behind these apparent lesbian lovers is lost to time, but even without it, seeing that queer love has always been around is enough for the internet to be obsessed.
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Of course, there’s also the elephant in the room — or rather, the elephant in the photo. The woman sitting in front of the happy couple looks like her head is about to explode. Was the music too loud? Was the song too offensive? Was the sheer power of lesbian love too much for her psyche to withstand? The world may never know — but by virtue of being in the photo, she’s become a gay icon in her own right.
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On seeing the photo, one user was put in mind of another lesbian chapter of Beatles history: the song “Norwegian Wood,” which led to an iconic press conference answer by Paul McCartney. When a journalist asked McCartney how he felt about his songs “Day Tripper” and “Norwegian Wood” being described as about a prostitute and a lesbian, respectively, by Time Magazine. “I just wanted to know what your intent was when you wrote it,” the reporter said.
“We were just trying to write songs about prostitutes and lesbians, that’s all,” McCartney fired back.
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