Play for the BBC

 

July 14, 1964

Lucky Stars

 January 13, 1963 - Thank Your Lucky Stars

A pale and teacup name

Datebook wasn't just all full of disappointments (see post below).   In 1965, they ran a contest for the best Beatles drawings, poems or stories.   They picked one winner from each area where the Beatles would be performing during the 1965 North American summer tour to receive a free Beatles concert ticket. 

One such winner was Jennie Stone from Kenmore New York.  She was 17 when she wrote a book of poems that she sent into Datebook and won a ticket to the 1965 Toronto Beatles concert.

The book got into the hands of Paul McCartney who read some of the poems for the BBC and wrote Jennie a nice note.   I hope Jennie got to hear Paul reading her words!   Here is what Datebook said, "Here, in its entirety, is the book of contest winning poems over which Paul McCartney flipped  It was written by 18 year old Jean Marie Savenyu of Smith college last year, when she was a 17-year old senior at Kenmore East H.S. in Kenmore, New York.  That's Paul reading portions of the book, into Brian Matthew's BBC, "Top of the Pops" mike.  While he liked the Jane Asher portions best, Paul was reluctant to read them aloud of the very air.  Datebook has already air-mailed Paul and Jane their own copy of Jean Marie's book."

Datebook reproduced the entire thing.   But here is the Jane Asher poem that Paul supposedly liked so much.  I don't think I get poetry very much....

Jane Asher
a British acress
is seventeen years old
Jane Asher -
a pink and lace name
a pale and teacup name
A pale and fair-skinned girl
with a flower name
She is thin, she has long long hair
of course
She is slow to smile, lovely when she smiles
She smiles and she blushes and she laughs
I do not wonder that
he loves her
I never come so close to him as
she
A light and meadow name
has taken him from me
from the mist of London eve
Cavern Cabash Rajah Club
She is fair and kind
He loves her
But I am fair and faraway
and I seventeen years old
like her