24 • JULY 2019
after the 1960s, it’s impossible to
imagine a life without the soundtrack
of their music. “All You Need is Love”
at weddings, “Blackbird” at funerals,
and “Yellow Submarine” at countless
children’s birthday parties.
“And where does that come from?
Where does that begin?” Danny
wonders, his dark eyes widening.
“I have this theory that we have a
cultural DNA. We haven’t discovered
it yet and scientists will scoff, but I
think there is a cultural DNA within
us and if you live in Britain for long
enough you pick it up. My kids will
start singing Cockney Rebel and I’ll
ask, ‘Where do you know their songs
from? That song is 45 years old!
You weren’t alive, you weren’t even
dreamt of when that song was out,’”
he laughs, shaking his head.
When it comes to his own favourite
Beatles track, Danny doesn’t hesitate
before answering, “Hello, Goodbye.”
“My favourite of their albums is
that second half of Abbey Road, where
they mix all those songs. I’ve never
heard anything else like it, where the
joy comes out of the mixture. The
sense of joy [on that album] didn’t
come out of elation, because some
of the songs aren’t elated at all, but
it came out of that mixture of songs:
some heavy, some sad, some joyous,INTERVIEW: DANNY BOYLE
Himesh Patel with Lily
James in YesterdayMUSIC IS THE
GREAT ARTFORM
OF THE LESS
PRIVILEGED