A new release from a legendary band brings out some really excellent headline-writing skills. In the weeks leading up to the Beatles: Rock Band launch, I came across some seriously awesome examples. And some seriously, awesomely bad examples. But rather than just snickering and moving on, I’ve been saving them. For your enjoyment.
That’s just the kind of giving person I am.
GOOD
“Beatles game is a magical history tour” — WA Today (Australia)
“What would they think if you sang out of tune?” — Philadelphia Inquirer
“Take a fab song . . . and make it better” — The Independent (Ireland)
“While My Guitar Gently Beeps” — The New York Times (thanks, Mike)
NOT SO GOOD
“I say hello, you say good buy” — Geelong (Australia) Advertiser
“Money can’t buy you love (even for $250 plus shipping)” — The Detroit News
“Parents get ticket to ride, if they’re game” — The Australian
“Hey dude! Beatlemania goes digital” — The Standard
“Love, love it do” — The Sun
“Fab fourplay” — Daily Star
“Please Please Play Me” — Irish Times, via California Chronicle
YOU’RE NOT EVEN TRYING
“Here comes the fun” — The Associated Press (and others)
“John, Paul, George, Ringo…and you!” — Austin American-Statesman
“All you need is game” — The New York Post
“Strum, drum, twist and shout ” — The Globe and Mail
“Fans just can’t let it be” — Daily Express
“Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” — The Baltimore Sun
HONORARY AWARD FOR NOT QUITE GETTING IT
“The Beatles make fab Guitar Heroes” — The Australian
(And I must not be the only one who noticed, since they’ve since retitled the article “The Beatles make fab leap to video games.”)
Come across any particularly noteworthy turns of phrase in your Beatles reading? Feel free to share.
My favorite is the New York Times Magazine headline, “While My Guitar Gently Beeps”.
Ah, of course — I knew I forgot a good one.
Couldn’t any of these newspapers’ copy editors (I assume copy editors since they write most of the headlines at newspapers) make a good Beatles headline without resorting to the cliche of a play on a song lyric or song title?
Like Jason said, readers should keep in mind that editors are the ones writing most of these headlines. I deal with this exact problem all the time, though. I write a review, and then some awful, cheesy headline gets tacked onto it. But then again, my editor isn’t nearly the video game nerd that I am, so I understand why she struggles with it. It happens. It’s fun to go back and laugh at, though
At some point I have to imagine this turned into a competition, with each new headline trying to outdo its predecessors.
I think “Please Please Play Me” might be a hint to the article writer’s boss.