It was during her junior year of high school when Erica Fisher found herself aimlessly scrawling “All you need is love” repetitively on a piece of notebook paper in between her classes.

Fisher, a senior dual major in advertising and information management and technology, has a Beatles obsession that began just after she watched the Beatles-inspired film “Across the Universe” for the first time.

The range of emotions the movie evoked within her made it one of her immediate favorites, she said. Soon after, she delved into the music of the original band, exploring not only the songs themselves, but also the meanings and backgrounds behind them.

Fisher was met with skepticism – and, ultimately, rejection – when she approached her parents about getting a tattoo.

“Wait until you’re 21,” they advised. Her mother made her a thin, gold necklace with the words “All you need is love” extending across the middle as a replacement for the missing tattoo.

After years passed, Fisher couldn’t resist. Without making an appointment, she visited Tattoo Lou’s on Long Island, determined to finally get inked.

Though the session was only 20 minutes long, Fisher had heard that the pain of getting a tattoo on the ribs is almost unbearable. To make the outing more stressful, Fisher had to sit and wait for roughly an hour and a half before getting her tattoo due to a lengthy sleeve appointment scheduled before arrived at the parlor.

Even with all of this weighing down on her and her impromptu decision, her tattoo artist was able to console her, saying, “I wouldn’t have any customers if it was that painful.”

The finished piece is a simple yet incredibly vibrant text piece, written horizontally in cursive, mimicking the words of her necklace.

Though she originally planned on hiding her tattoo, her mother found out about it soon after as a result of a Facebook conversation left open on Fisher’s laptop. Inevitably, the rest of the family was made aware of the ink, and the reception was quite mixed. Though not everyone in her family is supportive of her decision, Fisher said she holds fast to her beliefs.

In fact, she is still so engulfed in the Beatles’ music that she plans to get a tattoo around Thanksgiving that reflects another one of the band’s songs, “Blackbird.”

Fisher said she loves the song, specifically for its historical meaning. Originally recorded in the late 1960s, it was, and still is, a symbol of the civil rights movement. Thus, she plans to get the image of a blackbird, coupled with the word “fly” on one of her shoulder blades.

Said Fisher: “My body is like a Beatles canvas. The Beatles are a huge part of my life. A big part of who I am is wanting to find happiness and passion, and that is what their music is all about. They have no negative tone.”

Published on September 9, 2013 at 9:44 pm

Contact Naomi: ncfalk@syr.edu