by Robert Wilkinson
On February 7 the Fab Four landed in NYC, and two days later on February 9, 1964, the world changed forever, thanks to Ed Sullivan and 4 young men from Liverpool. All 73 million of us who watched them that night knew something major had happened....
”It was 60 years ago today, that Sgt. Pepper's Band began to play!
They've never been out of style, so come along and dance awhile
Now let me introduce to you, the one and only gear Fab Four
Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band!”
Today, February 7, the Beatles landed at Idlewild Airport in NYC and pandemonium broke out in a huge way as Beatlemania was launched on the shores of America! They flew in for appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and a concert tour which kicked off in Washington DC.
Their arrival had been heralded by “I Want to Hold Your Hand” being played non-stop on just about every pop radio station in America. It spent 7 solid weeks at number one, to be replaced by “She Loves You” for 2 weeks, which was followed by “Can't Buy Me Love” for 5 straight weeks. At one point, they dominated the Top Ten, including all 5 of the top spots, a record never matched since by any act in the world.
The Beatles said they threw everything into this song, from brilliant harmonies to hand claps to a very catchy rhythm. Sometimes their February 1964 appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show disappear, most of last year’s have disappeared.
This year we begin with the song that made America fall in love with the Beatles! this gem which I saw (along with 73 million others!) when it was first broadcast that fateful Sunday night on February 9! “I Want To Hold Your Hand.” That first night they also played “I Saw Her Standing There” and the infinitely catchy “She Loves You,” but they’ve disappeared, so here’s the clip from February 16 of “She Loves You.” Also from February 16, “From Me To You.” We’ll end their initial Ed Sullivan performances with one that was recorded earlier Feb 9 but not broadcast until 2 weeks later! It’s the ultimate twist tune, “Twist and Shout.”
(February 9 set list - “All My Loving,” “Till There Was You,” “She Loves You,” “I Saw Her Standing There,” and “I Want To Hold Your Hand.” February 16 set list - ”From Me To You,” “This Boy,” “All My Loving.” February 23 set list – “Twist and Shout,” “Please Please Me,” and of course, “I Want To Hold Your Hand”)
Here’s a 2 minute clip of Ed doing a short interview with them on May 23, 1964, when the Beatles were the biggest group in the world. Ed Sullivan Interviews the Beatles May 1964
And now, the international groundswell which preceded the Beatles coming to America.
From late October 1963 in Sweden, when Beatlemania had swept Europe and was about 14 weeks from taking the US, a very good live performance! This year the whole show is back on one clip. Welcome to the Beatles at their peak with “She Loves You,” “Twist and Shout,” “I Saw Her Standing There,” and “Long Tall Sally”
I found it again! Here’s the legendary Royal Variety performance from November 1963!
The Beatles Royal Variety Performance” (Set list: “From Me to You,” She Loves You,” “Till There Was You,” “Twist and Shout”)
From that performance, the electrifying ”She Loves You.”
From November 18, 1963, a clip from the Huntley-Brinkley Report on NBC News that was the first mention of the Beatles in the US! The Beatles and Beatlemania reported by Edwin Newman on NBC News
In past years I had a 17+ minute video clip of the Empire Theater concert on December 7, 1963, but this year it’s disappeared. Instead, I found four from that show! “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” “Money,” “Twist and Shout,” and “From Me To You”
Here’s a 30 minute audio of the set. The Beatles Live At the Empire Theatre (“Twist and Shout,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” “I Wanna Be Your Man,” “Long Tall Sally,” and a medley of “Love Me Do,” “Please Please Me,” “From Me To You,” “She Loves You,” and “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” which they followed with “Can’t Buy Me Love,” and finally, “Shout”)
A great clip hosted by Jack Paar reflecting on his Jan 1964 show which introduced the Beatles to the US before they came in February! The Beatles Phenomenon Introduced by the Jack Paar Show – Jan 1964
We’ll begin to close the show with a fantastic 13+ minutes live at the NME show in 1964! The Beatles Live at NME 1964 (“She Loves You,” “You Can’t Do That,” “Twist and Shout,” “Long Tall Sally,” and “Can’t Buy Me Love”)
For our first encore, from The Morecambe and Wise Show on April 18, 1964. A fantastic performance of ”This Boy,” “All My Lovin’,” “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and the gag number, “Moonlight Bay.”
For the second encore, their first concert in the US! Some years I can find the entire show, but this year I found a link to most of the show. (Strangely some tunes are not allowed in the US.) For your enjoyment, some of the Beatles 1964 Washington DC concert!
The Beatles Live at the Washington DC Coliseum 1964 (Set list: “Roll Over Beethoven,” “From Me to You,” “I Saw Her Standing There,” “This Boy,” “All My Loving,” “I Wanna Be Your Man,” “Please Please Me,” “Till There Was You,” “She Loves You,” “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” “Twist and Shout,” and “Long Tall Sally.”)
For the third encore, here’s 24 minutes of some video, some stills, of their 1964 tour of Oz! The Beatles in Melbourne - 1964 (“You Can’t Do That,” “All My Loving,” “She Loves You,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Twist and Shout,” “Long Tall Sally,” ”Till There Was You,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” “This Boy,” “I Saw Her Standing There”)
I found it again! Our fourth and last encore is the full set of The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl in 1964.
We bow out of this tribute with some media commentaries. Last year I had a great 28 minute mini-documentary titled Charles Osgood’s “Sunday Morning” featuring The Beatles but it’s disappeared. However, I did find this 3+ minute CBS Sunday Evening news report on the Beatles’ arrival, likely from February 1994. CBS Sunday Cover on the Beatles’ Arrival in America
This is the pure pandemonium surrounding the Beatles when they arrived. Here’s their first press conference. It’s so crazy that the moderator is screaming at the press to shut up. The questions begin about a minute into this clip. The Beatles’ First Press Conference in America
Our final clip is an interesting 41 min. documentary video of a class at Duquesne University on February 9, 2011. It outlines the epic event that was the Beatles performance on the Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964. Through film interviews, television footage and a brief lecture by Don Maue, the audience is taken back to the winter of 1963 and 1964 just as The Beatles are about to invent the 1960's pop culture.
The Beatles on Ed Sullivan, February 9, 1964 - A Historical Retrospective
They really did blow the doors down. Completely and forever!
© Copyright 2024 Robert Wilkinson
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