2: The Beatles appear on The Ed Sullivan Show
Where were you when The Beatles debuted on The Ed Sullivan on Feburary 9th, 1964?
Why was this such a memorable moment in rock history? Writing in an article for Slate.com, Fred Kaplan put it succinctly: “The Beatles took hold of our country and shook it to a different place because they were young, because their music had a young, fresh feel, and because—this is the crucial thing—our parents didn’t get it.”
An estimated 73 million people were watching that night in ‘64. John Lennon was so nervous he taped song lyrics to the back of his guitar. And Ringo didn’t really understand the impact the Beatles had on America until they walked out on the stage that night.
It was mass hysteria – Beatlemania took over the country.
In preparation for their appearance, the CBS Television office on West-Fifty-Third Street in New York was overwhelmed by more than 50,000 requests for tickets to a studio that held 703. During their appearance, the Beatles sang five songs in the following order: All My Loving, Till There Was You, She Loves You, I Saw Her Standing There, and I Want To Hold Your Hand. For their first historical visit, and the next two, The Beatles received $10,000.00 plus pay for their expenses. Some of you may remember that during their second song, the camera had solo shots in which the Beatles’ names were superimposed on the screen. When John’s name came on the screen it said: “Sorry girls, he’s married.”
And Elvis Presley, watching with his manager Colonel Tom Parker, wired in to the show their congratulations.
The Beatles appeared live on the Ed Sullivan show four times; the three Sundays in a row in February ‘64 (Feb. 9, 16, and 23) and their return on Sept. 12, 1965.
[kml_flashembed movie="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=7756999545272736794" width="400" height="326" wmode="transparent" /]
Bernard Minarik of Quakertown, NJ recalls the show
Pat Mancuso from Trappe, PA remembers screaming
CNN – When The Beatles Hit America
Slate.com – Remembering The Beatles On Ed Sullivan
I’m old enough to remember that night. My mom, watched them through “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” without saying a word. When they finished “‘Til There Was You”, she said, “You know, they’re pretty good.” My sister and I never got any static about listening to the Beatles - or a lot of other bands, for that matter - after that.
October 19th, 2007 at 3:03 pmIt was great. I was 8 years old and knew it was important.
October 19th, 2007 at 9:50 pmI was a high school freshman when the Beatles fist appeared on Ed Sullivan. My sister (6th grade at the time) and I were so excited watching and listening to them. The next day at school kids were buzzing about them. Gary Halfmoon and I agreed that we would wear Beatles style haircuts the next day to school. Both of us were harassed all day … by teachers! One threatened to come after us with scissors. Another threw erasers. And a Beatles haircut just meant bangs. That was just the beginning of my love for the Beatles.
October 20th, 2007 at 6:52 pmI was 13 and my sister was 10 when the Beatles hit the East Coast with a vengeance. We were camped out in front of the black-and-white TV with my mom, ready for the Ed Sullivan show. We’d already bought Beatles albums, Beatles hats, and were poised to show our appreciation. We screamed from the minute the show began till it ended. My mother, who is one cool lady, was sitting behind us and kept saying, “Please stop screaming so I can hear them sing - they’re really GOOD!” To this day, my sister and I are huge Beatlemaniacs. We both went to see Across the Universe — on separate coasts — and I plan to see it for the 3rd time after my breast surgery on November 1 — a real incentive to heal in a hurry!
October 21st, 2007 at 12:08 amLet’s face it. Withtout this, Woodstock would have never been. This will always be #1 in my book and most other music fans.
October 22nd, 2007 at 8:27 am