- February 9, 1964 was truly a night to remember. What happened 55 years ago changed the lives of many Americans even to this day. It was The Beatles first formal introduction to America as they played the famous variety program, The Ed Sullivan Show.
It changed life as we known. Their performance was extraordinary. They started off with 'She Loves You" and never looked back.
Only three months removed from the tragic Kennedy assassination, we need something.anything..to smile again, to be happy about, to forget the sad reality of the world back then. The British pop group, who called themselves The Beatles, were like a breath of fresh air. It was a perfect storm of great music, performers you couldn't take your eyes away from, fun, excitement and joy. The Beatles were happiness in a world of sorrow.
I wasn't a Beatle fan back then. Only seven, I knew of The Fab Four from their music. They were everywhere on the radio, especially their new no. 1 smash hit, "I Wanna Hold Your Hand." You could help but sing or hum it. The hook got ya. They sold millions of records. The group was there in your face, yet not there. We heard The Beatles, but, other than photos, we had not yet seen The Beatles- until February 9th. Then everything changed.
As the Beatles crossed the Atlantic, local radio stations announced their trek, kind like Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. "They're only an hour away! Brace Yourselves!" screamed the disk jockey. so there was a build-up all week to the ultimate climax on the Sullivan show. That's what it felt like.
Now we can truly appreciate the hysteria of Beatlemania in New York at that time by watching DVDs like "The Beatles- The First U.S. Tour", which is an excellent insider look at their arrival, their hectic stay, and departure from America that frozen February .One can also get the complete Sullivan show that evening or just The entire Beatles' performance that special evening. The DVDs are better than the numerous books out there on the subject. Seeing it and hearing it- the screaming fans, the wonderful music, soaking in the black and white excitement of the era, is so much better than just reading about it on a page.
So I remember watching The Beatles that night ( along with 72 million others) as a matter of curiosity. I did like their music but knew little about them. Soon, "A Hard Day's Night" would allow us to know The Beatles as individuals, not as a group of four, at least allow us to think we knew the Beatles on a more personal nature.But watching the group, who seemed to be having so much fun that night, and inviting us to have fun along with them, I couldn't take my eyes off them. They were soon to be everything any guy wanted to be- their clothes, hair, personality, their money, their style. The females- girls and older women alike, wanted to date them, the guys wanted to be them.
After that night The Beatles changed American culture in Rock n' Roll Elvis was making movies. Guys like Bobby Rydell and Frankie Avalon were popular but were not really Rock n' Roll. It took a British Invasion to remind Americans what Rock n' Roll was, where it came from to begin with, and what it still could be.
After that night, I became a certified Beatle fan. Everywhere you looked there were Beatle wigs, magazines, lunchboxes, you name it, even more so now. We wanted to know more and hear more. We couldn't get enough of The Beatles.They gave us hope and something to look forward to.The Beatles has arrived and it was like Christmas morning once again.
February 9, 1964. That's the night that changed my life forever. Suddenly, everyone could smile again.
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