It was late December 1963 when I first heard “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by the British musical group known as The Beatles. I really liked the song, not knowing at the time, I would enjoy The Beatles and their music all of my life.
“The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan.” Wikipedia The Ed Sullivan Show was on in our house every Sunday, as Mom and Dad enjoyed watching it. If there was something of interest I too, would watch.
“In late 1963, Sullivan and his entourage happened also to be passing through Heathrow and witnessed how The Beatles‘ fans greeted the group on their return from Stockholm, where they had performed a television show as warmup band to local star Lill Babs. Sullivan was intrigued, telling his entourage it was the same thing as Elvis all over again. He initially offered Beatles manager Brian Epstein top dollar for a single show but the Beatles manager had a better idea—he wanted exposure for his clients: the Beatles would instead appear three times on the show, at bottom dollar, but receive top billing and two spots (opening and closing) on each show.” Wikipedia
Tony and my Mother were the first to tell me, that The Beatles were going to be on Ed Sullivan on February 9, 1964.
Tony was the new kid in town in summer of ’63. We were friends ever since we first met, skateboarding on the Ramps of E. Merle Smith Jr. High. We just hung out with each other most of the time, or cruised the streets of Sinton, in both cases Music was always on. On Sunday, I asked my Mom to remind me when the show was about to begin.
Sure enough that evening she called my name, to let me know that the show was about to begin. Dad set in his chair with his legs up on its matching ottoman, and Mom set on the couch on the right.
Ed Sullivan was just starting, as I walked into the adjoining dinning room and stood just before its wide opening into the living room. If I remember Barbara and Silvia, my Sisters, were on the couch with my Mom. Ed Sullivan came on and introduced the young men from Liverpool, The Beatles. They came on and immediately begin to sing “All My Loving”…
I must have been smiling, and was enjoying seeing and hearing them, but my Dad wasn’t. All along he was commenting just enough to spoil things. Now I love my dad and he is a hard working man, but sometimes he was damn right annoying. Especially when it came to things I liked, he and I were not always in agreement, and mostly not. All through this first of the two Beatles performance for the evening, he made very negative comments about them, until Mom finally said, “Charles. Let them enjoy their music.” It was to late, Dad had already spread the tension in the room.I felt like I was imposing on his TV time. How dare these long haired boys from England spoil his Ed Sullivan Show, I thought.
“The Beatles appeared on three consecutive Sundays in February 1964 to great anticipation and fanfare as “I Want to Hold Your Hand” had swiftly risen to No. 1 in the charts. Their first appearance on February 9 is considered a milestone in American pop culture and the beginning of the British Invasion in music. The broadcast drew an estimated 73 million viewers, at the time a record for US television, and was characterized by an audience composed largely of screaming hysterical teenage girls in tears. The Beatles followed Ed’s show opening intro, performing “All My Loving”; “Till There Was You”, which featured the names of the group members superimposed on closeup shots, including the famous “Sorry girls, he’s married” caption on John Lennon; and “She Loves You”. The act that followed Beatles in the broadcast was pre-recorded, rather than having someone perform live on stage amidst the pandemonium that occurred in the studio after the Beatles performed their first songs. The group returned later in the program to perform “I Saw Her Standing There” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” Wikipedia
Our house was one of the 73 million other American Households that watched them that evening. I did not watch them at end of this Ed Sullivan Show, as they were scheduled to perform a couple of more songs. I knew Dad would do what he could to ruin it for me.
They appeared on the next two Sundays on the Ed Sullivan Show, as with the end of the first show, I did not watch them. I knew it would infringe on my Dad’s comfort level as it usually was with all things “Mike”.
I was impressed with them. Their music was fresh, simple, nicely done, it grabbed me, took a hold of my soul and shook it. I continued to follow them, and the rest of the British Invasion i.e. The Rolling Stones, Jerry and The Pacemakers,The Yardbirds to name a few more groups of that time frame.
One of my many favorite songs, which basically has the same thread running through it as “Bob Dylan’s Dream”, from his Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan Album, is “In My Life” from the Rubber Soul Album. I could make a list of songs, which are favorites, from each of the Beatles Albums. On the The Beatles “Rubber Soul” Album, the list of songs I consider favorites are “Norwegian Wood”, “Nowhere Man”, “Michelle”, Ringo Starr’s redition of Buck Owen’s song, “What Goes On”, “Girl”, and the afore mentioned “In My Life”. I could ramble but back to Ed Sullivan Show and The Beatles first appearance to America and what was considered the beginning of the British Invasion.
Tony and I enjoyed their music, and listen to the other groups of the British Invasion. It was a passion of ours.
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I have continued to listen to them through out all the years of my life. Now it is not like every day, but pretty much every other week or so a song will come to my head, or something will remind me of something, that reminds me of The Beatles and their music. Like every time my or others’ Birthdays rolls around, I think of the “Birthday” song from their White Album.
This birthday of mine being some what of a milestone for me, and their song, “When I’m Sixty-Four” from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Album, comes to mind and has even more special meaning for me.
So convenient today, the music is all in my iTunes, and in the iCloud. They are with me any time they come to mind.
How Sweet it is.
Mike
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The Poppadillo Blog, is the blog page for the Texas Tortilla Factory website, and its stories have been written by Mike Vauthier, and Administratively Approved Authors. Other Content has been appropriately credited and sited within the stories.
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