It was 60 years ago; nearly 73 million people were watching on television the night of Feb. 9, 1964, when “The Ed Sullivan Show” went on the air and The Beatles took over music forever.
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, fresh from Liverpool, England, kicked off the first of three Sunday appearances on the variety show on Feb. 9, signaling the beginning of Beatlemania in the U.S. and the British Invasion of musical groups who would follow.
A screaming crowd and national television audience watched that first show, and the yelling did not subside as the quartet sang five songs over two sets.
Here are five fun facts about the Fab Four’s smashing debut:
Playlist
The Beatles opened their set with “All My Loving,” “Till There Was You,” and “She Loves You.” Later in the show, the band returned to play “I Saw Her Standing There” and ended their set with their No. 1 hit, “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” All but “She Loves You” would appear on the group’s first U.S. album for Capitol Records; that hit would appear on “The Beatles’ Second Album.”
Sweet Deal
Appearing on Sullivan’s show during prime time on Sunday night was coveted by many acts. Sullivan had seen the excitement swirling around the Beatles when he visited England during the summer of 1963. Later that year, Sullivan met the group’s manager, Brian Epstein, for dinner at the Hotel Delmonico in New York City. In a handshake deal, Sullivan agreed to pay the group $10,000 to appear with top billing. In exchange, Epstein agreed the group would appear three times.
This day in history - 60 years ago
— Busted Flush (@Mikebattuello) February 7, 2024
Feb 7, 1964 - Beatles arrived from England for their first US tour. Two days later I watched them play "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and 4 or 5 other songs on the Ed Sullivan show. The music landscape was forever changed. pic.twitter.com/X8UsRKvtuW
A tough ticket
CBS received 50,000 requests for 728 tickets, The New York Times reported. The chances of getting into an Ivy League college were better, the newspaper reported.
Who followed the group on stage?
After the Beatles’ first set, the show broke for a commercial (for Anacin aspirin). At 8:12 p.m., Sullivan returned to the stage and signaled for quiet, which was proving to be difficult after the Beatles’ raucous version of “She Loves You.” Sullivan then introduced Fred Kaps, a magician who had the misfortune of following the quartet onto the stage. Kaps turned in a funny and entertaining five-minute stint, but the audience was revved up for the Beatles’ next segment. Also appearing was the husband-and-wife comedy team of Charlie Brill and Mitzi McCall. “We were doing a sketch,” Brill said. “We couldn’t hear each other. Because of the screaming.”
Not their US debut
The Sullivan show appearance was the group’s first live television performance. But it was not the first time the Beatles had appeared on U.S. television. On Nov. 18, 1963, “The Huntley-Brinkley Report” featured the band in a four-minute segment about Beatlemania. The “CBS Morning News” ran a five-minute segment on the band and were preparing to rerun it that night -- but on Nov. 22, 1963, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy shelved that feature. It eventually ran again on Dec. 10, 1963.
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