The Beatles are here! How the Fab Four captivated America
This is part of a series of essays to mark the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' first American television appearance on CBS's "The Ed Sullivan Show." It culminates with CBS News, 50 Years Later...The Beatles at The Ed Sullivan Theater: Presented by Motown The Musical, a live, interactive multimedia event at The Ed Sullivan Theater on Feb. 9.
People who weren't in New York City 50 years ago can scarcely imagine what it was like. Local disc jockeys had whipped us kids into a frenzy about the band's upcoming arrival. We obsessed over photographs of John, Ringo, George and Paul. We memorized the songs -- "I Want to Hold Your Hand," "She Loves You," and more. Our parents, expressing their disapproval, only encouraged us all the more.
Let's face it, by the time the Beatles landed at Kennedy Airport, we were insane.
My Beatlemaniac phase might have faded into memory if it weren't for a New York Times photographer named Jack Manning who snapped a photo of a group of us outside their hotel, with me at the screaming center. The image became "somewhat iconic," in the words of one of the girls beside me. It has since been published around the world.
Curious about how others remembered Beatlemania, I interviewed these girls along with dozens of other fans -- some famous, some not -- for a book, which also includes essays by some notable writers. It was fascinating to hear what they had to say.
And Billy Joel was unequivocal: "The single biggest moment that I can remember of being galvanized into wanting to be a musician for life was seeing the Beatles on 'The Ed Sullivan Show.'"
He was not alone -- nearly forty percent of the country joined in the experience. On that cold winter night, half a century ago, a time when, as Morrow says, "we needed new energy," 73 million of us tuned in to CBS -- and found it.
- More on the Beatles from CBS Local
- Win tickets to the live event at the Ed Sullivan Theater on Feb. 9
- More on The Night That Changed America
Guest author Penelope Rowlands has written "The Beatles Are Here!: 50 Years After the Band Arrived in America, Writers, Musicians, and Other Fans Remember," which documents the group's arrival in both written texts and oral histories. Algonquin Press, February 2014.