9 February 1964 was the date of The Beatles’ record-breaking first live appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, at Studio 50 in New York City.
Seventy-three million people were reported to have watched the first show. It is still supposed to be one of the largest viewing audiences ever in the States.It was very important. We came out of nowhere with funny hair, looking like marionettes or something. That was very influential. I think that was really one of the big things that broke us – the hairdo more than the music, originally. A lot of people’s fathers had wanted to turn us off. They told their kids, ‘Don’t be fooled, they’re wearing wigs.’
A lot of fathers did turn it off, but a lot of mothers and children made them keep it on. All these kids are now grown-up, and telling us they remember it. It’s like, ‘Where were you when Kennedy was shot?’ I get people like Dan Aykroyd saying, ‘Oh man, I remember that Sunday night; we didn’t know what had hit us – just sitting there watching Ed Sullivan’s show.’ Up until then there were jugglers and comedians like Jerry Lewis, and then, suddenly, The Beatles!
As with the previous day, in the morning the group rehearsed for the studio cameras. Again, George Harrison was feeling ill, and so his place on stage was taken by road manager Neil Aspinall.
George had tonsillitis and didn’t go to rehearsals for The Ed Sullivan Show. I stood in for him so that they could mark where everyone would stand, and I had a guitar strapped round me. It wasn’t plugged in – nobody was playing anything – and it was amazing to read in a major American magazine a few days later that I ‘played a mean guitar’.
Anthology
On this day in 1964 – with George sick, Neil Aspinall stands in at rehearsals for the Ed Sullivan show #thebeatles50 pic.twitter.com/tphyXqq8z7
— The Beatles (@thebeatles) February 8, 2014
That afternoon The Beatles recorded ‘Twist And Shout’, ‘Please Please Me’, and ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’, in front of a different audience from the one that saw their live debut that evening. This set was broadcast on 23 February as the group’s third Ed Sullivan appearance, after they had left the US. Before the recording, Sullivan introduced the group thus:
All of us on the show are so darned sorry, and sincerely sorry, that this is the third and thus our last current show with The Beatles, because these youngsters from Liverpool, England, and their conduct over here, not only as fine professional singers but as a group of fine youngsters, will leave an imprint of everyone over here who’s met them.
Other guests on this third-show recording were Gordon and Sheila MacRae, and The Cab Calloway Orchestra.
The main thing I was aware of when we did the first Ed Sullivan Show was that we rehearsed all afternoon. TV had such bad sound equipment – it still has today, usually, but then it was really bad – that we would tape our rehearsals and then go up and mess with the dials in the control booth. We got it all set with the engineer there, and then we went off for a break.The story has it that while we were out, the cleaner came in to clean the room and the console, thought, ‘What are all these chalk marks?’ and wiped them all off. So our plans just went out the window. We had a real hasty time trying to get the sound right.
Also on this day...
- 2013: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Vector Arena, Auckland
- 2012: Paul McCartney’s star unveiled on Hollywood Walk of Fame
- 1993: US album release: Off The Ground by Paul McCartney
- 1990: Paul McCartney live: Worcester Centrum, Worcester
- 1972: Wings live: Nottingham University
- 1970: Recording: Whispering Grass, Have I Told You Lately That I Love You by Ringo Starr
- 1967: Recording: Fixing A Hole
- 1963: The Beatles live: Empire Theatre, Sunderland
- 1962: The Beatles live: Technical College Hall, Birkenhead
- 1962: The Beatles live: Cavern Club, Liverpool (evening)
- 1962: The Beatles live: Cavern Club, Liverpool (lunchtime)
- 1961: The Beatles live: their first Cavern Club show
Want more? Visit the Beatles history section.
What a memory. I remember begging to my Baptist church going Mom and Dad–please let us stay Home from church and watch the Beatles as they perform. They made me a happy young girl and what I thought was a miracle that made a wonderful memory for an almost ten year old girl (turned ten that next. March 8) that very Special Sunday Night. What a memory. Thank You John, George, Ringo and Paul. And to my Mom and Dad that now is looking down from Heaven–thank you!!!
I was in Kindergarten. I am the youngest of 5 brothers. This was a life-defining moment as we watched this.
I know I was not watching Ed Sullivan that night for The Beatles; I had no idea they were on never mind who they were. However, MAN O MAN when they came on, it changed my life forever. If I were, a girl I would have been screaming right along with the rest. Being an African American made it weirder as it was. I did not even get into James Brown until 1968, I did not want to know anything but the Beatles!
You are adorable! I was “grounded” that night and my parents wouldn’t let me watch it, but I snuck behind the door and saw the show anyway!! Ha Ha!
My dad had made a remote control,which was a button on a wooden hand piece which made the dial go around clockwise on our black and white TV.He had promised me,an eight year old,that I could watch the Beatles on Ed Sullivan,and just as they were announced,he hit the button and made that dial go all the way around!! I will never forget it,or how kind my parents were to let me watch it,even though daddy had to tease me!!
Here in Toronto we got bombarded with the Beatles on radio throughout all of December 1963 and so I bought their first album and gave other copies of that album as xmas gifts to friends and relatives.
The Ed Sullivan show was not only exciting but confirmed to me that their sound was going to bowl over the USA as well!!!
I was 7 years old when my family and I sat down to watch Ed Sullivan on Sunday, Feb 9th, ’64. It was amazing, especially for a young boy, who didn’t know much about music. Still, the next day at school, every kid was talking about The Beatles. In a few months, we began buying Beatles’ bubblegum cards and whatever had the Beatles name on it. Life would never be the same. All it took was one special evening that introduced The Beatles to us. Now, my entire rec room is dedicated to the Fab Four. All it took was one night.
Excellent memory. Hey, maybe you can tell me. Did the Beatles ever play in Canada? I do not remember right now.
Yes, on five occasions. You can read about them in the history section (search for Canada on the page).
I lived in Thunder Bay, back in 1964-67. When The Beatles played in Toronto in ’64/65/66, I begged my Dad to take me…..as a kid, I suppose I did not understand that Toronto was 800 miles from Thunder Bay. I was hoping they would come to my town…..they never did.
My brother and I went to the afternoon rehearsal this day which was broadcast later as the third show. They had saved seats for us which were held with a strip of masking tape. We waited a good hour or more sitting inside before the band came on. It was tense in the studio, and Ed Sullivan caused a momentary frenzy by jumping out from behind a curtain in a Beatle wig. Have never seen a photo of that, but there must be one somewhere.
You’re right there, there is a photo of Ed Sullivan wearing a Beatle wig and here’s a link to it. Who knows, he might have made a better looking “Fifth Beatle” than Murray The K!
all this time I thought they only sang 3 songs. My dad couldn’t take anymore. I was 11. “thats enough of those limies”
so I missed “I saw her standing there & I want to hold your hand” 🙁
My eldest brother was in college at the time, and told us all about a band from England that was to appear on Ed Sullivan that night. When the Beatles came on, my mother’s first comment was “Look at their hair!” in disgust. I got up and danced. I was 6 years old at the time, and thanks to 3 older brothers, had grown up listening to Elvis, Dion & the Belmonts, Bo Diddley, etc., but only the Beatles could make me dance.
My older sister was 12 when they 1st came on Ed Sullivan so of course the whole house was in a frenzy. And had been for months. I distinctly remember sitting as a family watching the Beatles on Sullivan. I remember vividly because even though I was only 6 years old, the very next day I began playing guitar (my sister had one). Never turned back. A life changing moment for sure.
Great memory & you & thousands of others started playing guitar because of The Beatles on that show.
Are you serious? A film clip of the Beatles on the Sullivan show nearly 50 years ago is not in the public domain? Greed!
Somebody has to post a comment, this being 50 years to the day… so I guess I will. It’s exciting to think that 50 years ago this minute, people all across the US were just waking up and starting their Sunday, and almost all of those 73 million viewers prior to the show knew nothing or next to nothing about the band. But by the time they went to sleep that night, that had all changed– and the US began to change as well. It’s hard to fully understand or appreciate the importance of this night.
I was six years old and my family of five had immigrated to the United States from Havana, Cuba a few years prior. Following a Cuban tradition of visiting friends on Sundays, we were at a Cuban friend’s home. Their teenage daughter told us three children The Beatles were appearing on TV and we’d better shut up. What a great intro to America! I have loved The Beatles ever since.
I had no idea the impact their TV appearance would have.
I wonder if anyone knows why John’s microphone seemed mixed so low. I realize Paul had a lot of the lead vocals on the songs they chose, but John is tough to hear. Anyone got a line on that bit of trivia?
Saw the show and my Dad, a career soldier, commented about THAT hair. I said “but Pop, they’re wearing suits!” My parents couldn’t understand what I saw in them. Guess my grandparents couldn’t understand Sinatra either.
I first heard the Beatles, back in May 63, before the came to the States and played Ed Sullivan . I was living in Madrid Spain because my dad was in the Air Force. When I heard those wonderful voices, for the first time, playing inside that large department store; my life changed forever and they have been and are one of my biggest influences. I am 10 years old, watching that small b/w floor TV in Spain on that fateful night of 2/9/64 and it was wonderful. I had to use every restrain to not scream as loud as those in the audience. Thankfully i now own the DVD and have all the shows on CD. This night impacted Rock N Roll like little else. With two of them sadly gone, i am oh so thankful for the music and memories because that will last forever! (A long passing fad they said back then. How wrong could they be.)
I am a 22 years old girl, so I wasn’t born yet when the Beatles appeared for first time. But judging from the Ed Sullivan show that I watched on the YouTube video, I could say that those Beatles were indeed good and since then I became a Beatle fan.
My father who lived as a teenager during the Beatlemania period told me that when the Beatles came for giving performance, there were screaming could be heard everywhere. Even my father was also exited when the Beatles came.
Does anybody have an explanation as to why the music is a semi-tone low for this day´s performances? Example; All my loving comes in Eb instead of the correct key E. All audio or video recordings I find are the same. The same goes for the third Sullivan Show, recorded this same day. But for the second show, from Miami, the key is correct. Must have been a fault when the tapes were transferred from one source to another or something.
They tuned the guitars low to accommodate George, who was getting over a cold and a bad case of laryngitis the day before. That’s why Paul has trouble getting the low notes , especially noticeable on “All My Loving”.
How can that be ? Its TAPE. To make it a half tone lower the tape playback would have to be slower thus lowering the vocals and the tempo / speed of the tape. I would think it would be obvious listening and watching, no ? Just throwing this out off the top of my head, analog was some time ago, but I think I’m correct.
PS Of course a semi tone is not that much of a drop, not sure off what it would do for their movements though.
Read my previous comment. The guitars – and, thus the singing – was PERFORMED a semitone lower. It had/has nothing to do with the video tape.
I was one of the 728 in the audience that Sunday night. With two of my friends, one whose Dad was a cameraman for the station and got us the tickets. I was only 14 and it was beyond exciting.
Luba,
I am working on a project of all the people in the audience that night. Please email me at debra.talent@aol.com
thank you!
A slightly unusual setlist for their first appearance, kicking off with 2 “Paul” songs. Indeed with 3 of the 5 performed by Paul, that would have given the impression that Paul was the leader of the band, whereas in the UK John at that time was seen more as the leader.
Yeah, and then the third ES show featured John on the first two of three songs. Plus, John’s mic was placed closer (relative to the center camera) than the other one for Paul and George (Not to mention: he had his own mic and P and G had to share!)
Obviously a conspiracy by John and his minions to diminish the importance of the others!!!!!
(can we stop this childish and silly John vs. Paul debate. Good grief…..)
Whoah, I wasn’t trying to start any John vs Paul debate, just noting that it was surprising to start their first US appearance with Paul singing 2 songs, when at that stage John had far more of the lead vocals.
That first live appearance on the Ed Sullivan was the crucial one, if they had bombed the afternoon recording might never have been shown at all. I imagine someone thought that doing a “grown up” friendly song like Till there was you would be safer than a more raucous Lennon cover like Twist and Shout or Money
Their initial performance on the show had a unique stage set. There were some giant arrows that were displayed pointing to the Beatles onstage. The set decorator said he wanted to communicate the idea that the “Beatles were HERE.”
What many people don’t remember is that “Georgia Brown and the ‘Oliver’ kids” featured future Monkee Davy Jones as the Artful Dodger.
The Beatle video I’ve seen of the first Sullivan performance they are playing to a pre-recorded track. I’ve been listening to those songs for 55 years. Plus you can easily see Ringo’s left hand on the snare drum (yeah, I’m a drummer too.) is out of sync. Cymbal crashes you see, but don’t hear. Paul does his best, but he’s featured on so many of the songs you can catch a few slips there too.
Was the actual airing in 1964 like this?
The Beatles were live, I’m absolutely certain of that. I was 13 and I remember being nervous thinking that yeah, the records are great, but are *they* really good? I mean, can they really play live music? Of course at the time I had no idea of the hundreds of times they had performed some of these songs. So I was worried that after all the hype they might look bad. But then Paul began “Close your eyes ..” and he was so confident and they had such a presence, it was immediately obvious that not only were they really good but that a new era had started.
I have a friend at the Carson Entertainment Group and asked them if they had any idea why Johnny Carson (famous American chat show host from the 60s through the 90s) was mentioned in Ed Sullivan’s introduction on this day. They found this kinescope of one of shows that Carson talks about them coming to New York City.