...today that the Fab Four played on the Ed Sullivan Show, introducing the U. S. to a whole new sound.Some of you may remember. Some of you may not, having not been either too young or not born yet.
Why was their impact so profound? One thing to consider is we, as a nation were still in mourning. Just two months and 18 days before, on November 22, John F. Kennedy had been assassinated. We were confused, angry, sad and a whole lot of other emotions. Then came the Beatles.
Another thing to consider is that pop music was saccharine at best, forgettable at worst. On January 17th, the top ten songs were (from one to ten): "There I've Said it Again" by Bobby Vinton, "Louie Louie" by the Kingsmen, "Popsicles and Icicles" by the Murmaids, "Forget Him" by Bobby Rydell, "Surfin' Bird" by the Trashmen, "Dominique" by the Singing Nuns, "Hey Little Cobra" by The Rip Chords, "The Nitty Gritty" by Shirley Ellis, "Out of Limits" by The Marketts and "Drag City" by Jan and Dean.
I actually remember some of these songs and can sing their melodies. But really, how many of them or the artists are remembered? How many of them have become standards, songs that get covered over and over by other artists?
The next day on January 19th, #3 "Popsicles and Icicles" was replace by "I Want to Hold Your Hand." #4 was "Surfin' Bird."
This sandwich gives a pretty clear picture of the state of music in the United States.
I don't know about you, but there was something refreshing about that middle group. Whether you like them or not, The Beatles changed the face (or ear) of music. They seemed to be able to translate into their music all that we (baby boomers) were feeling.
They pulled us out of depression and rescued us from ourselves. They paved the way for ALL that has followed.
From me to you.
The Murmaids! Oh gosh. I love them :o) And of course I love the Beatles too :o)
ReplyDeleteI must be the only person on Earth who doesn't really like the Beatles. Sorry... *ducks head*
ReplyDeleteInteresting Bish. I've never been much of a Beatles fan, so much of this I didn't know. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting post! I didn't realize their Ed Sullivan show performance was so soon after John F. Kennedy's assassination. I'm sure America needed something to get excited about right then.
ReplyDeleteI remember well. How strange their hair seemed! I didn't really get the screaming -- about 100 times more hysterical than Ricky Nelson got -- and during the performance, even!
ReplyDeleteIn music class, we had to keep a music notebook. One girl glued pictures of the Beatles in hers, and the music teacher tore it up.
You know one thing I love about this grop is the power their songs have generation to generation. I came after their time, but we listened to them all the time! I know even today, the teens I know still find magic listening to the Beatles!
ReplyDeleteAngela @ The Bookshelf Muse
I remember getting special permission to stay up past 8:00 to watch that.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't born yet, but my mom watched it. And she loved the Beatles. I used to play her Beatles record albums over and over and over and over. Love them.
ReplyDeleteI love the Beatles. To this day they are my favorite. Love the Stones, Grand Funk RR, Zepp, yep, I was a hippie. But this post brought back so many memories. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. You know just with Paul they wrote over 200 songs. Plus he wrote a lot more. Amazing talent. He and Ringo were my favorite Beatles. Everybody had their favorite.
ReplyDeleteOh, and when John died, I was at my mom and dad's house. Made Mom turn off the TV and all because Yoko wanted us to observe ten minutes of silence. Needless to say she didn't like it, but she did do it. Every radio station went dark for that ten minutes. They just went off the air. Staggering.