It Was 50 Years Ago Today

As I hope you know by now, fifty years years ago tonight, The Beatles appeared for the first time in America, on The Ed Sullivan Show.  Ed Sullivan stated simply, "Ladies and gentlemen, The Beatles!"  Giant arrows on the stage pointed toward the future of music, as Paul counted out "1-2-3-4," before the band kicked into "All My Loving."  73 million Americans watched on TV.  That's 38% of the population.  The urban legend is that the crime rate fell to a 50-year low between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern on February 9, 1964.  The Beatles were so popular that they stopped crime.

As soon as Paul sang "Close your eyes and I'll kiss you," everything changed.  It is impossible to overstate the significance of The Beatles and the significance of that night.  Before that, The Beatles were big in the UK, but "I Want to Hold Your Hand" had been released in the US only about 5 or 6 weeks before they appeared Ed Sullivan and had entered the Billboard charts only about 2 weeks before their appearance, landing at #1 the week before the show.  The two preceding #1 songs in the US were some Bobby Vinton song and "Dominique" by The Singing Nun.  A Belgian nun was topping the US charts.  That was the sad state of popular music in America thanks to Buddy Holly's death, Elvis going into the Army, and the influx of horribly tame, manufactured pop music by guys named Bobby.  Two months later, The Beatles would hold all five of the top five positions on the Billboard charts, which is the only time that has ever happened.

And then six years later, they were done.  Think about that.  The Beatles released their first album, Please Please Me, on the day Kennedy died, November 22, 1963.  They broke up in September 1969.  Let It Be was released on May 8, 1970.  

In six and a half years -- six and a half years -- The Beatles released 13 studio albums (if you count Yellow Submarine as a studio album) and an additional 20+ singles.  Three of the 17 "studio" albums they released in the US failed to top the Billboard album charts.  All three stalled out at #2.  Of the 64 songs that were released as singles in the US, beginning with "I Want to Hold Your Hand" in late December 1963 and ending with "The Long and Winding Road" in 1970, only three didn't crack the Billboard Top 100.  45 of them hit the Top 40, 32 made the Top 10, and they had 20 #1s (still a record).

These are insane numbers.  They did in six and a half years what The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, U2, Stevie Wonder, Springsteen, Madonna, and Whitney Houston couldn't do in 30, 40, or 50 years. 

Musically, they are hands down, the greatest band or artist in rock and roll history.  It's not even a debate.  They did more in six and a half years than any band has ever done over any period of time. Their songwriting is second to none.  With every album, they evolved and innovated, using feedback, sitars, looping, backing symphonies, sound effects, and a whole lot of other things before anyone else.

But the reason The Beatles are so important isn't just their chart success.  More importantly, they transcended music.  In addition to changing music forever and making rock and roll music into an art form, they changed culture, social mores, sociopolitical thinking, fashion, hair styles, attitudes towards drugs, merchandising, and so much more.

There will never be anything like them again.  Some of that can be attributed to the fact that music is far more fractured these days, some of that has to do with the time in which The Beatles arrived, but I think most of that has to do with their insane talent, drive, and innovation. It's not too much of an exaggeration to say that they have had some influence on every rock and roll band and musician since then, from the more obvious like Badfinger, ELO, and Cheap Trick to the less obvious like Black Sabbath, Lemmy Kilmister, and Chuck D.

Because my parents were both still in high school in different states and would not meet for several more years or procreate for several more after that, I was born about 13 years after The Beatles released their first album and seven years after they released their last, so I was never alive when The Beatles were together.  My knowledge of The Beatles has been informed through books, the Anthology and other documentaries, discussions, and, perhaps most importantly, Dr. Glenn Gass.  

As you probably know, I love music.  I listen to music all day every day at work, and I have over 13,000 songs on my iPod and over 1,200 albums, from metal to rap to blues to hard rock to cheesy pop to folk to everything '80s to classic rock to disco to soul to oldies to swing.  I love it all, and I listen to it all.  But if you ask me who my favorite band is, without hesitation, I will say "The Beatles."  I don't foresee that ever changing.  

One time I tried to figure out my ten favorite Beatles songs, and I realized I had about 30 songs for the list.  I love their early love songs just as much as I love their later psychedelic stuff.  I can't think of a better album than Let It Be to blast and belt out while downing another Natty Light or two at 3 in the morning in my fraternity room after striking out yet again.  Just like I can't think of a better first wedding dance or funeral song than "In My Life."  Or a better line to start a first album than "Well she was just seventeen, and you know what I mean."  Or a more innocent-sounding "fuck you" song than "We Can Work It Out."  Or a more badass song about swirly slides (or, potentially, about an impending worldwide race war, depending on if your name is Charles Manson or not) than "Helter Skelter."  Or a subtler song about loving weed than "Got To Get You Into My Life."  Or a better pop bass line than "All My Loving."  They have a song for every mood, a song in every genre, and song for everyone.  And every single one of them is good, except "Revolution #9," of course.  That's just fucking weird.

I'm not sure if this post really has a point, other than to point out how awesome The Beatles were, even though I'm sure you already knew that and I'm sure there are thousands of better or more important writers than me who can tell you that.  If you already love The Beatles, then let this serve as a reminder to put on your favorite album or even just hit "shuffle" on your Beatles songs on your iPod or computer.  On the off chance you aren't as familiar with The Beatles as I am, hopefully this post and this historic anniversary will push you to discover more than just "the hits."  Buy Abbey Road (or download it, now that you can, if you're into that) and just listen to the whole thing, straight through.  Then do the same thing with Sgt. Pepper's.  Then get the rest of the albums, and find your 30 favorite songs.  Your life will be better for it (unless you're severely in debt, in which case you should probably not spend your money on music).