Been thinking about Beatles music lately -- maybe it has something to do with the holidays... not sure why, though... but since I like reading about the history of that period, I let it take me to something... One piece of conventional wisdom is that the assassination of JFK propelled the Beatles to fame in New York, given they debuted on the Ed Sullivan show on February 9, 1964, which was about 14 weeks after that terrible event on November 22, 1963, and Americas youth needed something happy and light to help them recover from the grief. However, I disagree. The Beatles were already a huge sensation in the UK and Europe by then, and Ed Sullivan, perceiving their gold mine potential in the USA, arranged for them to appear on his show by October, 1963. In fact, here is an interview with the Beatles that aired on CBS the day before JFKs assassination. Frankly, I think the death of JFK probably did more to slow the Beatles introduction to the United States rather than to secure it, given there would have been little taste for coverage of a rock and roll band in the wake of a national tragedy. The Beatles might have wanted to promote themselves for the Christmas rush of 1963 but had to wait as America adjusted to a shock. Even if so, it is hard to imagine how they could have done better. The Baby Boomer youth, swelling in their numbers and irreverence, was ready for the Beatles, and they took to them like nothing else. https://youtube/watch?v=UeolhjIWPYs
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 15:26:36 +0000
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