'I Saw Her Standing There' -- the Song of the Day by The Beatles
Every generation has it seminal events — for Baby boomers one of them was February 9, 1964, when The Beatles played on the “Ed Sullivan Show.”
That night 73.7 million viewers watched. It was more than 45 percent of all households. Today, only the Super Bowl gets those kinds of numbers.
The Beatles opened the show with “All My Loving”, “Till There Was You” and “She Loves You.” They closed with our Song of the Day, “I Saw Her Standing There” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” The Beatles appeared on the show the next two weeks.
Sullivan’s guests rarely got paid. They looked at it as a shot in the arm for their careers.
Sullivan paid for The Beatles’ travel costs and $10,000 (equivalent to $80,000 today). Their appearances ushered in the British Invasion and influenced a generation to buy guitars, grow their hair long, and play music.
Some would become rock stars. Others just drove their parents crazy.
Sullivan’s musical director, Roy Bloch, wasn’t impressed with The Beatles. He made one of the worst predictions ever. He said, “The only thing that’s different is the hair, as far as I can see.I give them a year.”
Source: Sheldon Zoldan/news.wgcu.org
