On February 7, 1964, four guys from England landed in New York City and were greeted by thousands of screaming fans. They were John, Paul, George, and Ringo--The Beatles! Already a big hit in Europe, they were in the U.S. for the first time. The first stop for John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr was an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on Feb. 9. They sang five songs, including "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You." Nearly 40% of the U.S. watched--a record 73 million people. In 2004, that show was still 24th on the list of the most watched TV shows in history.
"Beatlemania"--the excitement created by the band--had hit the U.S. on December 26, 1963. That’s when "I Want to Hold Your Hand" was first played on U.S. radio. Millions of kids and teenagers heard it and went crazy. The single went to the top of the charts, selling millions in a couple of weeks--on one day in New York City, as many as 10,000 an hour were sold! For a week in March of 1964, the "Fab Four" had all top five songs on the charts. No other music act has ever done that. The Beatles came back to the U.S. for more concerts in the summer and by the end of the year, they’d had six number one hits.
The Beatles launched the so-called "British Invasion" in music. Other British groups like The Rolling Stones, The Who, and The Dave Clark Five were soon big hits in America, also.
