Paul McCartney Reflects on First Beatles Hit, the Band's Historic 'Ed Sullivan Show
Coinciding with the 60th anniversary of The Beatles’ historic first trip to the U.S. this week, the second season of the McCartney: A Life in Lyrics kicked off with an episode looking at the Fab Four’s first big hit, “Love Me Do.”
Part of the episode features Paul McCartney discussing the artists who influenced him and John Lennon, including The Everly Brothers and Buddy Holly. As he talks about these artists, he draws comparisons with the many other people who said they were inspired by The Beatles when they saw the group’s famous performance on The Ed Sullivan Show back in 1964.
“[There are a] trillion people who say that, ‘I knew that’s what I wanted to be when I saw you four-headed monster on the telly … I’ve got to be part of this,’” McCartney explained. “Our current manager of Beatles’ Apple Records says that, Bruce Springsteen says that, David Letterman says that. They all formed on that night … this future for themselves. And there we were in Liverpool [a few years earlier] forming this future, in the same kind of deal.”
The Beatles’ landmark first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show took place on February 9, 1964.
Released in the U.K. in October 1962, “Love Me Do” was the first Beatles song to break into the Top 20 in their home country. It later reached No. 1 in the U.S. in May of 1964.
Source: Matt Friedlander/americansongwriter.com
