The Beatles Have Landed

This week in 1964, the Earth, or at least New York City (which was in its Mad Men heyday) was invaded by the British. It was a fast and decisive battle. No blood was shed and it took only 15 minutes. British: 4, America: 0.

On February 7, 1964, The Beatles landed in America (with future Let It Be producer Phil Spector also on the plane, having flown over to England just to be with The Beatles on their first transatlantic flight). Kids cut school. The networks sent crews. But just what these guys were was a bit of a mystery to the crowd that greeted their jet on a Friday afternoon.

The press conference in the Pan-Am lounge in newly designated John F. Kennedy airport had a few sparks ("Sing!” cried a reporter. "No," said Lennon, "we need money first”). But the war was really won from the first notes of "All My Loving" on the Ed Sullivan show on Sunday night when the lads showed what a stage-splintering live act they still were. 45% of American homes tuned in (some say more). The performance even brought the crime rate down nationally during the broadcast. And musicians all over America—from Bob Dylan to Sam Cooke to young Roger McGuinn noted that something was happening and that ‘something’ was The Beatles.

The Beatles were more than Elvis x 4. Elvis, for all his gifts and uncanny knack for connecting with an audience, was certainly musically sophisticated but was--at heart--a kid, much like the kids who bought his records. The Beatles, on the other hand were adults; street tough musicians who had raised themselves up playing bordellos, bars, and theaters for four years straight, night after night.

They played rock and roll songs but they didn’t sound like Elvis or Buddy Holly. With the exception of Motown, Vee Jay in Chicago, and Sam Cooke's SAR records--all African-American owned labels--there was virtually nothing close to rock and roll in the U.S. on February 7, 1964. And so, The Beatles re-made pop music in their image and the impression they made is still going strong. Half of you reading this (or more) are doing so on a computer named after The Beatles’ record company.

If you've ever wondered what all the fuss was about or doubted it was that big a deal, Albert and David Maysles film The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit (originally shown as What's Happening! The Beatles In the USA) is a fantastic introduction to western culture, 1964.

Since 1961, according to Mark Lewisohn's various Beatle diaries, John, Paul, and George played somewhere—on stage, in rehearsal, or in a studio—virtually everyday. As for Ringo, he had been on the same treadmill since 1962.

No American rock and roll band could match the power of The Beatles or their single-minded drive. And as for wit, between Ringo's malapropos and John's Joyce-meets-Goon Show word play, they were too quick for the press who could do nothing but set themselves up to be knocked down. As for The Beatles themselves, they had pretty much everything they needed at this point. Except perhaps for a guitar that had some bite to it and by the end of the year, Paul would take care of that and buy his Casino which, in 2012, is still going strong.