The Fab Four Invade America: The 50th Anniversary of Beatlemania

Who would have thought that my life of studying and working at Birmingham University in Birmingham, England would be enriched by the arrival of the Beatles on the music scene, the four lads from Liverpool who I first encountered on Thank Your Lucky Stars, a very popular British pop music TV show.

Never on Sunday! Nobody, young or old, left their homes on Sunday night, as we were all glued to our television sets to watch, listen, dance in our PJs, and marvel at the sensational Beatles. And that included my 9-month old son, who was singing along and swaying in his playpen to the tune of the Beatles songs. This was one of my most treasured perks of living in England at that memorable time.

My subsequent family’s move to the United States in 1964 coincided with the magic moments of the Beatles’ arrival in New York City on February 7th, 1964 and their historic debut TV appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9th. Fifty years later, it is celebrated this week by all who fell madly in love with the four mop-haired Liverpudlians and their fabulous music. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah! This was the most overwhelming, welcoming, and thrilling British invasion in 50 years.

Those of us who grew up “With a Little Help From My Friends,” the nostalgic memories of “Yesterday” will continue our enjoyment and adoration for the Beatles songs. I attended their final Bay Area performance at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park with my son—the same young man whose very early childhood in England was filled with the sounds of the Beatles’ music. It serves us both as a nostalgic reminder of our happy years filled with music and song in Birmingham. I never get tired of listening to The Beatles; It is classic, even today. It is high-touch in a world of high-tech.

It was a wonderful but emotional sort of déjà vu for me to hear Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, the two remaining Beatles, reunited in a rare joint appearance singing Beatles compositions as they performed at last week’s Grammy Awards. Surrounded on stage by artists including Stevie Wonder, R&B singer Alicia Keys, and country singer Keith Urban in their rendition of the classic Beatles song “Hey Jude,” they commemorated 50 years since the record-breaking British band first appeared on US television.

Watching the Grammy’s, I was touched as the two paid special tribute to their former band members, John Lennon and George Harrison. “We were in a band called The Beatles and whenever we play, George and John are always with us,” Starr told the crowd. McCartney added, “Tonight we are remembering our beautiful friends John and George.” Lennon was shot and killed in 1980. Harrison died of cancer in 2001. The concert was filmed for “The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to The Beatles.” It was watched by Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, 80, and Harrison’s widow, Olivia, 65.

The 50th anniversary tribute will air on CBS on February 9th.

Lina Broydo immigrated from Russia, then the Soviet Union, to Israel where she was educated and got married. After working at the University in Birmingham, England she and her husband immigrated to the United States. She lives in Los Altos Hills, CA and writes about travel, art, style, entertainment, and sports. She hardly cooks or bakes, not the best of ‘‘balabostas’’ her beloved beautiful Mom, Dina, was hoping for. Therefore, she makes reservations and enjoys dining out.

By Lina Broydo