What was your first Beatle Experience?

[legalsea]

I started this to see how old posters are.

Me: I well remember that Sunday night back in late 1963 when the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan show (I think it was December, a month after the killing of President Kennedy, but I will not swear to that). The whole family gathered in the living room to watch the broadcast on our single television set.

Aside: I well recall that night in late 1964 when my father, while we were at the dinner table, told my two sisters and I to look underneath our dinner plates: movies tickets to A Hard Day's Night, which was opening at the Worth Theater several weeks hence. They were Huge tickets. The movie: I heard nothing of it, due to the constant screaming of the teenage girls. When George Harrison (bless his memory) did his little 'dance' at one point, the girls went mad.

My thread was prompted by my nephew telling me of his first Beatle experience, which happened about 10 year ago.

I suspect he was indulging in Adult beverages, and listening to Pepper.

 

[Cool-Beans]

The first time I heard of the Beatles was when John Lennon was shot.

 

[GeorgeG]

I suspect I'm one of the older posters (61) and can remember when the Beatles first came on the scene.

I remember my uncle asking me what I thought of the new group "The Beatles" and I hadn't yet heard them of of them. I was caught up in the old big band stuff from the generation before me and listened to some of the older rock and roll. My first reaction was disbelief that any band would call themselves "The Beatles." It seemed like a really stupid name at the time and I figured they wouldn't last long with a name like that.

Then my uncle was trying to describe the song he had heard and even tried playing it on the piano. It was "I Wanna Hold Your Hand." When I finally heard it on the radio I again thought it was really stupid. However, it grew on me. I think what impressed me was the clean chords and guitar leads they used along with the fact that they were using more sophisticated chords and progressions than the typical 3-4 chord early rock and roll typical of the time. They had some good harmonies and were actually in tune!

I still thought they looked stupid and needed haircuts, but I came to really like just about all of their early stuff up to about when they got to the "Yellow Submarine" era. I still like the early Beatles recordings, but don't care too much for the later stuff. That still leaves a lot of songs to like.

I guess they did have at least some staying power...

 

[legalsea]

The first time I heard of the Beatles was when John Lennon was shot.

Ah! How well I remember! I was watching Monday Night Football, and Howard Corsel informed the world during play about John Lennon being shot. I still think that the two people with Corsel (I know Grifford, and maybe Don Meredith) going 'huh?" They obviously had no clue. I forget what Howard said, but it was something like "I have just received news that John Lennon has been shot, and killed, outside of his apartment in New York City. What we are watching (i.e., the football game) will long pass out of our memory before our memory of what this young man meant to a generation".

My memory is feeble. I recalled as best as I could. I do recall, that Don Meredith said "Oh, well, ok Howard, now back to you Frank", or something close to that. They simply had no idea.

 

[OK!]

Sad though it may be, it was hearing "Twist and Shout" in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I was 13. I instantly fell in love with that song, and went home and started listening to all of my parents' albums and buying the ones they didn't have.

 

[pixie dust 112]

I don't have a first Beatles memory. I was born in 1962, so they were just always around, on the radio, tv, and my older brother's albums.

 

[DISUNC]

I started this to see how old posters are.

Me: I well remember that Sunday night back in late 1963 when the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan show (I think it was December, a month after the killing of President Kennedy, but I will not swear to that). The whole family gathered in the living room to watch the broadcast on our single television set.

It was Sunday February 9, 1964!

The radio in NYC played The Beatles ALL the time. and when they came to NYC...IT WAS HUGE NEWS.
By the time They were on Ed Sullivan there was a fever pitch.

I remember dancing around the living room in my feet PJ's with my sister. We were crazed by them!

Now my sisters grandson is a HUGE Beatles fan, he has the DVDs of all the Beatles appearences on Ed Sullivan!

Have you ever saw the Movie "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" Its about a group of NJ teenagers trying to get into see the beatles on the Ed Sullivan show! It is a Hysterical movie!

 

[legalsea]

It was Sunday February 9, 1964!

The radio in NYC played The Beatles ALL the time. and when they came to NYC...IT WAS HUGE NEWS.
By the time They were on Ed Sullivan there was a fever pitch.

I remember dancing around the living room in my feet PJ's with my sister. We were crazed by them!

Now my sisters grandson is a HUGE Beatles fan, he has the DVDs of all the Beatles appearences on Ed Sullivan!

Have you ever saw the Movie "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" Its about a group of NJ teenagers trying to get into see the beatles on the Ed Sullivan show! It is a Hysterical movie!

Thank you! Yes, 1964. I thought my date was a bit 'early' for the 'national recovery'.

As for that movie.I shall get it.

 

[tar heel]

It was a day or two before that first Sunday night on Ed Sullivan. My mother, who was all of 27, and our teenage next door neighbor were looking at their pictures in the newspaper and showed it to me. I thought they had funny hair. When we watched them that evening, my favorite part was when they shook their hair. Hey -- I was 7.

All three of my boys have grown up listening to Beatle's music. I don't think any of them would ever be able to remember a time when they didn't "know" them. In the car, we alternated between playing Raffi and the Beatles. My youngest interpreted "Ticket to Ride" as "Chicken to Ride," and our whole family still sings it that way.

 

[TinyLittleMouse]

I think my first Beatles experience goes back to my mother, playing her albums on the stereo while she cleaned house and did laundry. I didn't really care at the time who they were, but as I got older, I learned to appreciate their music even though I'm not really into the sort of bubble-gummy pop that they sang.

TLM

 

[roseprincess]

I also remembered hearing on my local radio station(probably WLS in Chicago) that same night when John Lennon got shot. I was so sad when the disc jockey announced it, tho I wasn't a John Lennon fan or a Beatles fan at the time. I hardly knew about the Beatles then. About a week after John Lennon's death, a friend of mine wanted me to mail her some newspaper clippings and newspaper articles about John's death. My friend had moved a few months before that to another state and she and her parents couldn't get access of newspaper articles that I can get in the Chicago area. This is what she told me. I was in high school at this time. So when I went shopping with my mom, I had asked to buy a newspaper at the check out for the John Lennon articles. Soon as we bought the paper, I read all these articles about John and the Beatles. Read more of the Beatles stuff. I really started getting into the Beatles after that, esp their early yrs. I started having a crush on Paul and George! I really started getting into the Beatles music after this. Then I got obsessed about Paul. I wanted to marry Paul (even tho he was already married of course)! I used to know pretty much all their songs and what songs were on what albums, etc. I got into Paul McCartney and Wings, too! I still enjoy Beatles music on occasion as well as Paul and Wings and Paul's solo career

 

[Micca]

On my 9th birthday I got a transistor radio for my birthday, it was Nov. 22, 1963(the day JFK was shot). I loved that I could lay in bed at night and put the radio under my pillow. It must have been January 1964 when I started hearing I Want To Hold Your Hand about the same time each night as I drifted off to sleep. Just a few weeks later I learned about the group,and school was buzzing the day after the first Ed Sullivan show. They had an effect on me that has stayed with me ever since that time.

 

[eclectics]

It was Sunday February 9, 1964!

I actually remember that night well. My oldest sister had a TV in her bedroom and my other sister and I went in there to watch Sullivan. My parents kept trying, unsuccessfully, to get us in the livingroom to watch The Miracle Worker with Patty Duke instead. We said "Are you guys crazy?!!". Been a Beatles fan ever since!

 

[Mary Anne]

I remember that Sunday night like it was yesterday. A piece of triva was that Davy Jones (of the Monkee fame) was also on that show as part of the cast of Oliver.

I can also remember being in school the Friday afternoon before at 1:30 and one of the kids asking Sister Ann if we could turn on the radio to hear them landing. You can just imagine what Sister said

 

[legalsea]

I also remembered hearing on my local radio station(probably WLS in Chicago) that same night when John Lennon got shot. I was so sad when the disc jockey announced it, tho I wasn't a John Lennon fan or a Beatles fan at the time. I hardly knew about the Beatles then. About a week after John Lennon's death, a friend of mine wanted me to mail her some newspaper clippings and newspaper articles about John's death. My friend had moved a few months before that to another state and she and her parents couldn't get access of newspaper articles that I can get in the Chicago area. This is what she told me. I was in high school at this time. So when I went shopping with my mom, I had asked to buy a newspaper at the check out for the John Lennon articles. Soon as we bought the paper, I read all these articles about John and the Beatles. Read more of the Beatles stuff. I really started getting into the Beatles after that, esp their early yrs. I started having a crush on Paul and George! I really started getting into the Beatles music after this. Then I got obsessed about Paul. I wanted to marry Paul (even tho he was already married of course)! I used to know pretty much all their songs and what songs were on what albums, etc. I got into Paul McCartney and Wings, too! I still enjoy Beatles music on occasion as well as Paul and Wings and Paul's solo career

Thank you. Awesome story. Legalsea

 

[legalsea]

I really do appreciate thoughtfull people like Mary Anne. Thank you so much. Legalsea

 

[cristit14]

The first Beatles experience I remember is listening to Eight Days a Week in the car going somewhere with my mom. I was probably around 9 or so.

A little OT, but the other day my DD came up to me and said "Mom, did you know there is a band called The Doors?" She was amazed.

 

[JoyG]

Well the first Beatle experience that I remember (not counting watching old footage) is Paul McCartney singing with Michael Jackson in the "Say Say Say" video.

 

[pixie dust 112]

I also remember my little sis being amazed that Paul McCartney was in a band before Wings!

 

[Daxx]

My first memory, ever, of the Beatles was dancing to Hey Jude in my Grandparent's bar. They had a jukebox and every time that song would come on, I'd dance. I was prob. 3 at the time. It became known as "my song" and I've always enjoyed the Beatles since then! To this day, my Dad's friends (who used to hang at the bar) still say "If we play Hey Jude, will you dance?"