As I’ve done a few times in my letters, I checked into my mother’s diary and my diary to compare notes on a particular occasion. On February 9, 1964 my 50-year old mother merely wrote:
Tonight watched T.V. The Beatles were on from England.
and the next day:
Deids and Nan listening to Beatles album. B. gave her allowance early so she could get it.
My almost-16 year old self wrote:
Tonite on Ed Sullivan the Beatles were on. They were wonderful. They’re so adorable esp Paul, Ringo, John + George. their hair is the utmost. They are so wonderful. they sang about 6 songs at 2 diff times. Geesum they’re so great. I love ‘em!I don't feel a whole lot different about them than I did that long ago night.
Here's a snippet I was able to find:
When flicking through TV channels last night, I happened to come across a short feature on CNN about the Beatles. I was sad to have caught only the last few minutes, but I am quite sure there was a clip from the Ed Sullivan show as well.
ReplyDeleteMy late husband loved the Beatles very much. At a time when it was not fashionable at all anymore (in the early 1980s), he still insisted on going to school wearing a Beatles hair cut (he was in his early teens then) and did not care that the other kids made fun of him for that.
Oh Nan, nostalgia overload! On Friday evening, BBC 4 showed two documentaries from 1984 about the Everly brothers, one about their background, the other a film of the reunion concert at The Albert Hall (the same tour I saw them on). Watching the concert I was in bits, especially when they ended with Let It Be Me. On the history programme we heard Don, still mystified by the way their music went suddenly out of fashion because 'you had to be English'. That clip shows why! I adore the Everlys but they could never be cool like the Beatles. I Want to Hold Your Hand nearly broke Brian Wilson's heart because he couldn't understand how you could sing something so simple and make girls scream. I remember my mother saying satiricially 'I like the lyrics!' but for me it's just one of the happiest records ever made. All that energy! I absolutely love it.
ReplyDeleteHI Nan: Oh my, your post brought back some lovely memories for me. When it was announced that the Beatles would be coming to Toronto to perform a show at Maple Leaf Gardens, I was determined that I would go to see them. However the day the tickets went on sale was a school day, but somehow, I persuaded my mother to go downtown and get me a ticket. She joined a very long lineup and when she got almost to the door of the Gardens, they announced that the show was sold out. While many disappointed people left, she decided to stay a little bit longer. In just a few minutes the doors opened and a second show was announced. So my friend Ann and I got to see the Beatles after all, and it was truly a magical experience.
ReplyDeleteI love your 16-year-old enthusiasm! "Geesum"! :)
ReplyDeleteThose journals are such a treasure, I often wish I'd saved mine.
ReplyDeleteI can remember my mother saying they were a bad influence with "that long hair". ha... Of course I loved them but couldn't figure out why the girls were screaming and fainting.
ReplyDeleteOh, Nan, once again those journal entries prove to be a treasure trove. "Geesum they're so great. I love 'em!" says it all.
ReplyDeleteNan, those entries are so special. My mom was just 3 years younger than yours:)
ReplyDeleteDear Nan,
ReplyDeleteI wrote about this on my post too. I was in first grade 50 years ago and I remember that night so very well. It really was like the world coming into color for me when I heard the Beatles, honestly, it was just that important! Funny thing, Nan, our good taste is the same now as it was when we were kids! And we never had any money for the albums, we bought the singles...except for Sgt. Pepper...you had to have that album!
How lovely to have those journal entries to look back on!
ReplyDeleteWe watched them (I think in those days it was illegal NOT to watch Ed Sullivan )) ... but I was a young mother of four, so my enthusiasm was tempered by age and responsibility. Later, I remember my Kindergartener walking around the house singing "I want to hold your hand" . Definitely not the same kind of memories ;>)
ReplyDeleteI was in my late teens, out of high school and working when the Beatles came to town. I remember going over to the Plaza Hotel during lunch to see what I could see. Hundreds of girls and cops surrounding the hotel, not much else. :) Of course we watched the Ed Sullivan show and I admit I was not too old to fall under their spell. George made my heart thump.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post! I remember being in the 4th grade and all of us little girls singing "I Want to Hold Your Hand" together while walking home after school! Some of my friends even had Beatle wigs! It was all a lot of fun! Thank you for the clip! I agree with the comment above on the energy level! Wow!
ReplyDeleteWhat a treasure to have the two diaries!! Great post! I don't remember that night (being 2 1/2) and my family had just moved into an old farmhouse that needed lots of work. I'm thinking they didn't have a tv set up just yet.
ReplyDelete