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Health & Fitness

The Beatles' Legacy by Meredith Piela

Today marks the 50th Anniversary of the Beatles' appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show and to mark the occasion Headlight reporter Meredith Piela examines the Beatles legacy in those 50 years.

It’s amazing to think that fifty years ago, the popular band of four boys from Liverpool, known as The Beatles, made their famous appearance in America, starting “The British Invasion.” The Beatles were admired and successful in England at the time, and people knew they would be a hit in the U.S., but no one knew how big of a hit they would be. February 7th, 1964, was the day the Beatles arrived in New York City, but February 9th was the day they performed on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Their memorable performance of “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” was watched by about 73 million viewers (about 34% of the American population),

and according to biographer Jonathan Gould, it was “the largest audience that had ever been recorded for an American television program.” Fifty years later, it is incredible how the music of the Beatles is still appreciated and considered better than that of a lot of bands today. I can’t explain why I love the Beatles, or why their music is so great; maybe it’s their sound, harmonies, etc. All I know is that for me, and many others, it’s hard not to smile when hearing “Here Comes the Sun,” “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” and of course, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand.” This year at the Grammys, the two surviving Beatles members, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr performed a terrific rendition of Macca’s “Queenie Eye.” Their performance lacked the wildness that the Beatles’ performances had back in the day, but it was still energetic and sounded wonderful. Although I was not alive when the Beatles were around, I have listened and thoroughly loved the Beatles’ music for the past ten years or so. To say that I am a Beatles fan is a bit of an understatement. I own (actually, my family owns) many Beatles’ albums, and on a family vacation to London nine years ago, my sister and I tried to re-create the famous Abbey Road crosswalk picture and happened to see George Martin, the Beatles’ producer, drive by Abbey Road Studios. Although my favorite bands are constantly changing, there is one band that will forever be my absolute favorite: the one with the four boys from Liverpool, simply known as The Beatles.

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