"Ladies and gentlemen...the Beatles..."

This past weekend we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Beatles appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show.  The Fab Four rocking America for the first time. 

Many of us were there. Sitting in front of our parent's black and white television sets and seeing how wonderful the change in generation was going to be.  We could feel the energy. We could sense the revolution. And it had harmony and melody with it.  And guitars. Glorious guitars.

On the following Monday we raced out to record stores and demanded they hand over 45's of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "Yeah Yeah Yeah."

I am sure our parents were wondering just what in the world this craziness was about.  After all they had suffered silently as big band jazz was replaced with atonal, rhythmic  be bob and dry and lifeless crooners were replaced with Elvis.

But these guys, these four kids from Liverpool, were different.  Fresh faces, floppy hair and music that caught us and moved us.  Simple songs, but orchestrated right at our core.  We had to get it up and dance.  We had to twist and shout.  We had to.  The music made us.

And the music made a generation.

To be sure, there were The Dave Clark Five, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Who and many other talented British groups, as well as our own Beach Boys and Byrds…but the lion’s share of the credit for awakening an entire generation belongs to George, Paul, John and Ringo…not to mention George Martin. Yes, The Beatles turned the world on to pop music like never before.

Over the top. Into space and beyond. The Fab Four’s music is still great even to this day. (I wonder if we will be humming any Nirvana tunes in 2052?)

The Beatles had a special quality all their own.  And timing was a major part of it.  They filled a void that was huge and hungry for a new sound, a new spirit and new expression. 

And the Beatles delivered.  Yeah, Yeah, Yeah.  They delivered.  And still do.  50 years later, they still do.