The Beatles: Was It Really Only "Yesterday"?

English: Photograph of The Beatles as they arrive in New York City in 1964 Français : Photographie de The Beatles, lors de leur arrivée à New York City en 1964 Italiano: Fotografia dei Beatles al loro arrivo a New York City nel 1964 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Fifty years ago--February 9, 1964--an audience of around 72 million tuned to CBS to watch four young men from Liverpool, England perform on "The Ed Sullivan Show".  The Beatles sang "All My Loving", "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "I Saw Her Standing There" while the studio audience, made up mostly of teenage girls, screamed so much that they couldn't hear the music.  It only stopped when Sullivan introduced the plate-spinners and nightclub comedians who also appeared on stage during the show.

The Beatles changed a lot of lives that night.  Any kid who was watching the show with their parents were either (A) smitten with John, Paul, George and Ringo, (B) grew their hair long and wanted to form a band of their own, or both.

Music would never be the same.  In the weeks following the death of President John F. Kennedy, the biggest selling records in America were "Dominique" by The Singing Nun and "There! I've Said It Again" by Bobby Vinton.  After the Beatles' initial "Sullivan" appearance, their singles would top the American record charts for the next 14 weeks.  Their success prompted other British acts to jump the pond:  The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Who, Freddie & The Dreamers, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Petula Clark, Herman's Hermits, Tom Jones and so many others.

John, Paul, George and Ringo became almost immediate worldwide cultural icons, creating debates about their music and their lifestyles.  That only intensified as the years went by and the music changed, as they got more involved in spiritual and political pursuits.

In the spring of 1970, it was announced that the Beatles had broken up.  Some said it was because of internal and artistic differences.  Others blamed John's wife Yoko Ono.  Whatever the case, the Beatles left behind a higher standard of music and songwriting that has stood the test of time.

In 2014, the theater where the Beatles once played on "The Ed Sullivan Show" is now home to "The Late Show with David Letterman".  John and George are gone, but Paul and Ringo are still around.  Beatles music is still everywhere whether it's on the radio, your portable music device, or performed by someone else.  And it will be heard centuries from now, long after most forms of music had been forgotten.

But then, nobody could have foreseen this in 1964.  Not even John, Paul, George or Ringo.