Nearly 60 years ago, The Beatles changed music — and America — with their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. It was a remarkable moment for many reasons, of course. Just put yourself in the band’s boots for a second, and consider the magnitude…
Imagine making your first impression in front of about 70 million people. If the lads were nervous, it didn’t show — not even a little. Their long nights in Hamburg; the relentless touring across the UK; the residency at The Cavern; and all the deep learning throughout had made them a tight, confident, road-tested band. They put in the fabled “10,000 hours,” so when their moment came, they were ready.
America’s first glimpse of The Beatles was via “All My Loving,” a deceptively complex, tricky tune that they sailed through with ease…
All four delivered wonderful performances. Paul’s vocals were bright and confident. John’s rhythm guitar is a work of art. (John’s guitar playing, in general, is perhaps unappreciated.) George — suffering from a bad flu and pumped up with antibiotics and amphetamines — tosses off a tight, rockabilly-style solo. Ringo brings the effortless swing and swishy cymbals that launched a million drummers.
All in all, quite a debut…
And let’s take a deeper look at the song itself, courtesy of our Beatle-ologist pal Scott Freiman. It is vastly more complex than many of its pop peers — and gives us yet another reason to admire the band.
If you like this, and want to dig deeper, please let us recommend our “Deconstructing the Beatles” 11-episode series. Whether you’re just discovering the band, or are a lifelong fan, we promise you’ll learn something new.
-CS Team
Photo via license from Getty Images
I got a big smile on my face just listening to this.
A brilliant deconstruction! I’ll add this: Ringo is swinging it, but it’s not quite a triplet-feel swing. So this combination of straight-ahead bass, the triplet rhythm guitar, and the swinging hi-hat gives the verse some internal tension. It lurches forward, relentlessly. And when it finally resolves on the E, it stops – just long enough for a brief breath of relief – “whew!” and then the ride starts back up again. Amazing song, brilliant performance. Thank you for this video.