| Beatles' legacy makes journalists eat their words |
[Oct. 26th, 2008|09:19 pm] |
 The arrival of the Beatles in the United States prompted mass hysteria among young people.
Much of the press took a smirky, "What's all the fuss?" attitude initially, some ridiculing the British foursome even as Paul McCartney, 21, George Harrison, 21, Ringo Starr, 23, and John Lennon, 23, raked in money by the millions.
The Beatles' arrival in New York on Feb. 8, 1964, made front page news in the Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle.
"The Beatles, Britain's rock 'n' rollers with the haystack hairdos, blew up a teen-age storm by arriving here," begins the Associated Press article. "At Kennedy Airport Friday, about 3,000 delirious, shrieking, hooky-playing youngsters, many of them carrying Beatle banners, strained against police barricades to welcome the singing, guitar-strumming quartet."
The article goes on to state the Beatles' fame preceded them, their records best-sellers and Beatle wigs, boots, T-shirts, sweatshirts, toss pillows and scarves selling briskly in the U.S.
"The adulation of the Beatles is reminiscent of the grip Frank Sinatra had on teen-agers some years ago and, more recently, of Elvis Presley," the article states. When a reporter described the Beatles as "four Elvis Presleys," all four shouted, "No, no, no!" in response.
Then an afternoon newspaper published Monday-Saturday, the Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle had some catching up to do when its next edition published on Monday, Feb. 10. That was the day after the Beatles' appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show," which introduced them to 74 million viewers, about half of America's population at the time.
The Feb. 10 edition of the Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle includes three close-up photographs of Ringo Starr holding a camera, taking pictures of people who were photographing him. Beneath the photographs is an article by AP writer Cynthia Lowry about the Beatles performance on "The Ed Sullivan Show," headlined "Beatles' Strange Charm Over Teenagers Baffling."
"Anyone who is not a teen-age girl obviously is unqualified to comment on the sight of the Beatles in action," the article states. "Heaven know we've heard them enough. It has been impossible to get a radio weather bulletin or time signal without running into 'I Want To Hold Your Hand.'"
Later in the article, Lowry writes, "Beatles clothes look about two sizes too small, and I've seen sheep dogs with more attractive hairdos. But thousands of squealing young girls get their message. Camera shots of panting youngsters in Sullivan's audience were disquieting, in fact."
The Feb. 11 edition of the Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle includes an article headlined, "American Opinions Differ Sharply About Beatles." Although some of those interviewed said they didn't see what was so great about the Beatles, none proclaimed the group awful. Billy Graham said "I'm afraid I'm on a different wave length," but John Pritchard, conductor of the London Philharmonic in Pittsburgh, offered praise for the lads:
"Really, despite the fantastic ballyhoo, I find them good entertainers," Pritchard said. "Their numbers are extremely good, absolutely technically all right — both harmonically and rhythmically."
The quality of the music was probably difficult for anyone over 30 to appreciate, what with the competing screaming of impassioned girls. The Feb. 13 Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle includes four close-up photographs of individual teenage girls shrieking, mouths and eyes wide. Underneath is an article by Henrietta Leith, reviewing the Beatles sold-out Carnegie Hall performances.
"The Beatles looked like an amusing parody of the worst elements of American rock 'n' roll music," Leith writes. "The word 'looked' is used advisedly, for no one, especially the screaming little girls, actually heard the Beatles."
The article goes on to state that each show was only half an hour long, and good thing, because no one could have stood any more screaming.
The Feb. 14 edition of Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle reaches humorous heights in its coverage of the Beatles. In it are photographs of famous singers of the time — Elvis Presley, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Vic Damone and Andy Williams — all with mop-top Beatle hairdos doodled on their heads.
The many journalists who ridiculed the Beatles or simply dismissed them as a fad had to eat their words as the band's music has remained popular for the past 45 years. Today, the Beatles are among the most critically and commercially successful bands in history, with over a billion records sold worldwide.
Stacy Smith Segovia is a features writer for The Leaf-Chronicle.
Source: http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20081026/ANNIVERSARY/810260344 |
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