Dec. 26: A very special anniversary in U.S. Beatles history

December 25, 10:43 PMBeatles ExaminerSteve Marinucci

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It's probably not as well known as Feb. 9, the anniversary of the Beatles' first appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show," but Dec. 26 is the anniversary of a landmark day in Beatle history in America. It was on this day in 1963 that Capitol Records released "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "I Saw Her Standing There" as both sides of one of those now almost gone-but-not-forgotten 7 inch 45 RPM records in the U.S. ("I Want to Hold Your Hand" had already been released in the UK at the end of November.)

For many people, it marked the beginning of Beatlemania in America. "I Want to Hold Your Hand", along with "She Loves You", were two of the signature songs that got the bulk of the airplay during the early days of Beatlemania in America. But unlike "She Loves You," released on the Swan label, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" had the marketing force of Capitol Records behind it. It was heard everywhere and became the Fabs' first Number One song in the U.S.

I remember how I first heard about the Beatles. It happened in my 7th grade class before the first Sullivan show aired. Our teacher, a nun, divided the class into groups and allowed each group to pick a name for themselves. The group I wasn't in (just my luck) picked the Beatles.

"Who?", I said. (I can't believe today that I actually said that.)

"They're a great musical group," my best friend Kevin told me.

And the rest is history. For me, anyway.

Lyrically the two songs were coy. And bordering on brilliant.

Oh yeah, I´ll tell you something
I think you´ll understand
When I say that something
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand

And then there's ...

She was just seventeen
If you know what I mean
And the way she looked was way beyond compare
How can I dance with another (ooooo)
When I saw her standing there

Gordon Thompson, author of "Please Please Me: Sixties British Pop Inside, Out," discusses the impact the release had in an  Oxford University Press blog post. Here's an excerpt:

So, in the relative commercial dead zone between Christmas and New Year’s, after the rush to buy presents and before the depth of that depressing winter settled down to hibernate until spring, Capitol released "I Want to Hold Your Hand" with "I Saw Her Standing There" on its flip side. Like a virus, interest in the Beatles spread clandestinely throughout the adolescent corners of North America, disseminated through millions of pairs of earphones plugged into transistor radios and breaking into the open at high school dances. The adults never knew what hit them. 

And they really didn't. It all happened very fast. Bruce Spizer's superb "The Beatles Story on Capitol Records, Part 1: Beatlemania & the Singles" reports the record sold an amazing 250,000 copies in its first three days of release.

And it happened everywhere. New York radio station WMCA didn't waste any time and added the single to their playlist the same day it was released. Even Arthur Fiedler, the white-haired conductor of the Boston Pops, embraced the Beatles.

On Jan. 13, Capitol Records Public Relations Director Fred Martin sent this memo to newspaper editors that gave them a hint of the phenomenon that had only just begun and would dominate their music coverage for years to come:

You probably have heard of the Beatles, an English rock-and-roll group. If not, you will sooner or later. Their new record, "I Want To Hold Your Hand," looks to become the fastest-selling record in history. According to our projections, it should reach the magical -- and frankly, usually mythical -- 1,000,000 mark by Jan. 15. An album, "Meet the Beatles," won't be released until Jan. 20, yet Capitol already has 240,000 advance orders. Ed Sullivan has booked them for three live appearances on his show, beginning Feb. 9. Like it or not, Beatlemania is becoming a fact of life here, just as it has in Britain.

Beverly Hills hair stylist Gene Shacove has created, with some prodding by our P.R. department, a new Beatle cut. (As you can see, it looks better on Neile Adams than it does on a Beatle.) (Editor's note: Neile Adams was the then-wife of actor Steve McQueen)

Enclosed is an assortment of photos and editorial matter which, we believe, will make an interesting feature for your readers, especially the youngers girls. When it is available, we also will send you a copy of the album.

Sincerely yours,

Fred Martin
Public Relations Director

Whether you're a first generation fan or younger, what are your earliest memories of the Beatles? I'd love to see your comments.