America+With+The+Beatles

BEATLEMANIA!!!! ** The Beatles first arrived in America to perform for the Ed Sullivan show on February 9, 1964 and over 40%, 73 million people, tuned in to watch the ** media type="youtube" key="VuS3JOADrsY" height="409" width="404" align="right" ** Beatles play. Even before then, though, their song "I Want To Hold Your Hand" had already became the number #1 song in America and people radio stations were playing Beatles music constantly. When the Beatles arrived at the airport, thousands of fans and reporters came to greet them. The Beatles showed an uncaring attitude for American politics, they did not care about whether or not Lyndon B. Johnson liked them. They were also very anti-war, and during interviews the Beatles expressed how they thought it was unfair for the leaders to make other people fight and not have to do any of the fighting personally. With the Vietnam War happening at the same time, a large majority of Americans held a pro-peace attitude and were against any further involvement in Vietnam. The Beatles connected with the American people due to their beliefs. **

** In light of the recent events in American society, such as the death of a president, and the violence having to do with civil rights movements, people were looking for something to cheer them up. The Beatles became the thing that gave Americans happiness. The Beatles were popular with every age group, and with each new show they put on, The Beatles popularity grew even more. They were one of the first bands to debut on T.V. and play a part in multiple shows later on. The T.V. allowed the Beatles to become even more widespread throughout America, and they attracted greater numbers of fans through their T.V. appearances. The Beatles became a cultural symbol for the teenagers and young adults of the late sixties. People would smile from listening to their music and the new fad cheered people up for the most part, as well as distracting them from the most recent upsets within America. **