In my house, my mother was the witness and my father the UBM.
At dinner, Sunday Feb 9 1964, he said there is a new group that will be on Ed Sullivan tonight, they are supposed to be good.
I can't remember watching it, but I am sure we did.
I can't remember my mother's reaction at all, likely something about their haircuts.
That was the scandalous thing, funny now to think of it.
The Beatles were ubiquitous when I was growing up (9 to 18); you couldn't get away from them.
They were so much a part of the music and culture, for me anyway, that they became background noise.
We used to sing Beatles songs on the school bus, on and on, it was endless.
And there was the usual backlash against them, they went from being kings of the scene to being ridiculed and scapegoated for all the decay in the culture.
I worked with one evangelical who listened only to 'praise' music. When John Lennon was shot, he was nearly giddy, saying it was god's punishment for his involvement in Eastern religion. That was mainly George, but close enough for him I guess.
When I was in my early 20's, I started to appreciate them again.
As their music is played now, in contrast to other music from the time and to today's music, their composition stands out as timeless.
I see the tension between Paul and John as being the creative force in their best songs.