In My Life, I’ve Loved Them All…for 50 Years!



Let’s get the truth
out of the way right now….yes, I confess, I was a screamer!

I did not set out to be a screamer.  It snuck up on me. You know these things
begin in small ways….so, let’s just start at the beginning. 
Weekend evenings at my home were almost always the same…my
parents would not miss Lawrence Welk or the Ed Sullivan Show.  It was family time to sit before the box and
enjoy the entertainment.  I really looked
forward to the Lennon Sisters and whatever Ed Sullivan featured from spinning
plates to Topo Gigio (remember the mouse puppet?) so I rarely left the room.
Yet, on this one night, February 9, 1964, I was headed to my
bedroom, when the screams of girls, and the
first strike of music stopped this ten-year-old in my tracks. 
“Good God, what’s this?”  My
father was disgusted immediately and as he rose to turn it off…I yelled, STOP!  Then, as if in a trance, I walked purposefully and knelt
in front of the box, mesmerized by All My Lovin’ and Paul McCartney’s smile (which even now, is still pretty
cute!). It was a love at first note that never died.
Though my father found the Beatles disturbing, he took pity
on me a couple of weeks later after some surgery on my sinuses.  As a gift, I received my first record player
and 45 RPMs of The Beatles.  Then I
started a collection of memorabilia which I was quite proud of….Teen Beats,
newspaper clippings, bobble heads, tee shirts, anything upon anything which
featured John, Paul, George and Ringo…I knew their birthdays, their eye color,
their girlfriends names…I was smitten. 
But, as with most addictions, it would be peer pressure
which took me to the brink.  A huge group
of school friends were first in line at the movie theater in Wichita Falls,
Texas when Hard Days Night was
released.  Not all of us were screamers
at that point, but it did not take long for each girl to join in.  As I think back on the whole experience, I am
amazed no one complained (that I know of) and the theater owners allowed us to
sit and scream through each showing.  I
am also amazed that our parents allowed us to see this movie fifteen times….I
guess to just get us out of the house! 
Since, I never actually got to see them in concert, the screaming was
only in movies and in some of our houses. 
Sigh….Paul never knew I screamed!
But, I did, and through the years, the screaming became
something I hid inside…closet screaming… so few people actually knew I was one
of THEM.  The Beatles and I took different paths…their
early albums are my favorites…I am not a Sargent Pepper’s or White Album fan as
I was of the early albums…which I think are the best.  I knew deep inside that Paul wasn’t really
dead… did not believe the hoax for one minute…despite all of the supposed
evidence.  But, though we went our
separate ways, when I took my first job out of college and returned home for my
possessions, one thing I still wanted was my trunk full of Beatlemania.  It was near and dear to my
heart.
Dad? Where’s that blue
trunk that was in my room.  The one full
of all my Beatles stuff?
“I threw all that junk
out…what do you want that for?”
It is still painful to think about it.  Yep, it was gone.  A slice of history…a slice of my life…and it
took me a long time to get over the loss. 
I guess, this Time Magazine will have to do.
I cannot believe it has been 50 years!  “I guess I’ll always stop and think about
you…some have gone and some remain”
……thank you Paul and Ringo for the music, the
smiles, the tears….

And the screams!

Have a fun-filled Saturday everyone!


This is a Beatles BLOG HOP AT MIDLIFE BOULEVARD!  Lots of memories and fun!

25 Comments

  1. Pam, I remember when a Hard Day's Night came out in Sydney… and I remember the screams… and I remember asking my mother if I could!… She must have taken me to the movie… 🙂
    They were true legends… true stars… and I guess The Beatles did change the world…
    Lovely tribute… xv

  2. Oh Pam, I'm with ya here….I was only 5 when they came to America, but I remember the excitement and my father's reaction. In Spanish he said, as he saw them on the television was, "AYE, QUE GREÑUDOS! Meaning, "Oh, those disheveled ones! teeheee…I just know that my little five year old heart was smitten and in the years to follow, I would fall in love with GEORGE and their music. To this day, I listen to their music in the morning during my 50 minute commute to work, and they rock forever.

    GREAT PHOTOS and may their love and message live on….I think it has. Thanks for visiting! Anita

  3. How well I remember, at age 10 myself, watching the Beatles on Ed Sullivan (and I remember the mouse puppet!). My sister and I thought we were in heaven! As you said, the early albums are my favorites, the early music can't be beat! I was one of the ones in my town lined up to see Hard Days Night when it came to our theater. I'm still surprised our parents let my sister and I go, but what a thrill that was! These were great memories, thanks so much for sharing yours. I had all the magazines, cards, newspaper articles, all the trinkets, all long since gone (sad to say, but my closet probably thanks me!). My grandmother in Detroit actually bought us our first Beatle album when my mom was off shopping in another part of the store. We were forever grateful! Great post!
    Karen

  4. I am with you too – I remember my grandmother shaking her head at the "yeah-yeah-yeah" parts. I loved them, love them still. I hope Sir Paul lives forever, eternally boyish.

  5. I was 6 when the Beatles came over, and as I wrote in my blog post, it bothers me that I have no memory of it. My Beatles memories begin a little later and aren't many. I think that is why it became so important to me to keep up with pop culture.

  6. I was not quite 2 when they were on Ed Sullivan, so I missed the fun/hysteria of being a Beatle-maniac. It's interesting that you say you like the earlier albums, because I am a huge fan of their later albums, including Sargent Pepper's and the White album. I think this is because of our different experience of the Beatles – because you were able to be part of the first wave of fans, their earliest music means the most to you, and I caught the wave after they broke up. Lovely post!

  7. Pam, This is bringing back so many memories! The very first concert I attended was The Beatles first US tour and they came to Kansas City, I was 13! The young couple I babysat for the most took me for my birthday! It was the beginning of a lifelong love!

    xoxo
    Karena
    The Arts by Karena

  8. I didn't scream, but did wait in a line that went around the block twice (in our smallish town that was significant) to see Hard Day's Night and later Help! I don't think there's really been anything since that was such a cultural phenomenon. Beatlemania was EVERYWHERE. I had Beatle boots and a Beatle lunchbox. Everyone sang along when one of their songs played on the radio. I'm so sorry you lost your treasured memorabilia, but such fun memories!

  9. I missed it…I think I was 3 or 4….I really didn't know who they were until I was 10 or 11. So I never screamed for them. My fav? George Harrison, followed by John Lennon.

  10. Ah, great memories! We usually watched Disney, so I didn't see the Beatles on the Sullivan show. But that week at school everyone was talking about them – and this was 2nd grade! Those early songs can really bring back such a feeling of innocence and happiness.

    I love those coats in that one picture – the leopard collars!

  11. Omigod–he threw your stuff out??!! Tragic. Anything I might have kept would've been lost when our house burned down. I had some cool stuff too…but the memories remain, right? Loved this post!

  12. I too was a fan and somehow my father managed to get tickets to see them live at the then Hammersmith odeon for my 15th birthday. Oh what excitement. As soon as they came on stage the whole audience erupted and we all screamed for all we were worth. Looking back it was a shame because we did not hear any of the music. My cousin and best friend came with us. My parents sat silently and stony faced throughout in total incomprehension. I shall never forget that evening.

  13. My dad used to purge the "junk" too – my classic Barbies – gone! So I feel your pain! And I agree – I like the Beatles earlier albums the best, too!

  14. Your post takes me back to that wonderful time in life. I actually got to see then in Cincinnati, OH in 1964! It was one of the most memorable nights of my life. My friend's mom took us and listened to all the screaming. I also am a fan of the earlier Beatles, and I still have a few mementos but moving regularly kept that from piling up too much. My mom actually called me the night that John Lennon was killed to make sure that I was ok. Loved the movies as well. Wonderful times in my life!
    Maggie

  15. My mom was the purger in our household – all of my 45's, albums, posters,magazines……..I came home from college,one summer, and everything was gone. I was not a "happy camper!"

  16. I was 9 and had just gone to bed when they came on Ed Sullivan. My parents called me back to the living room to watch. Instant love. By the next year we had crossed the pond to live in Europe and I was lucky enough to visit Liverpool, where we had relatives. They took me to see the Cavern club. What a thrill. Favourite albums: Revolver and Rubber Soul. I still love that music and I still think my Beatle boots were one of the most stylish things I've ever worn. Great post, lovely memories.

  17. So you were one of those screamers, eh? I think I was too mesmerized by Paul to be able to scream at such a young age. I loved all of their albums, but when they found their real voice as they got older, their music got more interesting and soulful and I love Rubber Soul, The White Album and Sargeant Peppers. Heck, I loved them all.

    Throwing out all of your stuff? Traumatizing!

  18. I literally gasped when you wrote that your dad threw all your Beatles memorabilia away. YIKES! I was only 4 when they debuted, but my sister was 13 and she was totally smitten. Never heard her scream though, but perhaps she was a closet screamer, too. Fun post today, thanks for sharing!

  19. I remember one of the first albums I got as a kid was The Beatles hanging over a ledge 1968-, had many of the greatest hits. When I was in 4th grade I played my guitar and sang to Elenor Rigby in a talent show. My dad throws everything away, so I dont have much of my things from growing up! I don't get it. But yes, I love to still play them. I think Blackbird is one of my favs to play. thanks!

    http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com

  20. We–my parents and my older sister and I–often argued over this questions: Will the Beatles last forever? Each side was adamant. My parents said the Beatles were a fad and would fade away like all fads do. My sister and I believed, of course, they would last forever. I think it's clear who won that argument. Great post! Though I'm so sorry about your lost Beatles memorabilia–tragic. It's never too late to start collection new. ~ Susan

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