GO ahead, sing it: “It was 40 years ago today, Sergeant Pepper taught the band to play!”
This weekend, New York commemorates Feb. 9, 1964, the date The Beatles kicked off the British Invasion that transformed pop music forever.
“Out came The Beatles, smiling, hair flopping on faces, in pipe-stem pants and pixie shoes, and the crowd screeched to however many decibels it would take to drown out all other sounds at Kennedy International Airport,” wrote Nora Ephron in The Post.
That Sunday night on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” John, Paul, George and Ringo, neatly dressed in suits and ties, belted out “She Loves You,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and three other tunes – and changed the lives of 73 million viewers.
Not only were they incredibly photogenic, but The Beatles redefined rock ‘n’ roll with their infectious melodies and intricate harmonies.
The mop-topped rockers were so popular Sullivan brought them back for the next two Sundays to perform other songs that became instant hits.
For Beatles historian Bruce Spizer, the TV debut was one of those life-altering moments – like the day JFK was assassinated or when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.
“I remember sitting in front of the television while eating a macaroni-and-cheese TV dinner,” says Spizer, author of “The Beatles are Coming! – The Birth of Beatlemania in America.”
“For me and millions of Americans, it was an event never to be forgotten.”
That endless love affair called Beatlemania – which has yet to be topped by any other band – has reignited this week, with events being held all over town to celebrate the anniversary of the Fab Four’s U.S. debut.
“A Hard Day’s Night,” the glorious, groundbreaking rock musical and the Liverpool lads’ first flick, will unspool tomorrow at the Walter Reade Theatre at Lincoln Center (8 p.m.; [212] 875-5600; http://www.filmlinc.com) along with highlights from their first Sullivan gig.
A panel discussion will be held following the screening with George Harrison’s sister, Louise; Sid Bernstein, who brought The Beatles to America, booking their Shea Stadium and Carnegie Hall shows; Beatles documentarian Albert Maysles; legendary disc jockey Cousin Brucie – Bruce Morrow – and other Beatles experts.
Also tomorrow, Makor (35 W. 67th St., at Columbus Avenue; [212] 601-1000; 5 p.m.; $20) will present “Up Periscope Yellow: The Making of the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine,” a documentary about the quirky, trippy, joyous film, and a talk with the film’s producer Al Brodax.
And on Monday, Makor will screen “The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit,” a documentary of the band’s arrival in New York by the Maysles brothers (7 p.m.; $9).
An exhibit at the Museum of Television and Radio (25 W. 52nd St.; [212] 621-6800), running through May 2, features rare photos from the Sullivan show as well as radio interviews with the rockers.
A walking tour of famous Beatles spots will kick off today and tomorrow at 1:30 p.m.. Highlights include: The Ed Sullivan Theater; the Dakota building where John Lennon lived and died; and the Strawberry Fields memorial in Central Park. For reservations, call (212) 465-3331.
You can also just sit by the radio.
Classic rock WAXQ-FM (104.3) and oldies station WCBS-FM (101.1) will celebrate with special programs and blocks of Beatles tunes.
Little Steven will dedicate his “Underground Garage” radio show tomorrow on WAXQ (10 p.m. to midnight) to The Beatles landing, which he calls the “Big Bang.”
And as a companion to Spizer’s book, Good Times Entertainment has issued a 2-disc DVD set with all four full-hour Sullivan shows exactly the way they were aired.
“It’s been a long, long, long time, but the memories live on,” Spizer said.