On this day in 1964, the Beatles got their first number one hit in the US with “I Want To Hold Your Hand” – the song that kicked off Beatlemania in America. (Also one of my favourites by them!)⁠

Written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon in the basement of Jane Asher’s parents’ house (McCartney’s then-girlfriend) in at 57 Wimpole Street in London, it was supposedly written for a US market, where songs that had been popular for the band in the UK hadn’t been received so well. ⁠

On February 7th, the Beatles flew out of London Heathrow for New York JFK, where they were met by 4000 fans. Two days later, the band had their legendary appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, cementing their star status in the US.⁠

The title photo is my postcard of Linda McCartney’s photo of the Beatles that I got from the National Portrait Gallery in London, and sits above my desk!