On the 7th, the Beatles arrive in New York for their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan television show. On the 11th they play their first concert and, on the 12th, two more performances at Carnegie Hall. The Beatles accounted for 60% of all records sold in North America during February. On the 25th they were back in the studio recording songs for their upcoming film A Hard Day's Night, which would commence filming on March 2, 1964. By April 4th, the Beatles will hold the top five positions in the US singles charts with Can't Buy Me Love, Twist and Shout, She Loves You, I Want To Hold Your Hand, and Please, Please Me.

     With nine takes, between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm, the title song of the movie, A Hard Day's Night was recorded. It was Ringo that coined the phrase when, after a long day, he commented to someone, "it's been a hard day," and then, seeing that it was already nighttime, tacked "'s night" at the end.

     The film, "A Hard Day's Night" premieres in London at the Pavilion Theatre at 9:00 pm. Crowds had been gathering since 9:00 am which required 200 policemen for crowd control. Tickets were priced at $42.00 with proceeds going to variety clubs of Great Britain. By July 12th the cost of making the film is covered by album sales before the movie is released to the United States. The single and album are released on July 10, 1964.

     The Beatles start their North American tour at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Capitol Records wanted to record the Beatles at Carnegie Hall during their historic tour earlier in the year, but the American Federation of Musicians refused permission. So six months later permission was granted and a live concert was recorded on August 23 at the Hollywood Bowl in California, however the recording was never released. The tour which took in Canada as well, concluded on September 17th in Kansas City.

     Their 4th album, "Beatles For Sale" is released. Ringo sings the cover song Honey Don't, written by Carl Perkins.

A Hard Day's Night

Arriving in America