In late 1963, Sullivan and his entourage happened also to be passing through Heathrow and witnessed how the Beatles' fans greeted the group on their return from Stockholm, where they had performed a television show as warmup band to local stars Suzie and Lill Babs. Sullivan was intrigued, telling his entourage it was the same thing as Elvis all over again. He initially offered Beatles manager Brian Epstein top dollar for a single show but the Beatles manager had a better idea—he wanted exposure for his clients: the Beatles would instead appear three times on the show, for only a minimal fee, but receive top billing and two spots (opening and closing) on each show. (wikiwand)

The Beatles appeared on three consecutive Sundays in February 1964 to great anticipation and fanfare as I Want to Hold Your Hand had swiftly risen to No. 1 in the charts. (wikiwand)

I still recall the magical moment when I witnessed the Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show . ( cue dream sequence music ) It was a Sunday, February 9, 1964, and I had recently celebrated my 10th birthday in January. This was definitely something the USA had never seen before.

I have a considerable collection of Beatles songs in my solo ukulele repertoire. The melodies of Beatles songs harmonize splendidly with the ukulele and virtually any other instrument. Great songs just work everywhere and withstand the test of time.

The British Invasion made quite an impression on a lot of budding guitar players — myself included. Nielsen Ratings estimated that 45 percent of Americans watching television that night viewed the Beatles appearance. (Note: Remember in 1964 there were a total of three main TV channels to choose from and NO Internet.)

Everyone needs a few Beatles songs in their repertoire. There's a reason their songs have been around so long.