Fifty Years of Beatlemania!

Fifty years ago this April there was a new sound on the airwaves. It came to the United States from Great Britain and was inescapable on the radio and television, often accompanied by the shrill screech of millions of teenage girls. It was the sound of the British Invasion and it was lead by the Beatles. Beatlemania put 14 songs at once in the Billboard Hot 100, with five of those holding the top five spots. In the two short months following the Beatles' arrival to the U.S. in February 1964, they made their now-famous appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show and completed a 29-day, 22,000 mile tour. They would go on to become one of the best-selling bands in history and 1964 was the year that started it all.

Meet the Beatles! was one of the Beatles' first American releases and the first to reach #1 on the charts. Check it out today to hear where the magic all began.

Three months after their Billboard dominance, the Beatles released a movie, A Hard Day's Night, and its accompanying soundtrack, also called A Hard Day's Night. The movie is considered to be one of the best music films of all time and was a huge financial success as well.

There are a number of fascinating books about the Beatles' entire musical journey. The Beatles Anthology was written by the three living Beatles after John Lennon's death, along with help from his wife, Yoko Ono. All the Songs tells the story behind every Beatles song ever released.

Beatlemania was a phenomenon that has only been imitated, never duplicated. Check out this YouTube clip of the Beatles in Chicago!