FREE AS A BIRD by the Beatles

December 6, 2024SongOf The Day

When The Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964, it was the first time many Americans heard of them. Ed Sullivan experienced Beatlemania firsthand when he visited London. He thought the band would be good for his show, and boy, was he right!

The Beatles toured the world and the U.S. three times between 1964 and 1966. Then on January 30, 1969, The Beatles performed an illegal show on the roof of Apple Studios in London. It had only been five years since The Ed Sullivan Show, but The Beatles were all but broken up as they performed to a stunned London. The rooftop concert was a tribute to fans and a promotion for their final studio as a performing quartet.

The Beatles didn’t get back together, but they collaborated with each other on solo albums. Then on December 4, 1995, The Beatles’ song “Free as a Bird” started playing on radios throughout the globe.

Fun Facts:

“Free As A Bird” was the Beatles’ 34th top-ten single.
The Beatles had at least one top-ten single in four decades – the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s.
The song won an award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 1997 Grammy Awards.
“Free As A Bird” is on the album Anthology 1, released in 1995 as a 15th-anniversary tribute to band member John Lennon who was shot and killed in 1980.
The song is from an unknown demo tape made by Lennon. Surviving band members took the vocals and melody and recorded the song “Free As A Bird.”