‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ reaches number one in the United States

On January 16, 1964, I Want To Hold Your Hand reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making The Beatles the first British act to top the American singles chart. The group were in the middle of their three-week residency at the Olympia Theatre in Paris when they received the news by telegram. Capitol Records had given the single an unusually large promotional push — spending $50,000 on advertising — and the song had entered the chart at number 45 on January 18 before climbing swiftly to the top.

I remember being in the hotel in Paris and getting the news that ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ had gone to number one in America. We all went potty. John and I were jumping around the room.

Paul McCartney – From “The Beatles Anthology”, 2000

The single had been released in the US on December 26, 1963 — two months ahead of the UK release — after Capitol president Alan Livingston agreed to issue it following pressure from Brian Epstein. Within three weeks it had sold over one million copies. The achievement set the stage for The Beatles’ first visit to America, scheduled to begin on February 7, 1964.

Going further

The Beatles Diary Volume 1: The Beatles Years

With greatly expanded text, this is the most revealing and frank personal 30-year chronicle of the group ever written. Insider Barry Miles covers the Beatles story from childhood to the break-up of the group.

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