Where were you The Day the Earth Stood Still? When I was a tiny kid I remember watching a sci-fi flick with that title. I loved it. There was a space ship, a laser-shooting robot, a slick hero, and a beautiful heroine. But in the end, for me, it was just a movie. The day my earth really stood still and hovered for just a second occurred in February of 1964.

I was one of over 74 million American television viewers at the time who shared the experience of watching an upstart group of British musicians filling relatively small TV screens. The picture quality was pasty at best, the sound was marginal, but the energy was nuclear at the least. John, Paul, George, and Ringo immediately awakened in me a passion for the magic of music that still resonates today. I vaguely remember some others in my living room not being overly impressed with the “mop tops,” but I was mesmerized. I still remember going to bed that night with “All My Lovin’” playing full-force in my brain and waking up with echoes still reverberating there.

From that moment, I was changed. I had enjoyed music before, without doubt. But after viewing the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, I knew I wanted to produce that kind of magic myself. Guitars changed from being musical instruments and became golden tickets to magical kingdoms full of life, love, energy, and happiness. And the songs, the songs swept me away to places I’d never imagined.

It has been reliably reported that the night of the Beatles’ first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, crime dropped to nearly zero in much of the country. In a way, the earth stood still for many. People took a minute out of lives clouded by fears of atomic weapons and simmering cold war and eagerly drank from a pool of hope and possibility. Then everything returned to normal for most of us – but not all. For some guys like me, everything was different – and better.

When did the earth stand still for you? Click on the title of this post and share your experience. Sound Traveler will be travelin’ to North Carolina this coming week. Those of you in the mountains look for us to show up at places like Carolina Barbecue or The Banner Elk Winery.

2 Comments to “SongTravelin’: 11.16.10 – Where were you…The Day the Earth Stood Still?”

• November 16, 2010 at 10:02 am
  Laurence says:

  I never got what the big deal was with the Beatles. I mean they weren’t even great musicians or singers. At least that’s my opinion.
• November 16, 2010 at 11:31 am
  Patty says:

  Although I can’t remember that telecast, I must politely disagree with Laurence about the Beatles. The way I see it, they singlehandedly revolutionized modern music. They were such strong musical influences for so many musicians and music appreciators at that time and also in the years to follow. The Beatles are timeless – people of all ages admire their music even today.

  Also, anything that can bring the crime rate to zero is a winner in my book. This statistic speaks volumes about the power of music and the arts.