The harsh winter of 1963 was only a memory and it was sunshine all the way as we navigated our way through our final months at St Thomas More R.C. Primary School in the eastern suburbs of Birmingham. True, the 11-Plus loomed, the exam which would determine the course of our secondary education, but that could wait. Because in that summer of 1963 we were gripped by something much happier and headier, Beatlemania.
Even if not everybody had a telly then, most had radios. And from that radio came an exciting new sound which they were calling pop music. And every other record seemed to be a loud and bouncy one by The Beatles. Parents grumbled and turned the volume down. From the front pages of all the papers beamed the four lads in their identical neat suits and long haircuts. They were regarded by the grown-ups with a mixture of interest, intrigue and – in many cases – outrage. What were things coming to?
And at school we embraced the whole thing. We boys all started to form pop groups.
“Want to be in a pop group?”
“Yes! Who else is in it?”
“You have to say ‘yeah’ not ‘yes’. Don’t know, We need two more.”
All groups had to have four members, three guitarists and a drummer. And a plural noun for a name – The Jets, The Rockets, The Tigers. We’d rehearse in any available space. “She loves you yeah yeah yeah..” “Please please me oh yeah..” “I wanna hold your hand..” Air guitars, air drums. And, rehearsals done we’d stand in the playground and do our stuff. The aim was to get a few people to stop and listen. Few did. We got a few laughs all right. Success was if a group of girls stopped, wiggled and danced a few steps before moving off.”
Band breakups were common. Formed during morning playtime, a group might have split by lunch. Maybe the drummer left to try his luck elsewhere. At any time there were three or four performances going on. Of girl groups there were none, The Spice Girls were well in the future.
The teachers looked on in amusement and even encouraged us. I think there was even a pop concert organised for groups to perform at, but, maybe mercifully, I don’t recall it taking place.
And then it all ended, as suddenly as it had begun. Beatlemania was dead. We took our 11-Plus and went our separate ways, our little part in pop history forgotten.
Back On The Rock 
I’m so glad you decided to share these memories, Roy. I absolutely love the mental images you conjure up. I started at McGill in the fall of 1963, and the Beatles didn’t get introduced to North America (by Ed Sullivan!) until Feb 1964. But I met a fellow new student at one of the frosh week socials who was from Manchester, Jay McAuley. He was ALL about the Beatles and how they’d be crossing the ocean soon and we’d blown away. Jay was right! Talk about taking the world by storm, in a good way. When I worked for IBM UK in London in 1968, our office was directly across the street from their office on Duke St. (Between Oxford and Wigmore). We saw them coming and going once or twice. Ah, those were the good old days.
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Yay, so you were here in the Swingin’ Sixties! Though I was never hip enough to immerse myself in all that was going on, I think we all agree that there was a big culture shift around then with kids realising that their boundaries were wider than they ever realised.
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Sweet story. I am still very fond of the happy bouncy early Beatle music.
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The Beatles sure injected a lot of excitement into the world in ’63 and led the way for others.
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Oh, I’m laughing at the definition of success, Roy! Not sure it changes for middle-aged men in bands:).
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No indeed Kristine, plus ca change.
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I love this! “Formed during morning playtime, a group might have split by lunch.” I remember doing this exact thing as a kid, but not the Beatles. We’d always fight over who would be the lead singer (Madonna usually) and who would be the backup dancers😂
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As British kids this was amazingly new, with no previous points of reference. There followed months of copycat boy groups springing up, often also from Liverpool, until pop music started to evolve. I think the early Madonna was similar in the way she appealed to young women (and shocked their parents).
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Oh, this brought back lovely memories, Roy. I used to sing along to Beatles songs when I was about 5 years old. Sometimes I went downstairs to the flat with two spinsters and performed for them. My Nana grew up in Bootle, so she was initially entranced by those nice young men, but then they stopped acting like respectable Catholic boys and that was that. Ghosted by Nana.
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Haha. They were happy, innocent times for us kids. Lots of excitement, few worries. Fair play on your nana sticking to her principles 🙂
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Those were the years💃🏻💖
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Surely you don’t remember those times Sabina…
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No but I still listen the music from those times😉
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