In The Beginning...


As the car pulled up in front of London Pavilion on 29 July, 1964 where the premier of The Beatles’ newest movie Help! was being held, Paul McCartney nearly went into shock. Even after four years of fans screaming his name, he still was not used to seeing pictures of him and his friends plastered on billboards. And, being the critical person that he was, they were usually bad pictures of him. "Oh well," he thought as his chauffeur, Kenneth, stopped in front of the red carpet. "Gotta get used to it sometime."

"I wonder if John will actually act human at this party." Remembering what his bandmate had done at the premier of A Hard Day’s Night, Paul shuddered. He scooted over to the other side of the limo, and he checked his hair and straightened out his tuxedo. A valet scurried over, like a rat, and opened the car door for him. Hearing the screams of his "admirers", a smile crossed his boyish face. Stepping out into the blinding flashes of the cameras, he grinned and waved at the crowd gathered before him. Reaching out, he touched the hands of a few girls who were screaming his name. He saw them all faint.

‘Hey, McCartney! You coming, or what?’ John Lennon’s voice snapped him out of his power trip.

‘Yeah, sorry! Coming!’ Paul blew a kiss to the massive crowd filling Piccadilly, did a shuffle step, and made his way up the red carpet, to the inside lobby of the theatre.

Inside, Paul could hardly breathe. The place was jam-packed! Maybe there’s more room inside, he thought as he pushed his way into the viewing room. Was he ever mistaken! Even though there was a whole lot of people outside in the lobby, there were even more in here.

‘Hey, Paul!’ Ringo Starr called to him. ‘Over here!’ Paul looked around, until he spotted his bandmate George Harrison waving at him. John, George, and Ringo had gotten seats in the front of the theatre and saved one for him. Paul made his way up the aisle.

‘Hey, guys!’ Paul greeted the other three as he reached where they were sitting and plopped down in his seat.

‘Hi, Paul,' George replied.

‘’Ey, Paul,’ Ringo said.

‘’Ey, McCartney,’ was John’s greeting. Paul didn’t give it a second thought.

‘D’ y’ know, we’re supposed to go to a party after…‘ Paul was cut off by Ringo shushing him as the lights went off.

‘It’s starting!’ As Paul settled back into his chair, he focused his mind on the movie. It was weird, watching himself like a spaz on the movie screen. But he enjoyed it.


January 17, 1964 at the George V hotel in Paris: the boys find out "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is the No.1 song in America