On this day in 1964, The Beatles earned their first US number one with I Want to Hold Your Hand

After the success of She Loves You, The Beatles were eager to capitalise on their success. Intense media coverage had also gained them many new fans who were eagerly awaiting a new release. 

I Want to Hold Your Hand was written by Lennon and McCartney in a basement studio in McCartney’s girlfriends house, with the pair calling out various phrases to go along with the music until they found one that fit. Lennon recalled writing the song “eyeball to eyeball” In October of 1963 the band recorded the track at EMI Studios, along with This Boy in a single day, and on four track equipment for the first time. 

At the time of release in late November, She Loves You had shot back to the number one UK position due to the media frenzy surrounding the band, and upon release I Want to Hold Your Hand immediately went to the number two spot. Two weeks later, it was able to overtake its predecessor for number one, where it stayed for five weeks. George Martin recalled that Capitol Records in the US had no choice but to release the song due to the rising demand for the band’s music in the States and its UK success.

The song would release in the US in mid December, and entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number forty-five in mid January. In the next couple of weeks it rose to number one, where it stayed for seven weeks before being knocked off by She Loves You. Fans raved about the song, while critics were divided, with some dismissing the song and the band as a fad that wouldn’t last.

I Want to Hold Your Hand went on to become one of the best-selling songs of the 1960’s and helped start the British Invasion of the American music industry. Worldwide, the song has sold more than 12 million copies, and Billboard magazine in 2018 named it the 48th biggest hit of all time. It has also made the Grammy Hall of Fame and been listed in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll, and  at number 16 on Rolling Stone’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.