Interviews: Associated Press and CBS News

The day after their record-breaking appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Beatles gave a series of interviews and personal appearances.

The group were presented with gold discs by Capitol Records president Alan Livingstone, to mark sales of one million for ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ and more than $1 million in sales for Meet The Beatles!.

The Beatles, surrounded by press at the Plaza Hotel, 10th February 1964. #thebeatles50 #Beatles50 pic.twitter.com/TzrOaNHKFi

— The Beatles (@thebeatles) February 10, 2014

The interviews were mostly conducted at the Terrace Room of the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Reporters from a range of TV, radio and print outlets were present, including Associated Press and CBS News. Transcripts from these are reproduced below.

In the evening The Beatles visited New York nightclubs, returning to the Plaza at 4am.

Associated Press interview:

Q: Your program was reviewed by a music critic…

Ringo Starr: Oh no! Not again!

Q: …and he said that you had ‘unresolved leading tones, a false modal frame ending up as a plain diatonic.’ What would you say to that?

John Lennon: He ought to see a doctor about that.

Paul McCartney: No, he’s just copying the fella in the London Times who did a review like that. The only difference is, I don’t know if that’s favourable or not. The London one was, you see.

Ringo Why doesn’t he just say if it’s good or bad?

Q: What do you think of the reaction of Amer… What do you think of American girls in the first place, now that you’ve had your first contact with them?

Paul: Marvellous. They’re the same as British girls only they’ve got a different accent.

Q: Is it your ambition to continue what you’re doing, or what do you plan to do?

John: Yeah.

Paul: Well, as long as it lasts like this. As long as we keep enjoying it. Once we stop enjoying it, and people stop enjoying it, then er…

George Harrison: We’ll pack in.

Ringo: We’ll have to pack in if people don’t enjoy it.

George: That’s a British saying for ‘give up’.

Q: One of the big attractions is your haircut and your manner of dress. What prompted that? The haircuts, for instance.

Ringo: It just happened, you know.You just wake up one day and there you are.