Beatles History: February 22 | Absolute Elsewhere: The Spirit of John Lennon

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THE FOLLOWING EVENTS TOOK PLACE ON FEBRUARY 22

The Woolworth's store in Penny Lane, Liverpool, England. Cynthia Lennon worked here during her art college years (while she was John Lennon's girlfriend). 1630--Indians introduce popcorn to English colonists.

1732--George Washington, the first President of the United States, is born in Virginia.

1879--Frank Winfield Woolworth opens his first “Five Cent Store” store in Utica, New York.

1886--The Times of London becomes the first British newspaper to institute a personals column on its classified page.

1961--The Beatles perform at Aintree Institute, Aintree, Liverpool, and at Hambleton Hall, Huyton, Liverpool.

1963--The Beatles perform at the Oasis Club in Manchester.

Northern Songs was the Beatles original publishing company. 1963--The Beatles form their Northern Music Publishing Company. Dick James and Brian Epstein are named as the co-directors, with John Lennon owning 19 of the 98 shares, and Paul McCartney one more than him. Many years later it will be sold to the one-gloved wonder, Michael Jackson.

1963--The Beatles Please Please Me ties with Frank Ifield’s The Wayward Wind at the No. 1 position in Britain’s most prestigious pop chart in the New Musical Express. It will later top the chart in its own right. Says John Lennon: “What made it more exciting was that we almost threw the song away as the B-side of Love Me Do. We changed our minds only because we were so tired when we were recording it that we couldn’t seem to get it right, and George Martin suggested we do another song instead.”

1964--I Want to Hold Your Hand is the #1 single in the US for the 4th straight week.

1964--If The Beatles expected to be able to rest upon returning to England, they were wrong. Arriving at London Airport in the morning, they hold a press conference, which is broadcast in the middle of a popular sports television show, "Grandstand." Pathe News covered The Beatles return to England and made a documentary film out of the footage for distribution to theatres. There was plenty of radio coverage, too. The Beatles gave a phone interview to Brian Mathew for the program "Saturday Club." That interview was followed by a song request dedicated to George Harrison for his upcoming birthday; it was sent in by his mother (and the song was Shop Around).

The Beatles at Heathrow Airport in London, catching their flight to Bahamas to film scenes from their second feature film, Help! 1965--The Beatles fly to the Bahamas to begin filming location scenes for their second movie, "Help!" (The movie's original title was "Eight Arms to Hold You," but it would be changed to "Help!" in mid-April.) They stay at the luxurious Balmoral Club, near Cable Beach. John Lennon is intrigued with his co-star, Eleanor Bron, and a personal relationship develops between them. The group settles into a steady routine of smoking pot whenever the cameras aren’t rolling.

1967--The Beatles in the recording studio (Studio Two, EMI Studios, London). Recording the piano note ending for A Day in the Life. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and Mal Evans, using three different pianos, simultaneously strike E major. It requires nine takes to get everyone hitting the note at the same moment. This is overdubbed three times, with a harmonium overdub by George Martin added in. The perfect ending for the song, and the album, had been found. Later in the session, The Beatles record an experimental track, Anything (aka Drum Track), 22 mins. 10 secs. long, of Ringo playing drums, augmented by tambourine and congas.

Mel Torme's Coming Home, Baby. 1969--The Beatles in the recording studio (Trident Studios, London). Recording I Want You (She's So Heavy) (35 takes). The track will not be completed until August 11. This stark John Lennon love song was inspired lyrically by his feeling for Yoko Ono and musically by Mel Torme’s hit, Coming Home, Baby.

1970--Film-maker Charlie Jenkins shoots footage for a promotional film of Paul McCartney's Maybe I'm Amazed, the song not destined to be released as a single. The completed promo film will be broadcast on April 19 in both the UK (by London Weekend Television) and the US ("The Ed Sullivan Show").

Andy Warhol gives John Lennon a kiss on the cheek at a public event in the late 1970s. Warhol and Lennon had a friendly relationship over the years. 1975--John Lennon's #9 Dream peaks at #9 on the pop chart.

1987--Pop artist Andy Warhol dies at a New York City hospital at age 58.

Cynthia Lennon's single, Those Were the Days. 1994--UK re-release of The Beatles' compilation albums The Beatles 1962-1966 and The Beatles 1967-1970 on double LP (vinyl) using the digital masters. Only 20,000 copies of each are pressed for worldwide distribution.

1995--Cynthia Lennon releases her first (and only?) single recording, a cover version of the 1968 Mary Hopkin hit, Those Were The Days.

2000--A pair of John Lennon's jeans are sold at auction for £2,250 ($3,150).

2001--The Sunday Mirror lists The Beatles as the biggest money-earners of 2000, pulling in $50 million.

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