This sounds unbelievable. When ex-Beatle Paul McCartney was performing at the Swift-Kelce blowout wedding on Friday, July 3, he reportedly sang a Fab Four classic that he hasn't done since 1964, per Rolling Stone! That was the heyday of the British mop-top quartet's early years stateside. You would think that a timeless tune like "I Want To Hold Your Hand" would make its way on to McCartney's setlist once in a while. I'm sure that when the legendary rocker dusted off the vintage track, it sounded as great as it did during the wild frenzy of Beatlemania. It was an ideal song choice to serenade the newly-hitched lovebirds.
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Per setlist.fm, the song was most recently played by the band on September 20, 1064. The venue was the Paramount Theatre in New York. For historical and cultural context, Lyndon Johnson was president. Pop-Tarts were introduced for the first time that year, along with the Ford Mustang and Diet Pepsi. What a giddy time!
McCartney Is Still Producing Dynamic New Music
His most recent release is the album The Boys of Dungeon Lane. It dropped this spring. Of that LP. McCartney wrote on Instagram, "My new album The Boys of Dungeon Lane will be yours 29th of May. The album title comes from a lyric in the track 'Days We Left Behind.' I was thinking just that, about the days I left behind and I do often wonder if I'm just writing about the past but then I think how can you write about anything else?"
"I Want To Hold Your Hand" Was a Real Blockbuster Back in the Day
The song came out of the gate strong. Per thebeatles.com, its release date was November 29, 1963. That was exactly one week to the day after President John F. Kennedy's assassination. The bouncy, romantic tune found favor fast.
It was a John Lennon and Paul McCartney co-write, like many of the band's best work. The song happened to be the Beatles' first chart-topper in this country. Per the outlet, that track launched the so-called British invasion of English rock bands in America.
