In this clip from June 1967, The Beatles, by now a global phenomenon, perform their new song ‘All You Need Is Love’ as the climax of the first ever live, international satellite television broadcast, Our World. The BBC co-ordinated this show which reached an unprecedented world-wide TV audience of 400 million (and would have been seen by many millions more had not the USSR and Soviet Bloc countries pulled out a week before the broadcast). Amongst those in the audience is Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones. In keeping with the international nature of event, the song begins with the French national anthem, ‘La Marseillaise’; a rare moment of Europhilia in recent British popular culture.
NB: the original broadcast was transmitted (and videotaped) entirely in black and white. The exceptionally good job of ‘colourizing’ this clip was carried out for The Beatles 1995 Anthology documentary series.
The version of ‘All You Need Is Love’ recorded during this broadcast was promptly released as a single. Although John Lennon, the song’s composer, insisted on re-recording his vocals, little else was over-dubbed onto the live recording. Within weeks of their album Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band reaching number 1 around the world, ‘All You Need Is Love’ did the same. It was The Beatles’ twelfth UK number 1 single.
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