On This Day... "All You Need Is Love"

On this day (June 25th) in 1967, The Beatles performed "All You Need Is Love" on Our World, the first live global television link through satellite, and the broadcast was watched by 400 million people in 26 countries. Commissioned by the BBC for the UK contribution, John Lennon wrote this as a propaganda song, later stating that he was a "revolutionary artist" with his art being dedicated to change. Whether this song was actually written for the broadcast or was already lying in The Beatles' back pocket is uncertain, but the simple message was something all nationalities could understand. With the exception of a pre-recorded rhythm track (mainly consisting of piano, harpischord and drums), The Beatles and the small studio orchestra (and guests) are performing live in this footage. Seated on the floor are friends and studio people including leading stars of the British pop scene like Mick Jagger (The Rolling Stones) and Keith Moon (The Who). Lennon was unsatisfied with his singing, due to nerves during the filming (can't blame him though, that's a lot of viewers!), and later re-recorded the solo verses for the single released on July 7th in the UK, which went straight to #1. The program was broadcast in black-and-white (since color TV was not available in the UK and most of the world), but based on photos from that day, The Beatles' footage was later colorized for The Beatles Anthology documentary in 1995. Enjoy!