The Beatles Debut "All You Need Is Love" During 'Our World' Television Special, On This Day In 1967 [Video]

The 1960s were really starting to heat up by the time June 1967 rolled around, and The Beatles, like many artists of that generation, were heavily influenced by the drastic social changes taking over the Western world throughout the decade up to that point. It was on June 25th, 1967 when The Beatles—who will forever be remembered for their prominent role within pop culture as one of the key inspirations during a decade that spawned the counterculture, the civil right’s movement, and the anti-Vietnam War movement—premiered their timeless peace anthem, “All You Need Is Love” during an appearance on the Our World television special before a reported worldwide audience of 400 million people.

As the story goes, the quartet, already household names by 1967, was asked to provide a song with a universal message, as the TV special was being broadcast around the world via satellite. The band had already been working on new music to appear on the soundtrack to 1968’s Yellow Submarine, and what better time than during global broadcast to debut some new music?

The band was accompanied by a 13-piece orchestra for the live performance, and all four members sported colorful clothing and placed an abundance of flowers across the television studio set. The Beatles were also surrounded by a mix of their friends and guests for the broadcast including Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Keith Moon, Graham Nash, Pattie Boyd, and more, all seated around the band. The famous bystanders joined in during the song’s mantra-like chorus line. The band and orchestra overdubbed their parts onto a pre-recorded rhythm track, making for a legitimate live performance from the band which had called it quits on touring just two years prior. It’s worth noting that the performance did not take place in front of a full audience, but rather on a closed set.

The song’s blatant advocacy for opening our hearts to love and embracing an attitude of togetherness at the height of the “Flower Power” era embraced by much of America’s youth culture at the time made “All You Need Is Love” an instant classic. Its message of spreading love remains as prominent and important today as it did 56 years ago.

Revisit The Beatles’ live debut of “All You Need Is Love” below, as well as rare footage of the full Our World broadcast.

The Beatles – “All You Need Is Love” – 6/25/1967

Our World – 6/25/67 – Full Broadcast

[Video: Our World On YouTube]