New prints celebrate the anniversary of The Beatles iconic "Our World" performance

Posted on 23rd June 2024 by Clare Guise

The Beatles rehearsing for their "Our World" performance at Abbey Road Studios in June 1967

The Beatles' performance on the "Our World" live satellite broadcast on June 25, 1967, was a groundbreaking event in television and music history. "Our World" was the first live, international satellite broadcast and reached over 400 million viewers across 25 countries. Chosen to represent the United Kingdom, The Beatles performed "All You Need Is Love" for the first time, a song written especially for the occasion, promoting a message of global unity and peace.

Broadcast live from Abbey Road Studios and accompanied by friends and fellow musicians, The Beatles' performance captured the era's spirit of optimism and the counterculture's ideals. The simple, yet powerful lyrics of "All You Need Is Love" resonated worldwide, emphasising the potential of music to transcend borders and foster a sense of global community.

David Magnus was lucky enough to be the only photographer at Abbey Road Studios on the 24th and 25th of June 1967. His remarkable photographs captured The Beatles rehearsals and live performance for "Our World" during the period. Below we share a few of our favourite images now available as limited edition prints.

John Lennon & Mick Jagger hanging out during the rehearsals for "Our World" in June 1967

Ultimate Classic Rock recounted, "Given the Beatles’ rampant popularity all over the globe, it only made sense that they would be spotlighted during the United Kingdom’s segment. The Beatles learned about and accepted the honour in May, just a couple of weeks before the release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. At the time, nobody seemed daunted by the prospect of putting together a new composition for live broadcast in a month’s time.

“I don't know if they had prepared any ideas but they left it very late to write the song,” engineer Geoff Emerick recalled in The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions. “John [Lennon] said, ‘Oh God, is it that close? I suppose we’d better write something.’”

Paul McCartney offered up a couple of his newest songs, “Your Mother Should Know” and “Hello, Goodbye,” for consideration, but the decision was made to go with a Lennon original: “All You Need is Love.” Planning for an appearance before an international, multi-lingual audience, the Beatles likely went for the song that expressed a direct and simple message. It’s hard to misunderstand “All You Need is Love.”