The Beatles' long-lost first-ever Top of the Pops performance has been found. Recorded on March 19, 1964 at the BBC Television Theatre in London, the Fab Four lip-synced their way through "Can't Buy Me Love" and "You Can't Do That" — the day before those songs dropped as a single. The BBC wiped the original tape, as they did with countless historic performances.
For decades, only grainy, distorted clips survived. On Thursday, conservation non-profit Film Is Fabulous! announced they had obtained a pristine 35mm film of the entire performance — complete with banter, studio crew, and makeup artists.
The footage shows four takes of "Can't Buy Me Love" (two were botched by technical errors) and two attempts at "You Can't Do That." During one close-up on the second take of the second song, John Lennon pulls a cheeky face.
"Passages of the recording show the studio, the technicians, and the make-up ladies," Film Is Fabulous wrote. "During breaks, the Beatles openly joked, and could be seen dancing to amuse themselves."
The 35mm negative was given to the conservationists by the family of a deceased industry professional who had kept it safe for decades. The restored footage will now be returned to BBC archives.
