"A Letter to The Beatles" | Novelty Songs

"A Letter to the Beatles" by the Four Preps was recorded on February 10, 1964, the day after the Ed Sullivan show, and released on March 9, 1964, by Capitol Records. Stu Phillips produced the song. At that time, the Beatles were quickly becoming popular in the United States, and some older music groups worried about losing their fans. The Four Preps—Marvin Inabnett, Bruce Bellard, Glen Larson, and Ed Cobb—were a West Coast group known for their hit "26 Miles (Santa Catalina)." They wrote a song about the excitement surrounding the Beatles, telling the story of a young boy who writes to the Beatles after his girlfriend leaves him for the band. The Four Preps based this song on their earlier 1962 track, "A Letter to Hayley," which poked fun at fans of Hayley Mills, and updated it for the Beatles craze. Since both groups were signed to Capitol Records, the company hoped this parody would profit from the Beatles' popularity. According to the March 28, 1964, issue of “Cashbox” magazine, “14% of [radio] stations added this title to their program schedules,” and it was a “new addition to the Top 100.”

The song pokes fun at how much teenagers loved the Beatles and how businesses tried to cash in on their popularity. In the lyrics, a boy’s girlfriend keeps writing to the Beatles, but all she gets in return are letters asking for money—like a quarter for a signed photo or a dollar for a fan club card. They even promise her a lock of hair from the band’s Saint Bernard if she sends the money quickly. The Four Preps perform with their usual strong vocals, backed by the well-known studio musicians called the "Wrecking Crew." The song also includes parts of the Beatles’ hit "I Want to Hold Your Hand" for added humor. It was described as “A very funny novelty song. It starts out being another story song about a guy losing his girl to the Beatles when she writes them, but the Beatles only send back letters demanding money for fan club fees and Beatles merchandise.”

The song debuted at number 85 on the Billboard Hot 100, and both Capitol Records and the group were excited about its potential success. However, it was pulled from stores almost immediately. The company that owned "I Want to Hold Your Hand" did not allow the Four Preps to use the music, since it was not licensed through the Beatles’ publishing company. Duchess Music, the American publisher and licensing agent controlling Lennon and McCartney's "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (which the Four Preps openly sang and parodied in the middle of the track), refused to grant mechanical clearance for a satirical parody version.

At the same time, the Beatles’ managers threatened to sue the Four Preps and Capitol Records. Capitol quickly took action, removing the song from shelves just a day after the warning. Internal memos and trade alerts (reported in Billboard on April 11, 1964) show that Capitol's top managers ordered an immediate stop to pressing and distribution. Even though the single made it to No. 85 on the Billboard Hot 100, Capitol pulled it from shelves and deleted it from the catalog. That move made original 1964 stock copies very rare and turned the record into a prized collector’s item from the 1960s. The Four Preps never had another big hit after this, showing how music companies must act carefully, even with novelty songs.

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