The 50th anniversary of the Beatles first American television appearance is fast approaching, and the former home of The Ed Sullivan Show, CBS, is putting everything it has into a tribute to the super legendary rock band. This week, The Late Show With David Letterman is celebrating with a "Beatles Week," wherein modern rock acts come on the chat show for a tribute performance. Last night (Feb. 4) James Mercer and Danger Mouse - best known together as Broken Bells - kicked the festivities off with a cover of "And I Love Her."
Alongside some vintage footage of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr to accompany them, Broken Bells tackled the classic track with a straightforward edge. Replacing some of the Spanish-influenced guitars with synthesizer beats and adding a bit more strain to the voice, Broken Bells managed to reflect the lovesick emotion of the track and kick the week off strongly.
Watch Broken Bells' cover of "And I Love Her" below:
This cover is the first of five major performances on Letterman this week. Sting will take the stage tonight (Feb. 4), Lenny Kravitz on Wednesday (Feb. 5) and Sean Lennon and The Flaming Lips will cover "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" on Thursday, Feb. 6.
The guest for Friday, Feb. 7, has yet to be announced, though rumors are obviously swirling that it's going to be surviving Beatles members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.
