Chapter Text
“Alright Miss… [Name]? [Name] [Last Name]? Am I saying that right?” The man in front of you—Mr. Brian Epstein, you had learned—spoke hesitantly from his spot across the room. Behind his seat and desk was a back room with two small, curtained windows and an open grate running along the top of the wall. From inside, you could hear the soft shuffling of what you thought were a small group of people. A little voice in the back of your mind told you that maybe, just maybe, the fab four were there in the back listening to the auditions. Gosh, how nerve-wracking that idea was. It felt weird to be so close to this much fame. Truthfully, you weren’t sure that the audition would go anywhere at all, but here you were, potentially standing in front of four of the most famous young men in music today and their manager, about to sing for the chance to join the band for a month. How the hell did you wind up here?
Well, it was mostly dumb luck. You had always been a singer, but the idea of doing it for payment felt exotic. In your mind it was always more of a hobby if anything, but clearly the nervousness didn’t last long, as it only took about a week of contemplating before you fully committed yourself to applying for the position of “Beatles’ Traveling Female Vocalist,” a role which you had only found out about from a friend who worked around the industry. Really, the title needed some work, but that could come after you started touring, if you landed the position, that was. The days flew by between your application and your audition, and before you knew it, you were standing in line outside a soundproofed door, patiently awaiting the inevitable call of your name. Seems like it came quicker than you suspected.
“Yes, that is correct,” you responded calmly, pulling yourself from your thoughts. Presence! Don't forget presence!
“Good. Now, Miss, could you please tell me a little bit about yourself? Nothing too personal, just enough to make sure we have the right girl.”
“Well, I live here, in the United States, I have been singing for most of my life, maybe since I was a toddler, and I am about 18 years old.” As you spoke, the man carefully checked your comments against a sheet of paper—presumably the sheet you submitted not two weeks ago. “Anything else you need to know?
“No, that’s just fine. You can get started with singing the audition material now.” He said neutrally, and it took all of your willpower not to turn and stare at the tinted windows on the back room and try to make out the familiar faces. You took a deep breath and started with the required material, eventually moving onto the longer personal piece. The manager just watched you sing, and you could just barely make out a few whispers from the closed back room. You took a quick bow and thanked the manager for his time. The manager seemed to chuckle at your formality and you smiled shyly, taking note of the hushed conversation from behind the glass panes. You couldn’t make out any words, but the tone seemed positive, which was wonderfully reassuring.
“Of course, miss. Thank you for auditioning. Please send the next girl in on your way out.”
“Mhm!” You nodded and stepped out of the room, heart pumping fast. “Good luck!” you called to the next girl in line, who stared at you like you were an alien. “Thank you.” She mumbled quietly and stepped through the door you were holding for her. You practically skipped over to the bus, mind racing with excitement. You tried to do the mental math about your odds of success on your walk home to curb your worries about being chosen, but it didn’t help much. There were about 20 girls before me and 80 after… and they are doing these auditions for another month or so… meaning that’s around 2,000 girls all auditioning for one spot! Good lord…
You tried to keep your mind off it for the next few weeks but the minute you got a response letter back, you called your parents over and practically ripped the envelope open. You were met with perhaps the prettiest, floweriest letter you had seen in your life. Written in grass green cursive at the top of the letter were the words you had been praying to hear since you first auditioned; “Congratulations to the lovely Miss [Name] on your acceptance into the Beatles’ 1964 North American Tour!” You were ecstatic. Maybe the happiest you had been in your life, in your opinion. A month of touring with the most famous band in the world across North America? No dream could compare! You squealed with joy and hugged your parents, just a bit too tightly. After you came down from cloud 9, you read the rest of the letter and took note of the logistics: firstly, your bags needed to be packed and ready by August 12, at which point you would use the plane ticket provided to you in the envelope to travel to Daly City, the first location on the tour. Secondly, you were not allowed to share any confidential tour information except as it pertained to your location and safety. Lastly, any inappropriate behavior towards the public or other band members would not be tolerated and would result in the removal of your position in the tour. In other words: Show up, be responsible, and don’t be mean. Easy peasy.
That night, the night of the 5th, you got all of your things ready and went through all of the songs you had been given before the audition to make sure you were well prepared considering the approaching deadline. Only another week and you would be in the practice rooms with the Beatles. The fab four. You just had to be patient and wait for one more week. One more week…