Ardent Beatles fan shared a message for Paul McCartney. 60 years later, he replied.

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Ardent Beatles fan shared a message for Paul McCartney. 60 years later, he replied.

'If you are listening...,' Paul McCartney wrote in the caption of his message to the fan from the 1964 clip

GOOD Magazine

By

Neha B.

August 6, 2024

Representative Cover Image Source: Paul McCartney of English rock band the Beatles during a press conference, circa 1965. (Photo by Don Paulsen/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Throughout his music career, countless fans have declared their love for iconic Beatles musician Paul McCartney. However, for one woman, a special moment came when a clip from 1964 resurfaced on social media. In May 2024, the 82-year-old singer-songwriter shared this vintage clip, adding his own heartfelt response. The fan, Adrienne, stood out among the crowd in the video.

Representative Image Source: Paul McCartney of The Beatles plays his violin bass guitar on stage during rehearsals for an ABC Television music television show. (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns)

"Paul McCartney, if you are listening, Adrienne from Brooklyn loves you with all her heart," Adrienne cheered on the mike in the vintage clip. Almost 60 years later, McCartney responded to her saying, "Hey, Adrienne. Listen, it's Paul. I saw your video. I'm in Brooklyn now. I'm in New York. I finally got here. We got an exhibition, a photo exhibition. Come along and see it." The musician was referring to “Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm,” an archival presentation exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum from May 3 to August 18.

Representative Image Source: February 1964: The Beatles arriving at London Airport after a trip to Paris. (L-R) Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon. (Photo by Evening Standard/Getty Images)

According to the museum's website, the exhibition features more than 250 photographs captured by McCartney on his Pentax camera during the "frenzy of Beatlemania in 1963–64, when the band’s first U.S. tour skyrocketed them to superstardom." On Instagram, the museum addressed Adrienne and wrote, "And Adrienne from Brooklyn, if you are listening, Paul McCartney from Liverpool loves you too."

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Soon after, the vintage clip went viral on social media, sparking curiosity about “Adrienne from Brooklyn.” Who was she, and where is she now? Rolling Stone magazine provided a clue, identifying the woman as likely Adrienne D’Onofrio, a mom from Staten Island. 

The full 1964 clip soon surfaced online, showing teenage Adrienne saying, “I love the Beatles and I’ll always love ’em, even when I’m 105 and an old grandmother.” The now-viral video was shot by CBS News during the Beatles’ first U.S. visit in 1964 and was later featured in Ron Howard’s 2016 documentary “Eight Days a Week — The Touring Years.”

The report revealed that Adrienne passed away in 1992 and, sadly, couldn't receive McCartney’s message. However, her children, retired cop John D’Onofrio and Nicole D’Onofrio Panepinto, were well aware of her rock-n-roll obsession.

After Adrienne’s death, as John and Nicole rummaged through her stuff, they discovered old Beatles records from her closet, the only records she would play around the house. One of the records, John recollected, had “Adrienne and Paul” scribbled on the sleeve, with a heart doodled around it. Adrienne had also gifted Beatles commemorative coins to her niece, celebrating the band’s 1974 trip to the US. If she could hear McCartney’s message, she would, of course, be ecstatic right now.