The Beatles’ “Love Me Do”: The Single That Announced The Fab Four to the World

Early Beatles circa 1962

Fun Facts About the Beatles’ “Love Me Do”

Written by: Paul McCartney (credited as Lennon-McCartney)

Recorded: September 4th and 11th, 1962 (Studio 2, Abbey Road Studios, London, England)

Length: 2:17

Takes: 33

Musicians: Paul McCartney: lead vocal, bass guitar (1961 Hofner 500/1)
John Lennon: harmonica, rhythm guitar, backing vocals (Gibson J160E)
George Harrison: acoustic guitar, backing vocals
Ringo Starr: drums (version 1), tambourine (version 2)
Alan White: drums (version 2)

First released: October 5th, 1962 (UK: Parlophone 45-R 4949) version 1; April 27th, 1964 (US: Tollie 9008) version 2

Available on: Past Masters, Volume 1, (Parlophone CDP 90043-2)version 1 Please Please Me, (UK: Parlophone CDP7 46435-2; US: Capitol CLJ 46435) version 2

Highest chart position: 17 (UK: December 27, 1962), 1 (1 week) (US: May 30, 1964)

Live versions: February 20, 1963, for BBC radio’s Parade Of The Pops.

BBC versions: Eight (for the BBC radio programs Here We Go, Talent Spot, Saturday Club, Side By Side, Pop Go The Beatles, and Easy Beat. 

History: 

• An attempt at a straight blues that dates all the way back to the Quarrymen days of 1958.
• Originally, the song was sung as a Everly Brothers-style duet, with John taking the solo “Love Me Do” at the end of each verse. However, John decided to add harmonica to the song at some point, having been directly inspired by Bruce Channel’s recent hit “Hey Baby.” Since he couldn’t play the harmonica riff and sing the last line of verse at the time, producer George Martin ordered Paul to do it instead, on the spot. You can hear the nervousness in his shaky spotlight.
• There are two versions of this song. Version 1 features Ringo on drums and was recorded first. When the Beatles reconvened to cut the song again on September 11, 1962, however, producer George Martin, still unsure of the new kid Ringo’s ability, substituted session drummer Alan White. This “version 2,” on which Ringo merely plays a tambourine, remains the best-known (and, frankly, better quality) version: it was released as a single in the US, as opposed to the original single in the UK, which was taken from version 1 (although subsequent UK pressings used version 2). Version 2 was also kept off the Please Please Me album in favor of 1, although Martin claims this was probably not done on purpose.
• Although this was never a favorite among most Beatles fans, John and Paul have both stood by the song in interviews.

Trivia:

• This song was actually recorded first on June 6, 1962 during the group’s first audition with EMI. At that time, Pete Best was still the drummer. This version, thought lost for years, turned up in George Martin’s home and can no be found on the CDAnthology 1 (Apple 34445).
• George Martin originally wanted the band’s first single to be an outside composition called “How Do You Do It,” but although the band recorded it, they eventually won the right to release this instead. Gerry and the Pacemakers later had a hit with a cover of “How Do You Do It” modeled very closely after the Beatles’ version.
• Rumor has been spread for years that this, the Beatles’ first UK single, only made it onto the charts because manager Brian Epstein personally purchased 10,000 copies of it. No evidence of this has ever been found, however, and John Lennon, for one, has publicly branded the rumor as false.
• This song was reissued as a single in the UK in 1984, and this time climbed to #4.

Video: The Beatles: Love Me Do

Special thanks to www.about.com

The Whisky-a-Go-Go: LA’s Contribution to Rock ‘n Roll History

The Iconic Whisky-a-Go-Go Exterior

Fun Facts About LA’s Whisky-a-Go-Go

• The Whisky A-Go-Go, at 8901 Sunset Blvd at Clark, West Hollywood, CA became the principal hangout of Sunset Strip musicians and hipsters in the 1960s
• The 1967 film The Graduate features Dustin Hoffman’s character Benjamin running out its doors into the street
• Johnny Rivers was the first sensation to come out of the club, soon after it opened
• The ‘trend’ of having a mini-skirted girl dancing above the crowd in a cage got its start at the club
• The Whisky always had two or three bands playing, but they were not always billed.
• Often the unbilled bands were simply local bands, but it being Hollywood and all, sometimes unbilled local groups acting as the house band went on to become hugely famous (like The Doors)

• At times, the billed bands couldn’t make it, and another band was substituted. While this is common in nightclubs, what was uncommon about the Whisky was that the band substituting could be just as good or better, and possibly even better-known, than the band it was replacing
• It was not uncommon for a group to be booked for a week at the Whisky and then to skip a night for a larger gig
• The Whisky, in its heyday, was open six or seven nights a week
• When no one well-known was billed, local groups from LA would play
• A partial list of the acts that played at the Whisky – it is literally a “Who’s Who” of Rock ‘n Roll:
• Johnny Rivers
• The Doors

• The Turtles
• Otis Redding
• Jefferson Airplane (later Jefferson Starship/Starship)
• The Byrds
• Sam & Dave
• The Rascals
• The Jimi Hendrix Experience
• Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
• Cream
• Eric Burdon & The Animals
• Them
• Steppenwolf
• John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers
• The Hollies
• Lemon Pipers
• Traffic
• Canned Heat
• The Nazz
• Three Dog Night
• Ten Years After

• Alice Cooper
• Steve Miller Band
• Chicago Transit Authority (later Chicago)
• Velvet Underground
• Taj Mahal
• Led Zeppelin
• Pink Floyd
• Bob Seger
• Flying Burrito Brothers
• Linda Ronstadt
• Dr. John
• Blues Image
• Count Bassie
• Junior Walker
• Buddy Rich
• Mountain
• The Zombies
• Chuck Berry
• Little Richard
• The Kinks
• King Crimson

• Grand Funk Railroad
• Humble Pie
• Fleetwood Mac
• Golden Earring
• Iron Butterfly
• Sha na na
• Billy Preston
• The Five Stairsteps
• Mott the Hoople
• Redbone
• The Beach Boys
• Black Sabbath
• Allman Brothers
• BB King
• Sugarloaf
• J Giles Band
• Ted Nugent
• Brownsville Station
• Mothers of Invention
• Yes
• War

• Elvin Bishop
• Quicksilver Messenger Service
• Edgar Winters
• Little Feat
• LaBelle
• Badfinger
• ZZ Top
• Nazareth
• Looking Glass
• Flo and Eddie
• Foghat
• Stevie Wonder
• Steely Dan
• Roxy Music
• Focus
• Status Quo
• Chambers Brothers
• Climax Blues Band
• Iggy and the Stooges
• Rufus (featuring Chaka Khan)

• New York Dolls
• Funkadelic
• Bachman Turner Overdrive
• Aerosmith
• Lynyrd Skynyrd
• Rick Springfield
• Van Halen
• Motley Crue
• Guns ‘n Roses
• and many, many more…

 

Special thanks to www.ckickenonaunicycle.com