Love Me Do

This unassuming little ditty that started it all was among McCartney and Lennon's earliest attempts at songwriting in 1958.  They only had the verses - or, more, correctly, the verse, as there is just the one - and probably played it at a faster tempo somewhat along the lines of Buddy Holly's Maybe Baby.

When manager Brian Epstein sent a telegram to the boys in Hamburg in May of 1962 and told them they had a recording date with EMI's Parlophone label, Love Me Do was one of the compositions that they began to prepare.  It was at this point in time that Lennon added the bridge to give the tune a little variety, and they began playing it at a slower, bluesy pace.  John also wanted to feature his harmonica in the same manner as Delbert McClinton did in the contemporary hit Hey! Baby by Bruce Channel.

The Beatles arrived at EMI Studios on Abbey Road on June 6th, 1962, excited to begin their recording career.  Producer George Martin was not present as another producer named Ron Richards listened to the group's available material.  It was the sound of John's wailing harmonica on this song that prompted engineer Norman Smith to send for Martin.     

After hearing the number, Martin made some changes to the arrangement before getting some proper takes.  One thing he did not change, however, was an odd shift in tempo before and after the bridge.  This had been drummer Pete Best's suggestion when the bridge was added in Hamburg.  You can hear one of these takes on Anthology 1.  Along with the odd fluctuations in the beat, Paul is clearly having trouble singing the low line "someone to love."  In fact, he even tries to slide the word "love" a few notes lower.  This is probably how John used to sing it when he was the lead singer, but with his harmonica part becoming more prominent, Martin had handed the lead over to Paul.

By the time the group returned to the studio on September 4th, Pete Best had been replaced, partly because Martin was unsatisfied with his drumming.  The producer was not much happier with Ringo Starr on this day, though the other kinks in the number had been worked out.  The tempo remained steady throughout, and Paul's singing was more confident.  Still, Martin had them come back a week later to re-record the song yet again with session drummer Andy White.  A glum Ringo stood by banging a tambourine.

The truth of the matter is that there is practically no difference between what White played on the 11th and what Ringo had played a week earlier.  Proof of this lies in the fact that Ringo's version was chosen for the initial pressings of the single.  However, when the song was added to the album Please Please Me and later released on the EP The Beatles' Hits, the Andy White version was used.  This was also the only version sent to the American labels Vee Jay and Capitol.

As their first single, the boys were naturally obliged to play the song live in concert, on television and on many BBC radio appearances.  The 1994 collection Live at the BBC concludes with a performance for their own radio program Pop Go the Beatles from July of 1963.  Yet, by this time, with the emergence of newer, stronger material, they had already dropped the number from their stage act.

The video collection 1+ contains a fascinating clip from a late 1963 BBC television special called The Mersey Sound.  The group was filmed in a studio without an audience performing the song, but this was synced to the Ringo version from the single.  Additional footage as the song plays shows Brian Epstein at his NEMS record shop in Liverpool as young fans purchase the record, the boys applying makeup backstage, and also riding on the open deck of one of the city's famous ferryboats.

The first American release of the song was on the Vee Jay album Introducing the Beatles.  The song did make its way into the country as a single from Capitol of Canada (the Ringo version, in fact), but the official American single was on the Tollie label, a subsidiary of Vee Jay.  Incredibly, this raw, primitive recording went to number one.  It was their fourth American number one, in the wake of the well-crafted, more polished numbers I Want to Hold Your Hand, She Loves You and Can't Buy Me Love.  Capitol finally released the song on the album The Early Beatles. 

Because of its importance, Love Me Do has been featured on many compilations over the years, including The Red Album, the US edition of Rarities (Capitol's first release of the Ringo version), Past Masters Volume One, and 1.