Beatles Get It Started

The Fab Four released their first single, “Love Me Do” on this date in 1962.

The fuse was lit.

The song, penned by Paul McCartney around 1958 while 16—and skipping school, it became the Beatles first single. In Great Britain, it reached #17. In the States, however, it went all the way to #1, giving the lads from Liverpool a jump-start on their phenomenal career.

Starting with John Lennon’s soaring harmonica to his harmonizing with Paul McCartney, the original version has Lennon singing lead. When producer George Martin decided that the vocal needed to overlap the harmonica, a switch was made and Paul took over the lead.

Actually, the Beatles recorded this song three times. The first was in June of 1962 when Pete Best was still the drummer. It was part of an audition for EMI at Abby Road studios in London and thought to be lost—since then, it was discovered and is part of the Beatles “Anthology I”. The second recording came in September, with Ringo Starr on drums, having replaced Best by then. The third time it was recorded with session drummer Andy White—since Martin was not happy with Ringo’s drum playing. Starr was relegated to banging the tambourine—and since the tambourine doesn’t appear on in the September recording, that’s the easiest way to distinguish between the two.

The Ringo Starr-on-drums version was the earliest released edition, however—but it was a journey for the Beatles to convince their producer to release a song penned by Lennon and McCartney in the first place.

Martin was advocating for the first single to be “How Do You Do It?” by Mitch Murray to be the first release, “in the absence of any stronger material”—as Martin phrased it. The Beatles had yet to impress Martin with their song writing ability.

That sentiment wouldn't last long.

Here’s that great first single—in video form as well!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xuMwfUqJJM


The Parlophone label released the track on 45, with “P.S. I Love You” on the flip side.

Beatlemania was about to begin in the United States---and world of music hasn’t been the same since that tidal wave from Liverpool arrived on our shores.

And it all started with “Love Me Do” .

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