Notes and Quotes: "Love Me Do" (Starr)

This version was the initial single release in 1962 and eventually climbed to UK #17 in late December. The recording first peaked at #27 on October 24th and dropped, before re-entering the charts.

Some have claimed that Brian Epstein's initial purchase of 10,000 copies was an attempt to manipulate the charts. Epstein explained that he was responding to local interest.

Contrary to George Martin's memory, Ringo drums on this first version. (Session drummer, Andy White appears in the version recorded on 11 September.) Nevertheless, Parlophone released this version as the single in some of the early pressings suggesting that it was not nearly as flawed as Martin has suggested (see Lewisohn 1992: 79a). The Beatles used this recording when they mimed for a BBC film crew the next year.

This version follows the same overall musical structure as the June version; however, this is faster and omits the shift to a duple rhythm during the harmonica solo version of the second chorus. Nevertheless, they do try something to drive the rhythm at this spot: they add hand claps. This musical detail and the continuted existence of the pause at the end of the chorus (with the cymbal crash preserved) further suggests that the shift to duple rhythm in the June version was not a fluke.

This version is also much faster. They reach the final fade out almost fifteen seconds earlier, allowing a longer fade out. (The June fade out is very quick.)

Schedule

2 February, 2012