Love Me Do – Song Lyric Sunday – Harmonica
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https://jimadamsauthordotcom.wordpress.com/2020/08/08/monica-and-veronica/
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Today’s SLS has us finding songs that have harmonica music. There are so many, it’s been hard to decide on one, but I’ve had fun listening to songs.
To join in, and also see other entries, just click the above link. Thanks, Jim!
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The song I finally chose is, “Love Me Do”, by The Beatles. This was their debut single (flip side “P.S. I Love You).
Fun Facts to know: https://www.buzznet.com/2012/10/fun-facts-about-beatles-love/?view-all&firefox=1&Exc_D_LessThanPoint002_p1=1
- John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote this in 1958, when John was 17 and Paul was 16. They made time for songwriting by skipping school. They had written songs before, but this was the first one they liked enough to record.
- McCartney wrote this about his girlfriend at the time, Iris Caldwell.
- This was the Beatles first single. It was released in England by Parlophone Records, but it took a while before they could get a record company to distribute it in America. The Beatles wanted Capitol Records to release it in the US, but they refused, figuring it would flop. It went to Tollie Records, who released it in America during Beatlemania, about a year after it was released in England.
- Before they recorded this, Lennon always sang the lead vocal, but when his harmonica part was added, McCartney had to sing it because Lennon’s mouth was full of harmonica. Paul claims that you can hear the fear in his voice at the audition.
- When John’s Aunt Mimi heard this song, she said to him “Well, if you think you’re going to make a fortune with that, you’ve got another thing coming.”
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Love Me Do” is the Beatles‘ first single, backed by “P.S. I Love You” and released on 5 October 1962. When the single was originally released in the United Kingdom, it peaked at number seventeen; in 1982 it was re-promoted (not re-issued, retaining the same catalogue number) and reached number four. In the United States the single was a number one hit in 1964.
The Wiki article has so much information about this song I couldn’t and didn’t want to just copy it all. If you’d like to read it, this is where to find it:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Me_Do
“Love Me Do”, by The Beatles, was released in 1962 (UK), and 1964 (US), and can be found on the albums, “Please, Please Me”,, and “Introducing the Beatles”. The labels are Parlophone, Capitol, & Tollie. It was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
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You know I love you
I’ll always be true
So please, love me do
Whoa, love me do
You know I love you
I’ll always be true
So please, love me do
Whoa, love me do
Somebody new
Someone to love
Someone like you
You know I love you
I’ll always be true
So please, love me do
Whoa, love me do
You know I love you
I’ll always be true
So please, love me do
Whoa, love me do
Yeah, love me do
Whoa, oh, love me do
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Thanks for visiting! Peace ☮️
© 2020 BS
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teleportingweena 
Classic Beatles. Good choice Barbara
Thanks, Di!
I never get tired of Beatles songs. Glad you enjoyed this one. 🙂
So cool to see John on harp. Forgot about the intro of Love Me Do. The Fab 4 are…. well… Fab!
Thanks, Li!
It had been awhile since I’d heard this one, so was happy to find it again today. That was some good harmonica playing. I’ve tried, myself, and it is not easy! 🙂
Thanks for participating again Barbara and I love the song that you picked. I found everything that you wrote to be interesting.
Thanks, Jim!
Most times I never notice if there’s a harmonica in a song, but you sure can’t miss hearing this one. Great prompt, as there were so many to choose from. 🙂
❤
Thanks, Jill! ❤
I learned a while back that Tollie was a sub-label of Vee Jay Records, which issued “Introducing… The Beatles!” That’s a whole saga…
More trivia: John Lennon shoplifted his first harmonica from a store in Arnhem, The Netherlands. At least, that’s the story I read. Regardless, this was an excellent choice!
Thanks, John! The stolen harmonica was mentioned in the Wiki article. Pretty interesting how it became a feature of this song right from the start. I’d not heard of Tollie before. Strange with how the twists and turns of the recording industry and performers all come together to create memorable music. 🙂
Vee Jay was an interesting case. It started as a blues and R&B label, then added The Four Seasons and ended up being The Beatles’ label when Capitol passed on them. In retrospect, I don’t think Vee Jay could have handled the sheer volume that The Beatles generated. They were based in Gary, Indiana, which is virtually a suburb of Chicago, and WLS was the first station in the country to play a Beatles record (Dick Biondi got the honor). Guess he knew someone at Vee Jay who gave him a promo copy of “Love Me Do”…
It is interesting. Surprising, too, is that Capitol at first passed on signing them. Thanks for the extra information. 🙂
Such an awesome song. Yippee Beatles.
Thanks, Lauren! I know! I love Beatles songs, too. 🙂
This song is mentioned in the song I had planned on using for the DVA today, which would have been posted by now had it not been a horrible morning. I still plan on getting it up sometime today… and now I know why “Love Me Do” gets mentioned, as I did not know it was the Beatles first single!
Thanks, Bill.
I know the sadness of losing a pet. RIP Biskit ❤
I haven't yet read your DVA yet, so will see what you mean when I do.
My favorite song and favorite memory. I saw the Beatles in 1964 and my motorcycle has a Beatles paint theme on it. Can’t shake it out of my bones.
Thanks, Kathleen!
Wow! How amazing you saw the Beatles in concert! A memory never to be forgotten for sure.
Very cool to have a motorcycle with the theme painted on. 🙂