Chart entered : 11 October 1962
Chart peak : 4 ( on re-release in 1982 )
Number of hits : 33
I said I didn't want this blog to be a solo effort so here's the first outside contribution :
Here we are, then. I'm
sure we don't need to go into any biographical detail about this band, unless
any citizens of the planet Zarg are checking in. For a song that wasn't even a
top ten hit, it's significance is quite incredible.
But also, this brings
something of a quandary, to remove the song from the context. Love Me Do is
often held up as a sort of "Year Zero" for modern British pop - the
first hit from the band who would define a decade.
Because, to be
brutally honest, "Love Me Do" is a fairly average song. Or so I
thought, before remembering that I could sing it pretty much all the way
through before I'd even listened to it for the first time in years, which is
surely the sign of some kind of quality.
There's a bit of a
hoo-ha about who plays drums on which version - Ringo Starr plays on one
version, session man Andy White on another. I listened to the version on the
1962-1966 "Red" album, whichever one that is. Though the lyrics are
some inane, the blues harmonica riff works well, showing that Lennon was
familiar with the blues scene that would play a huge influence on many British
bands.
It's impact on introducing the band cannot be challenged, but Lennon and McCartney would soon be writing material that make it seem almost quaint.
D.C. Harrison
Thanks DC
ReplyDeleteJust picking up on a couple of points.
“Love Me Do” peaked at 4 in November 1982 after a huge marketing campaign centred around it being 20 years since its first release. EMI then announced it would be re-releasing every one of their singles on its 20th anniversary down of course to 1990 and it was interesting to track the public’s declining interest in the project as the decade progressed. Coming out straight after Live Aid, “Help” was the first one not to re-chart*. When “Love Me Do” managed just a single week at 53 on its 30th birthday I think they quietly shelved the idea of repeating the exercise and concentrated on the “Anthology” project instead.
Which brings me to the second topic. The first “Anthology” album contained the original “Love Me Do” featuring pop’s most famous fall guy, Pete Best. Now I’m no musician but I can tell that his timing’s well off ( not that the others are brilliant ). It’s easy to feel sorry for Pete who comes across as a nice, quiet bloke in interviews but his marriage is the longest lasting of any Beatle, he’s in good health and he got a substantial windfall in his fifties from his presence on Anthology 1. I’d say that’s still a pretty good deal from life.
* Excepting the anomalous “My Bonnie” and “Ain’t She Sweet” which were not included in the reissue schedule.
Having since listened to the "Love Me Do" with Best on drums, I agree it's not great, though Best isn't the only culprit in a flat performance.
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