P.S. I Love You (The Beatles song)
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| "P.S. I Love You" | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Single by the Beatles | ||
| from the album Please Please Me | ||
| A-side(s) | "Love Me Do" | |
| Released | October 5, 1962 (single B-side) March 22, 1963 (mono album) April 26, 1963 (stereo album) |
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| Format | 7" (1962, 1982) CD, Digipak (1992) |
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| Recorded | Abbey Road Studios 4 and 11 September 1962 |
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| Genre | Rock and roll | |
| Length | 2:06 | |
| Label | Parlophone R4949 | |
| Writer(s) | Lennon-McCartney | |
| Producer(s) | George Martin | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| the Beatles singles chronology | ||
| "Love Me Do" (1962) |
"Please Please Me" (1963) |
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| Please Please Me track listing | ||
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"P.S. I Love You" is a song composed principally by Paul McCartney [1] credited to McCartney-Lennon, which was first recorded by the Beatles and released on October 5, 1962 as the B-side of their "Love Me Do" single. It is also included on their 1963 album Please Please Me.
The version featured on the single and album was recorded in ten takes on September 11, 1962 at Abbey Road Studios, London. Session drummer Andy White gave the recording a lightweight cha cha [2] treatment, and consequently it misses the distinctive heavy drum beat that characterised most of their early music. The Beatles (with Ringo Starr playing drums) also recorded this song at the BBC on October 25, 1962; November 27, 1962 and June 17, 1963 for subsequent broadcast on the BBC radio programmes Here We Go, Talent Spot, and Pop Go the Beatles, respectively.
Written in 1961 while Paul McCartney was in Hamburg, this song is sometimes considered to be a dedication to his then-girlfriend, Dot Rhone[3]. However, McCartney denies this; he described "P.S. I Love You" as
- a theme song based on a letter.... It was pretty much mine. I don't think John had much of a hand in it. There are certain themes that are easier than others to hang a song on, and a letter is one of them.... It's not based in reality, nor did I write it to my girlfriend from Hamburg, which some people think.[4]
John Lennon said about this song:
- That's Paul's song. He was trying to write a Soldier Boy like the Shirelles. He wrote that in Germany, or when we were going to and from Hamburg. I might have contributed something. I can't remember anything in particular. It was mainly his song.[citation needed]
("Soldier Boy" was a US #1 single for the Shirelles in 1962.)
With a pleasant sounding melody, the verse and chorus could be considered typical McCartney. The young Lennon and McCartney would often introduce what might be considered incongruous sounding jazz chords into their very early compositions (almost certainly McCartney’s influence, as he was easily the more advanced musician at this early stage[5] ) as is this case here using C# diminished. On its twentieth anniversary, Parlophone re-issued "P.S. I Love You" as a picture disc, and shortly afterwards as a 12-inch disc.
Contents |
[edit] Instrumentation
- Paul McCartney on bass, lead vocal
- John Lennon on acoustic guitar (electrified Gibson J-160E), lead vocal
- George Harrison on lead guitar (electrified Gibson J-160E)
- Andy White on drums
- Ringo Starr on maracas
[edit] Cover versions
"P.S. I Love You" has been covered by:
- Sonny Curtis in 1964
- the Italian singer Riki Maiocchi in 1965
- Peter Lipa on his 2003 album Beatles in Blue(s), which features unusual cover versions of 16 Beatles songs
[edit] References
- ^ Bill Harry The Ultimate Beatles Encyclopedia P.583
- ^ Ian MacDonald Revolution in the Head P.54
- ^ Ian MacDonald Revolution in the Head P.54
- ^ Paul McCartney Many Years From Now P.37
- ^ Paul McCartney & Barry Miles, Many Years From Now, p. 30
[edit] External links
- Alan W. Pollack's Notes on "P.S. I Love You"
- Listing for "P.S. I Love You" at Steve's Beatles Page
- Listing for "P.S. I Love You" at The Complete Guide to the Beatles' Instruments
