P.S. I Love You (The Beatles song)
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- For other uses, see P.S. I Love You.
| "P.S. I Love You" | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Song by The Beatles | ||
| from the album Please Please Me | ||
| Released | October 5, 1962 (single B-side) March 22, 1963 (mono album) April 26, 1963 (stereo album) |
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| Recorded | September 11, 1962 | |
| Genre | Rock and roll | |
| Length | 2:02 | |
| Label | Parlophone | |
| Writer(s) | Lennon/McCartney | |
| Producer(s) | George Martin | |
| Please Please Me track listing | ||
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"P.S. I Love You" is a Lennon-McCartney song 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 treatment, and it misses the distinctive heavy drum beat that characterised most of the Beatles' 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. 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."
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." ("Soldier Boy" was a US #1 single for The Shirelles in 1962.)
With a fairly pleasant sounding melody, the verse could be considered typical McCartney. The young Lennon and McCartney would occasionally introduce traditionally jazz chords (almost certainly McCartney’s influence, as he was easily the more advanced musician at this early stage[1]) into some of their very early compositions, 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.
[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] 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
