P.S. I Love You (song)

"P.S. I Love You"

Original "Love Me Do" 45
Single by The Beatles
from the album Please Please Me
A-side "Love Me Do"
Released 5 October 1962
27 April 1964 (US)
Recorded 4 and 11 September 1962
EMI Studios, London
Genre Beat
Length 2:06
Label Parlophone R4949
Tollie 9008 (US)
Writer(s) Lennon–McCartney
Producer Ron Richards
The Beatles singles chronology



—
"Can't Buy Me Love"
(US-1964)		 "Love Me Do"
(UK-1962)
—
"Love Me Do"
(US-1964)		 "Please Please Me"
(UK-1963)
—
"A Hard Day's Night"
(US-1964)
Please Please Me track listing

"P.S. I Love You" is a song composed principally by Paul McCartney[1] (credited to Lennon–McCartney) and recorded by The Beatles. It was released on 5 October 1962 as the B-side of their debut single "Love Me Do" and is also included on their 1963 album Please Please Me. It was later included on the Beatles compilation Love Songs.

Contents

Recording

The version featured on the single and album was recorded in ten takes on 11 September 1962 at EMI's Abbey Road Studios, London. Producer George Martin had booked session drummer Andy White as a replacement for Pete Best, whom he considered not technically good enough for recording purposes (Martin was unaware that Best had been fired and replaced by Ringo Starr who plays maracas on the song). White was a freelance showband and session drummer, and gave the recording a lightweight cha cha treatment.[2]

Martin was not present at the session, which was run by Ron Richards in his absence. Richards told the group that the song could not be the A-side of their single because of an earlier song of the same title: "I was originally a music publishing man, a plugger, so I knew someone had done a record with that title. I said to Paul 'You can have it as B-side, but not an A-side'"[3] (despite other titles having been used for multiple hit songs without legal difficulties).

The Beatles (with Starr playing drums) also recorded this song at the BBC on 25 October 1962, 27 November 1962, and 17 June 1963 for subsequent broadcast on the BBC radio programs Here We Go, Talent Spot, and Pop Go The Beatles, respectively.

Inspiration

Written in 1961, while Paul McCartney was in Hamburg, this song is sometimes considered to be a dedication to his then-girlfriend Dot Rhone.[2] 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:[5]

“ 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.)

Melodically it could be considered in retrospect as typical of McCartney's writing style, with Lennon contributing a single note harmony emphasising the beginning of each stanza. There are two notable exceptions to the contemporaneous model. During the opening chorus the chord C#7 is placed incongruously between G and D (on write), and during the song’s title phrase a sudden shift to B♭occurs underneath "P.S. I love you" which Ian MacDonald described as "a dark sidestep".[6] Lyrically constructed with their female audience in mind, the Beatles included it as part of their Cavern Club song set where it was a favourite of the fans.[7] The Beatles admired Buddy Holly and the Crickets (best demonstrated by their cover of "Words of Love" on the Beatles for Sale album). Writer Jonathan Cott suggested that the "P.S." part of the song was a subtle reference to "Peggy Sue", from the lyric "I love you, Peggy Sue".[8]

Re-release

On its 20th anniversary, Parlophone re-issued "P.S. I Love You" as a picture disc, and shortly afterwards as a 12-inch disc.

Personnel

Personnel per Ian MacDonald[2]

Charts

Year Chart Peak
position
1962 UK Singles Chart 17
1964 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 10
1982 UK Singles Chart 4

Cover versions

"P.S. I Love You" has been covered by:

Notes

  1. ^ Harry 2000, p. 892.
  2. ^ a b c MacDonald 2005, p. 61.
  3. ^ Lewisohn 1988, p. 20.
  4. ^ Miles 1997, p. 37.
  5. ^ Sheff 2000, p. 168.
  6. ^ MacDonald 1997, p. 54.
  7. ^ MacDonald 1997, p. 61.
  8. ^ Rolling Stone 1976, p. 81.

References

  • Harry, Bill (2000). The Beatles Encyclopedia: Revised and Updated. London: Virgin Publishing. ISBN 0-7535-0481-2. 
  • Lewisohn, Mark (1988). The Beatles Recording Sessions. New York: Harmony Books. ISBN 0-517-57066-1. 
  • MacDonald, Ian (2005). Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties (Second Revised ed.). London: Pimlico (Rand). ISBN 1-844-13828-3. 
  • Miles, Barry (1997). Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now. New York: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 0-8050-5249-6. 
  • Sheff, David (2000). All We Are Saying. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-25464-4. 
  • The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll. Rolling Stone Press/Random House. 1976. ISBN 0-394-73238-3. 
  • MacDonald, Ian (1998). Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties. London: Pimlico (Rand). ISBN 0-7126-6697-4. 

External links

Related articles
Songs