P.S. I Love You (The Beatles song)
Encyclopedia
"P.S. I Love You" is a song composed principally by Paul McCartney
(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
.
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.
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'" (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.
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
John Lennon
said about this 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". 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. 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".
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
(credited to Lennon/McCartney) and recorded by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
. It was released on 5 October 1962 as the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of their debut single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"Love Me Do
Love Me Do
"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-issued and reached number four...
" and is also included on their 1963 album Please Please Me
Please Please Me
Please Please Me is the debut album by the English rock band The Beatles. Parlophone rush-released the album on 22 March 1963 in the United Kingdom to capitalise on the success of singles "Please Please Me" and "Love Me Do" .Of the album's fourteen songs, eight were written by Lennon–McCartney...
. It was later included on the Beatles compilation Love Songs
Love Songs (The Beatles album)
Love Songs is a compilation album that comprises love songs recorded by The Beatles between 1962 and 1970. It was released by Capitol Records in the United States on 21 October 1977 and on Parlophone in the United Kingdom on 19 November 1977 The compilation peaked at #24 in Billboard's Top LPs &...
.
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 MartinGeorge Martin
Sir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...
had booked session drummer Andy White
Andy White (drummer)
Andrew "Andy" White is a Scottish drummer, best known for replacing Ringo Starr on drums on The Beatles' first single, "Love Me Do". White featured on the American 7" single release of the song, which also appeared on the band's debut British album, Please Please Me. He also played drums on the...
as a replacement for Pete Best
Pete Best
Pete Best is a British musician, best known as the original drummer in The Beatles. He was born in the city of Madras, British India...
, whom he considered not technically good enough for recording purposes (Martin was unaware that Best had been fired and replaced by Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
who plays maracas on the song). White was a freelance showband and session drummer, and gave the recording a lightweight cha cha
Cha-cha-cha (music)
The Cha-cha-chá is a style of Cuban music. It is popular dance music which developed from the danzón in the early 1950s.- Origin :As a dance music genre, cha-cha-chá is unusual in that its creation can be attributed to a single composer, Enrique Jorrín, then violinist and songwriter with the...
treatment.
Martin was not present at the session, which was run by Ron Richards
Ron Richards (producer)
Ron Richards was a British record producer, best known for discovering The Hollies.Born Ronald Richard Pratley in London, England, he played the piano and saxophone for the Central Band of the Royal Air Force. Richards later worked at EMI's Parlophone imprint as an assistant to producer George...
in his absence. Richards told the group that the song could not be the A-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of their single because of an earlier song of the same title
P.S. I Love You (1934 song)
"P.S. I Love You" is a popular song. The music was written by Gordon Jenkins, the lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The song was published in 1934.The original hit version in the 1930s was recorded by Rudy Vallée. It was revived in the 1950s by The Hilltoppers and in the 1960s by The Vogues, and again in...
: "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'" (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
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
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 McCartneyPaul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
was in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, 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
John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
said about this 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
Stanza
In poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger poem. In modern poetry, the term is often equivalent with strophe; in popular vocal music, a stanza is typically referred to as a "verse"...
. 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
Ian MacDonald
Ian MacCormick was a British music critic and author, best known for Revolution in the Head, his forensic history of The Beatles which borrowed techniques from art historians, and The New Shostakovich, a controversial study of the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich...
described as "a dark sidestep". 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. The Beatles admired Buddy Holly and the Crickets
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
(best demonstrated by their cover of "Words of Love
Words of Love
"Words of Love" is a song written by Buddy Holly and recorded by him on April 8, 1957. Holly harmonized for himself, by tape-recording each part and combining them. The song was not a notable hit for Holly, although it is regarded as one of his important recordings, and is available in most...
" on the Beatles for Sale
Beatles for Sale
Beatles for Sale is the fourth studio album by the English rock band The Beatles, released in late 1964 and produced by George Martin for Parlophone. The album marked a minor turning point in the evolution of Lennon and McCartney as lyricists, John Lennon particularly now showing interest in...
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".
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
- Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
– vocalLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
– backing vocalBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, acousticAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... - George HarrisonGeorge HarrisonGeorge Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
– backing vocal, lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... - Ringo StarrRingo StarrRichard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
– maracas - Andy WhiteAndy White (drummer)Andrew "Andy" White is a Scottish drummer, best known for replacing Ringo Starr on drums on The Beatles' first single, "Love Me Do". White featured on the American 7" single release of the song, which also appeared on the band's debut British album, Please Please Me. He also played drums on the...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Ron RichardsRon Richards (producer)Ron Richards was a British record producer, best known for discovering The Hollies.Born Ronald Richard Pratley in London, England, he played the piano and saxophone for the Central Band of the Royal Air Force. Richards later worked at EMI's Parlophone imprint as an assistant to producer George...
– producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music... - Norman Smith – engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- Personnel per Ian MacDonaldIan MacDonaldIan MacCormick was a British music critic and author, best known for Revolution in the Head, his forensic history of The Beatles which borrowed techniques from art historians, and The New Shostakovich, a controversial study of the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich...
Charts
| Year | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
17 |
| 1964 | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
10 |
| 1982 | UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
4 |
Cover versions
"P.S. I Love You" has been covered by:- Sonny CurtisSonny CurtisSonny Curtis is an American singer and songwriter. Most of his work falls into the Pop and Country genres. He was a teenage pal and band member with Buddy Holly in Lubbock, Texas...
in 1964 - Peter LipaPeter LipaPeter Lipa is a Slovak singer, composer and promoter of jazz.Lipa was born in Prešov, and has mainly worked in Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. His roots are blues, soul and mainstream classical, and his work ranges from jazz standards through to funk and rock.In 2003, he released...
on his 2003 album Beatles in Blue(s), which features unusual cover versions of sixteen Beatles songs.