How the Beatles Put Their Foot Down About Their Debut Single (And Why It Paid Off)
The Beatles had a lot riding on their debut single in the early 1960s. Would the band make a decent first impression or be doomed to be nothing more than a house band for dark, dank clubs across Europe? The music they recorded at EMI Studios had the potential to elevate them from local Liverpudlian heroes to international stars. Of course, plenty of bands have successfully come back from a poorly received debut. But would such a comeback be possible for a relatively unknown band from northern England?
Even with their countless hours of stage time under their belt, the Beatles were facing an obstacle they had never before encountered. Unsurprisingly, the band had strong feelings about which songs did—and didn’t—meet their necessary criteria for a successful debut single.
In the early 1960s, shopping for songs in Tin Pan Alley was a far more common practice than bands releasing original material. But as history would show time and time again, the Beatles were anything but ordinary. The songwriting partnership of John Lennon and Paul McCartney was well underway. And that’s what the band wanted to highlight with their first singles. So, the band voted for an original they felt had some real weight behind it: “Love Me Do.” Their producer, George Martin, disagreed.
Source: americansongwriter.com/Melanie Davis
