P.S. I Love You (Beatles song)
The Beatles released P.S. I Love You on the 5th of October 1962 as the B-side to their debut single Love Me Do. This track appeared on their first album Please Please Me in 1963 and later on Introducing... The Beatles for American audiences in 1964. Parlophone re-issued the song as a picture disc on its 20th anniversary, followed by a 12-inch version shortly after. The track also found a home on the compilation album Love Songs released in 1977.
Producer Ron Richards ran the session at EMI's Abbey Road Studios on the 11th of September 1962 without George Martin present. Richards hired session drummer Andy White because he believed Pete Best lacked technical skill for recording purposes. Martin had not realized the band had already replaced Best with Ringo Starr who played maracas during this take. White gave the recording a lightweight cha cha treatment while playing drums instead of Starr. Richards told Paul McCartney that the song could not be an A-side due to an earlier record sharing the same title.
The group recorded three live versions for BBC radio programmes between late 1962 and mid-1963. They performed on Here We Go on the 25th of October 1962 and Talent Spot on the 27th of November 1962 before appearing on Pop Go the Beatles on the 17th of June 1963. The 17th of June 1963 broadcast featured Starr playing drums rather than maracas and was officially published on On Air , Live at the BBC Volume 2 in 2013. These sessions captured the band performing the track in front of studio audiences.
Paul McCartney wrote the song in spring 1962 while staying in Hamburg. Melodically it features a D flat seven chord placed incongruously between G and D during the opening chorus. A sudden shift to B flat occurs underneath the title phrase which Ian MacDonald described as a dark sidestep. Lennon contributes a single note harmony emphasizing the beginning of each stanza. Lyrically constructed with their female audience in mind, the band included it as part of their Cavern Club song set.
P.S. I Love You reached number fourteen on Italian charts and peaked at ten on the US Billboard Hot 100 during 1964. Year-end rankings placed the song at position one hundred seven on Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual for that same year. These figures reflect its commercial reach across different markets despite being a B-side release. The track maintained visibility through re-issues and compilation appearances over subsequent decades.
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Common questions
When was P.S. I Love You released by The Beatles?
The Beatles released P.S. I Love You on the 5th of October 1962 as the B-side to their debut single Love Me Do.
Who produced the recording session for P.S. I Love You at EMI's Abbey Road Studios?
Producer Ron Richards ran the session for P.S. I Love You on the 11th of September 1962 without George Martin present.
Which BBC radio programmes featured live versions of P.S. I Love You between late 1962 and mid-1963?
The group recorded three live versions for Here We Go on the 25th of October 1962, Talent Spot on the 27th of November 1962, and Pop Go the Beatles on the 17th of June 1963.
Where did Paul McCartney write the song P.S. I Love You in spring 1962?
Paul McCartney wrote the song in spring 1962 while staying in Hamburg.
What chart positions did P.S. I Love You reach during 1964?
P.S. I Love You reached number fourteen on Italian charts and peaked at ten on the US Billboard Hot 100 during 1964.