There aren’t many options left off the table for Paul McCartney when it comes to music. He had already achieved more than most artists could hope for as part of The Beatles, and even after their breakup, when he thought he was down and out, his solo career took some of the wildest left turns ever seen by an artist of his generation. Despite his extensive experience, McCartney could still get cold feet when he felt uncertain, and this nearly prevented him from performing the band’s breakout hit, ‘Love Me Do’.
Granted, it’s not like The Beatles were suddenly welcomed into the music industry with open arms. Nothing happens that smoothly, and their impressive chemistry with producer George Martin almost happened by accident when manager Brian Epstein got rejected by every single record company that he could find.
Since he was told that guitar groups were on the way out, Epstein brought the Liverpool lads back to Parlophone Records as a last-ditch effort, given that the label was known primarily for comedy. Even though Martin didn’t really think that they were capable of making the greatest songs in the world at that point, he saw enough potential for them to cut ‘Love Me Do’ as one of their first singles.
But by The Beatles’ standards, ‘Love Me Do’ is far from ‘Let It Be’ or ‘Hey Jude’ in terms of quality. The vocal chemistry is certainly there, but the amount of unforgettable moments from their later work is traded in just one bluesy harmonica solo from John Lennon and only one verse that’s repeated throughout the entire song. Very progressive, right?
While Lennon needed to get back to his harmonica for the instrumental break, Macca remembered being mortified to sing one line by himself, saying, “George Martin said, ‘John, I wonder if you can not sing that line’, he looks at me and goes, ‘Paul, you can sing it’. This is my first time in Abbey Road, and I know all the guys back in Liverpool are going to kill me because it’s not my line. So when I hear the record, I can still hear [me shaking], because I’m standing here, terrified out my wits and trying to pretend I’m not.”
If anything, the newer remastered versions of the song actually bring out that nervousness. Now that everything has been separated and there’s a broader stereo image, there’s definitely a noticeable hiccup in McCartney’s voice, almost sounding like he’s just on the verge of passing out from nerves on the record.
Then again, the group were right to be a little nervous. This was one of their final shots before they went back to Liverpool, and McCartney wanted to make sure that everything that he sang counted that day. While those initial sessions led to the group ditching Pete Best for Ringo Starr, the internal drama doesn’t make the song any less endearing.
It’s far from the best Beatles track around, and there are only a few parts going on throughout the tune, but recording ‘Love Me Do’ was never about being perfect. Rock and roll is about being a bit rough around the edges, so what’s the problem if the singer sounds a little bit nervous?
