John Lennon once shared that The Beatles’ hit “Love Me Do” was one of the first songs he and Paul McCartney wrote together. Paul had started working on the track at a young age, and they eventually finished it over time. Reflecting on the process in 1972, Lennon described how it felt to sing the song initially, explaining that it was a challenging experience for him.
In the book Lennon on Lennon: Conversations with John Lennon, John explained, “‘Love Me Do’ is one of the first ones we wrote ourselves, you know. Paul started it when he was about 15, and we worked on it over the years before recording it.” The song represented a bold step for the band as they began to experiment with their own material.
Lennon described the moment as a significant and somewhat intimidating one, saying, “It was the first one we’d sort of dared do on our own. We were used to performing other people’s hits, especially artists like Ray Charles and Little Richard, who were big influences on us.”
The Beatles’ decision to write and perform their own songs marked a turning point in their career, though Lennon admitted it was a somewhat “traumatic” shift. Despite their initial discomfort, “Love Me Do” became a hit that resonated across generations.
