Love Songs (The Beatles album)
Encyclopedia
Love Songs is a compilation album
that comprises love song
s recorded by The Beatles
between 1962 and 1970. It was released by Capitol Records
in the United States on 21 October 1977 (catalogue number SKBL-11711) and on Parlophone
in the United Kingdom on 19 November 1977 (PCSP 721.) The compilation peaked at #24 in Billboard
's Top LPs & Tape chart
during a thirty-one week stay that began on 12 November 1977. The RIAA
certified the album with sales of three million units in 2000 even though the compilation was deleted in the late 1980s.
The New Zealand release followed the US release with cat. no. and pressing plates, and was released on 2 different EMI labels.
The LP's original packaging included an 11 x 11" booklet, with the songs' lyrics
printed, calligraphy
-style, on simulated parchment paper. For the first several pressings, the cover itself was simulated leather, and the Beatles' image (a re-working of Richard Avedon
's 1967 portrait, featured in Look Magazine
) was simulated gold-foil. The LP was also available on yellow vinyl.
and Paul McCartney
(see Lennon/McCartney
), except where noted.
LP 1
Side one
Side two
LP 2
Side one
Side two
in promotion of the compilation. The song "Girl" was going to be backed
with "You're Going to Lose That Girl
" as Capitol 4506. Picture sleeves for the single were printed, but the record was cancelled in early October 1977.
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
that comprises love song
Love song
A love song is about falling in love and the feelings it brings. Anthologies of love songs often contain a mixture of both of these types of song. A bawdy song is both humorous and saucy, emphasizing the physical pleasure of love rather than the emotional joy...
s 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...
between 1962 and 1970. It was released by Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
in the United States on 21 October 1977 (catalogue number SKBL-11711) and on Parlophone
Parlophone
Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
in the United Kingdom on 19 November 1977 (PCSP 721.) The compilation peaked at #24 in Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
's Top LPs & Tape chart
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
during a thirty-one week stay that began on 12 November 1977. The RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
certified the album with sales of three million units in 2000 even though the compilation was deleted in the late 1980s.
The New Zealand release followed the US release with cat. no. and pressing plates, and was released on 2 different EMI labels.
The LP's original packaging included an 11 x 11" booklet, with the songs' lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
printed, calligraphy
Calligraphy
Calligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
-style, on simulated parchment paper. For the first several pressings, the cover itself was simulated leather, and the Beatles' image (a re-working of Richard Avedon
Richard Avedon
Richard Avedon was an American photographer. An obituary published in The New York Times said that "his fashion and portrait photographs helped define America's image of style, beauty and culture for the last half-century."-Photography career:Avedon was born in New York City to a Jewish Russian...
's 1967 portrait, featured in Look Magazine
Look (American magazine)
Look was a bi-weekly, general-interest magazine published in Des Moines, Iowa from 1937 to 1971, with more of an emphasis on photographs than articles...
) was simulated gold-foil. The LP was also available on yellow vinyl.
Track listing
All tracks written by John LennonJohn 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...
and Paul McCartney
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...
(see Lennon/McCartney
Lennon/McCartney
The Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership is one of the best-known and most successful musical collaborations in history...
), except where noted.
LP 1
Side one
- "YesterdayYesterday (song)"Yesterday" is a song originally recorded by The Beatles for their 1965 album Help!. The song first hit the United Kingdom top 10 three months after the release of Help!. The song remains popular today with more than 1,600 cover versions, one of the most covered songs in the history of recorded...
" – 2:03 - "I'll Follow the SunI'll Follow the Sun"I'll Follow the Sun" is a song by The Beatles. It is a melancholy ballad written and sung by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was released in 1964 on the Beatles for Sale album in the United Kingdom and on Beatles '65 in the United States, but was written long before that year:...
" – 1:47 - "I Need You" (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...
) – 2:27 - "Girl" – 2:30
- "In My LifeIn My Life"In My Life" is a song by The Beatles written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney . The song originated with Lennon, and while Paul McCartney contributed to the final version, the extent of his contribution is in dispute. George Martin contributed the instrumental bridge...
" – 2:24 - "Words of LoveWords 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...
" (Buddy HollyBuddy HollyCharles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
) – 2:12 - "Here, There and EverywhereHere, There and Everywhere"Here, There and Everywhere" is a song written primarily by Paul McCartney , recorded for The Beatles 1966 album Revolver. In his biography Many Years From Now, McCartney said the song is one of his favourites. Beatles' producer George Martin has also mentioned it as one of his favourite McCartney...
" – 2:22
Side two
- "SomethingSomething"Something" is a song by The Beatles, written by lead guitarist George Harrison in 1969. It was featured on the album Abbey Road, and was also the first song written by Harrison to appear on the A-side of a Beatles' single...
" (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...
) – 3:00 - "And I Love HerAnd I Love Her"And I Love Her" is a song recorded by The Beatles, written mainly by Paul McCartney . The fifth track on their third album, A Hard Day's Night, it was released 20 July 1964 with "If I Fell" as a single by Capitol Records in the United States, reaching #12 in Billboard.The Beatles performed "And I...
" – 2:28 - "If I FellIf I Fell"If I Fell" is a song by The Beatles which first appeared in 1964 on the album A Hard Day's Night in the United Kingdom and on the North American album Something New...
" – 2:18 - "I'll Be BackI'll Be Back (song)"I'll Be Back" is a John Lennon composition credited to Lennon–McCartney, and recorded by The Beatles for the soundtrack LP to their film "A Hard Day's Night"...
" – 2:21 - "Tell Me What You SeeTell Me What You See"Tell Me What You See" is a Beatles song that first appeared on their United Kingdom album Help! and the United States album Beatles VI. As with all Beatles compositions by either of the two, the song is credited to Lennon–McCartney, and according to Paul McCartney it was written 60% by him, 40% by...
" – 2:35 - "Yes It IsYes It Is"Yes It Is" is a 1965 Beatles song written by John Lennon which was first released as the B-side to "Ticket to Ride"...
" – 2:38
LP 2
Side one
- "MichelleMichelle (song)"Michelle" is a love ballad by The Beatles, mainly written by Paul McCartney, with the middle eight co-written with John Lennon. It is featured on their Rubber Soul album. The song departs from most of The Beatles' other recordings in that some of the lyrics are in French...
" – 2:40 - "It's Only LoveIt's Only Love"It's Only Love" is a song written mostly by John Lennon, and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was first released by The Beatles in 1965, on the Help! album in the United Kingdom, and on the Rubber Soul album in the United States....
" – 1:55 - "You're Going to Lose That GirlYou're Going to Lose That Girl"You're Going to Lose That Girl" is a song by the Beatles from the album and film Help!, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Capitol Records originally titled the song "You're Gonna Lose That Girl" in the United States.-Composition and recording:...
" – 2:16 - "Every Little ThingEvery Little Thing (song)"Every Little Thing" is a song written by Paul McCartney and performed by The Beatles on their 1964 British album Beatles for Sale. In North America, Capitol released it as the last track on Beatles VI.-Composition:...
" – 2:01 - "For No OneFor No One"For No One" is a song written by Paul McCartney that originally appeared on The Beatles' seventh album, Revolver. A baroque pop song about the end of a relationship, it was one of McCartney's most mature and poignant works upon its release...
" – 1:59 - "She's Leaving HomeShe's Leaving Home"She's Leaving Home" is a song credited to Lennon–McCartney and released in 1967 on The Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. McCartney wrote and sang the verse and Lennon the chorus...
" – 3:35
Side two
- "The Long and Winding RoadThe Long and Winding Road"The Long and Winding Road" is a ballad written by Paul McCartney that originally appeared on The Beatles' album Let It Be. It became The Beatles' 20th and last number-one song in the United States on 23 May 1970, and was the last single released by the quartet...
" – 3:37 - "This BoyThis Boy"This Boy" is a song by English rock band The Beatles released in November 1963 as the B-side of the British Parlophone single "I Want to Hold Your Hand". The Beatles performed it live on 16 February 1964 for their second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show...
" – 2:12 - "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)"Norwegian Wood " is a song by The Beatles, first released on the 1965 album Rubber Soul....
" – 2:02 - "You've Got to Hide Your Love AwayYou've Got to Hide Your Love Away"You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" is a song by The Beatles. It was written and sung by John Lennon and released on the album Help! in August 1965.-Composition and recording:...
" – 2:07 - "I Will" – 1:46
- "P.S. I Love YouP.S. I Love You (The Beatles song)"P.S. I Love You" is a song composed principally by Paul 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...
" – 2:02
Cancelled single
Capitol Records originally intended to release a singleSingle (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...
in promotion of the compilation. The song "Girl" was going to be backed
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...
with "You're Going to Lose That Girl
You're Going to Lose That Girl
"You're Going to Lose That Girl" is a song by the Beatles from the album and film Help!, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Capitol Records originally titled the song "You're Gonna Lose That Girl" in the United States.-Composition and recording:...
" as Capitol 4506. Picture sleeves for the single were printed, but the record was cancelled in early October 1977.
External links
- Love Songs at Graham Calkin's Beatles Pages