The Beatles Song That Paul McCartney Was Scared to Record

In the broad scope of the Beatles‘ career, “Love Me Do” isn’t their most sophisticated. We can’t imagine that a band that was later able to play songs like “A Day in the Life” would falter at the thought of playing this simple, pop-leaning tune. Nevertheless, a young Paul McCartney found the task a little daunting. Find out why, below.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1973: George Harrison Knocked Ex-Beatles Bandmate Paul McCartney from the Top of the ‘Billboard’ Charts]

The Beatles Song That Paul McCartney Was Scared to Record

Love, love me do

You know I love you

I’ll always be true

So please, love me do

Whoa, love me do

We can imagine it would be hard to muster up confidence as a musician before you’ve earned your break. The life of a burgeoning star is riddled with rejection and momentary failures. When the Beatles were trying to earn their spot in the world of rock, “Love Me Do” became their big break–their confidence builder.

The snappy, mid-tempo song acted as the band’s debut single, setting them on their way to world-wide renown. However, the nerves that come along with a watershed moment such as that almost made McCartney buckle under the pressure.

Someone to love

Somebody new

Someone to love

Someone like you

According to McCartney, George Martin made him sing a few lines of the song alone–much to McCartney’s dismay.

“George Martin said, ‘John, I wonder if you can not sing that line’, he looks at me and goes, ‘Paul, you can sing it,'” McCartney once recalled. “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.”

You can hear tinges of McCartney’s nervousness in the final recording of “Love Me Do.” Revisit the song, below.

(Photo by Leslie Lee/Express Newspapers/Getty Images)