5 Best Beatles Songs With the Word ‘Love’ in the Title
The Beatles‘ songs kept returning to one theme: love, love, love. In the same vein, several of the best Beatles songs have the word “love” in the title. Here are a few of The Beatles’ best songs with that magic word in their names.
5. ‘All You Need Is Love’
“All You Need Is Love” is a song with a great message. It also paved the way for John Lennon to write other “message” songs like “Give Peace a Chance,” “Imagine,” and “Working Class Hero.”
The book Lennon on Lennon: Conversations with John Lennon includes a 1972 interview with the rock star. In it, he discusses the tune. “I was saying to Yoko, I still believe all you need is love,” he said. “But I don’t believe that just saying it is gonna do it.
“I still believe in the fact that love is what we all need, that makes us all so desperate, frenetic, or neurotic, etc., etc.,” he added. “But I still believe there’s many ways of getting to that situation. There’s a lot of changes in society to come before we can ever get to a state of even realizing that love is what we need, you know?”
4. ‘And I Love Her’
Bossa nova music was a trend from the 1960s that the Fab Four mostly avoided. Despite this, “And I Love Her” includes some elements of the genre. It’s one of the more understated songs from the band’s early years, and that’s what makes it work.
Paul McCartney would go on to write some of the most beloved ballads of all time, like “Yesterday,” “Hey Jude,” and “Let It Be.” “And I Love Her” isn’t as important as those tracks, but it paved the way for them.
3. ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’
All of The Beatles drew influence from Elvis Presley. Of their hits, “Can’t Buy Me Love” might be the most indebted to the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. That’s awesome, but it’s kind of the problem here. This song would have worked better in Elvis’ hands. The melody is yearning to be performed by him!
Elvis covered a few Beatles hits, including “Get Back” and “Lady Madonna.” Sadly, he never recorded “Can’t Buy Me Love.”
2. ‘Love Me Do’
The Beatles’ “Love Me Do” is sometimes derided as more of a stepping stone to greatness than a great song in its own right. That’s precisely the wrong way of looking at it. “Love Me Do” is an awesome song that ranks alongside the best tracks by early rock ‘n’ roll icons like Little Richard, Elvis, and Chuck Berry.
Great songs aren’t always complex. Listening to “Love Me Do” today is a good reminder of that fact.
1. ‘Love You To’
One of the most underrated tracks in the Fab Four’s catalog, “Love You To” isn’t just a song. It’s a 3-minute spiritual journey. The fact that “Love You To” is so obscure shows George Harrison receives far too little attention.
While songs like “Love Me Do” and “Real Love” are about simple Valentine’s card love, “Love You To” makes love sound cosmic. It’s a great warm-up for the psychedelic album closer “Tomorrow Never Knows.”
Sometimes The Beatles wanted to write love songs — and what’s wrong with that?
