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TL;DR:

  • A drummer for The Rolling Stones said The Beatles’ “Love Me Do” sounded sad at first.
  • He said Ringo Starr changed the song considerably.
  • The drummer for The Rolling Stones said the final version of “Love Me Do” was “joyous.”
"Love Me Do" era Beatles in black-and-white
The Beatles | V&A Images / Contributor

A drummer who’s worked for The Rolling Stones on tour was asked his opinion of The Beatles‘ “Love Me Do.” He felt the original version of the song sounded like a sad song in a different genre. Subsequently, the drummer discussed how Ringo Starr transformed the track.

A drummer for The Rolling Stones was originally more interested in The Beatles

Steve Jordan is a drummer with a fascinating career. He’s been a member of the Saturday Night Live Band, The Blues Brothers, and the John Mayer Trio. According to a 2021 Rolling Stone article, he worked with Keith Richards for 35 years before being asked to tour with The Rolling Stones. He took over for Charlie Watts due to Watts’ health issues.

Jordan revealed he was initially a fan of The Beatles more than he was a fan of The Rolling Stones. He said “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” got him interested in The Rolling Stones. In Jordan’s recollection, the track was so good that people enjoyed it even if they were more interested in other bands.

Steve Jordan said the original version of The Beatles’ ‘Love Me Do’ was ‘so slow’

In a 2022 article, The Guardian celebrated the 60th birthday of The Beatles’ “Love Me Do.” In the article, Jordan discussed his feelings about the song. “On the original demo of ‘Love Me Do’ featuring Pete Best on drums, the tempo is so slow it comes across as a melancholy country song,” he said. “By the time The Beatles recorded the original 1962 Parlophone single version, Ringo had joined.

“He thinks like a composer, so he picked up on the hook from the guitars and accentuated it on drums, and the song developed,” he added. “However, George Martin — who was new to making pop records — wasn’t happy with the drums. Ringo had only just joined the band and unlike the others had no studio experience.”

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Beatles: Why Mick Jagger Nearly Felt ‘Sick’ When He Heard ‘Love Me Do’

Steve Jordan said John Lennon and Paul McCartney didn’t do a great job on ‘Love Me Do’ at 1 point

Jordan said John Lennon’s and Paul McCartney’s performances on the early version of “Love Me Do” weren’t stellar. He said this was because they had to do it live in the studio. Subsequently, the band recorded the track again.

Jordan said the new version of “Love Me Do” is the version that became famous. “The drumbeat is executed better, but it’s still Ringo’s and he is part of ‘Love Me Do”s creative DNA,” he said. “Over the course of the three versions, it becomes the joyous debut we know today. Shortly afterwards, Ringo got the Ludwig [drum] kit he’s famous for, got the sound he wanted and the rest is history.”

Jordan might’ve collaborated with Richards but he can still see Ringo’s genius.

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