John Lennon and Paul McCartney Gave Away the Song That Became a Singer’s First No. 1 Hit

The Beatles became titans of pop music thanks to their long list of No. 1 hits. Paul McCartney and John Lennon developed into such prolific songwriters that they could afford to give away hit songs. They gave “Bad to Me” to Billy J. Kramer, and it became his first chart-topping song.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney gave Billy J. Kramer the song that became his first No. 1

John and Paul never hesitated to give away songs to other artists, even before they fully developed their songwriting skills. They gave up on the would-be Beatles song “That Means a Lot” and gave it to P.J. Proby. His rock-steady voice helped make it a modest success. The Fab Four’s arrangement of a pre-written tune was an unreleased Beatles song that topped the chart for Gerry & the Pacemakers.

English singer Billy J. Kramer was an early beneficiary of Paul and John’s songwriting benevolence. The Beatles duo gave away the song “Bad to Me,” and Kramer took it to No. 1 in England in the middle of 1963. The tune spent 14 weeks on the charts, including three weeks at the top (per Official Charts Company). It was Kramer’s first chart-topping song.

“Bad to Me” sounded very reminiscent of Beatles songs of the era, at least based on Kramer’s Ed Sullivan Show performance of the song in 1964 (via YouTube). There was the lilting melody, sweet lyrics covering innocent young love, and a brief runtime that lasted barely over two minutes. Even though Paul and John gave the song away, Kramer’s tune elicited nearly the same hysterical screams The Beatles received when they played Sullivan earlier in 1964.

Kramer covered a Beatles song that became his first successful single

The Fab Four’s debut album, Please Please Me, changed the game. Its track listing included several covers, but the originals became sensational hits. “Love Me Do” had already cracked the top 20 in England several months before the album hit shelves in March 1963. The song “Please Please Me” rose to No. 2.

Kramer also raced up the charts with a Beatles song in 1963. Kramer and his backing band, the Dakotas, reached No. 2 in late May 1963 with their cover of “Do You Want to Know a Secret,” per the Official Charts Company. It’s probably not surprising that The Beatles held the top spot with “From Me to You,” which was one of the Fab Four’s most successful songs in England.

“Do You Want to Know a Secret” never charted for the Fab Four in England, though it went to No. 2 on the Billboard charts in 1964. That was the year dozens of The Beatles’ top 100 songs achieved success in the United States.

Paul and John gave Kramer 3 other songs, and 2 hit the top 10

John and Paul gave away the song that became Kramer’s first No. 1 hit. They didn’t stop there.

Kramer and the Dakotas took the Lennon-McCartney song “I’ll Keep You Satisfied” to No. 4 in England in November 1963. They went to No. 10 with “From a Window” in August 1964. John and Paul gave “I’ll Be on My Way” to Kramer, but that song never reached the charts in England. 

Interestingly, George Martin wrote a song, “I Know,” on Listen, the debut album from Kramer and the Dakotas. The album closed with a cover of The Beatles’ song “I Call Your Name,” per AllMusic. 

John Lennon and Paul McCartney gave away “Bad to Me” to Billy J. Kramer, and he took the song to the top of the charts. John and Paul gifted Kramer several other songs that had varied chart success, and he covered two Beatles songs early in his career. That wasn’t the worst way to find success in the music industry in the early 1960s.

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