John Lennon and Paul McCartney Wrote 1 of The Beatles’ No. 1 Songs in the Back of a Van
John Lennon said he had an easier time writing lyrics for The Beatles‘ songs than Paul McCartney did. In addition, he revealed he and Paul wrote two of The Beatles’ hits in the back of a van. Notably, one of those songs became a No. 1 single in the United States and the United Kingdom.
John Lennon said Paul McCartney cut corners while writing lyrics for The Beatles’ songs
The book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono includes an interview from 1980. In it, John was asked how he collaborated with Paul. “You’d have to break down the songs, which we’ll do,” he said.
“I always had an easier time with lyrics, although Paul is quite a capable lyricist — who doesn’t think he is, therefore he doesn’t try,” John added. “He would avoid the problem rather than face it.”
John Lennon and Paul McCartney could write songs together as long as they had a vague theme
John felt The Beatles’ early songs were vague. “In the early days lyrics didn’t really count as long as we had some vague theme: ‘She loves you, he loves her, and they love each other,'” he said. “It was the hook and the line and the sound we were going for. That’s still my attitude, but … I can’t leave lyrics alone; I have to make them make sense apart from the song.”
John said he and Paul worked together closely. “In those days, we really used to absolutely write like that — both playing into each other’s nose,” he revealed. “We spent hours and hours and hours … We wrote in the back of vans together. We wrote ‘She Loves You‘ in a van on the way to Newcastle. And ‘From Me to You.'”
How ‘She Loves You’ performed on the charts in the United States and the United Kingdom
“She Loves You” became a huge hit in the United States. The track topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, staying on the chart for 15 weeks in total. “She Loves You” appeared on the compilation album 1962-1966. The compilation reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for 175 weeks.
The Official Charts Company reports “She Loves You” was a hit in the United Kingdom as well. The tune was No. 1 in the U.K. for six weeks in the 1960s, lasting on the chart for 33 weeks. In 1982, “She Loves You” reached No. 45 and lasted on the chart for three weeks. Meanwhile, 1962-1966 peaked at No. 3 and stayed on the chart for 167 weeks.
“She Loves You” is a classic tune even if it has humble origins.
