All My Loving

AUTHORSHIP McCartney (1.00)
Though the majority of their early songs were co-written, 'All My Loving' was entirely Paul's, written on tour.
McCARTNEY: "It was the first song I'd ever written the words first. I never wrote words first, it was always some kind of accompaniment. I've hardly ever done it since either. We were on a tour bus going to a gig and so I started with the words. I had in my mine a little country and western song. We played the Moss Empire circuit a lot, and there were always these nice big empty backstage areas. The places have all become bingo halls now. We arrived at the gig and I remember being in one of these big backstage areas and there was a piano there so I'd got my instrument. I didn't gave a guitar, it was probably with our road manager, and I remember working the tune out to it on the piano. It was a good show song, it worked well live." Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now

McCARTNEY: "I always liked this. I think it was the first song where I wrote the words without the tune. I wrote the words on the tour bus with Roy Orbison. We did a lot of writing then. Then, when we got to the gig, I found a piano and worked out the music. That was the first time that I had actually written this way." The Beatles Off the Record: Outrageous Opinions & Unrehearsed Interviews

LENNON: "This was one of his first biggies." Hit Parader (April 1972)

McCARTNEY: "It was the first song I ever wrote where I had the words before the music. I wrote the words on a bus on tour, then we got the tune when I arrived there." Playboy (December 1984)

RECORDED
July 30, 1963, at Abbey Road

INSTRUMENTATION
McCARTNEY: bass, lead vocal (double-tracked)
LENNON: rhythm guitar
HARRISON: lead guitar
STARR: drums

MISCELLANEOUS
This song was part of the Beatles' repertoire for concerts in 1963 and 1964. The Complete Beatles Chronicle

COMMENTS BY BEATLES
LENNON: " 'All My Loving' is Paul, I regret to say. . . . Because it's a damn good piece of work. . . . But I play a pretty mean guitar in back." September 1980, All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono