Tuesday, January 17, 2006

A World Without Love

AUTHORSHIP McCartney (1.00)
Peter and Gordon spent two years circulating tapes to record companies, trying to make a name for themselves, but to no avail - until Paul began going out with Jane Asher. Then record companies suddenly became very interested indeed. Peter Asher met an A & R man at the Pickwick Club who was quickly convinced of their talent and signed them to EMI. Now that Peter had a record label, Paul gave him a song to launch his career. It was called 'World Without Love', something Paul wrote when he was sixteen at Forthlin Road though he changed the words a bit for Peter and Gordon.

McCARTNEY: "So I got in with Peter and met Gordon. But Peter was part of a crowd and he knew a slightly different group of people from me. I could talk to him about anything. I was slightly older. I was the Beatle. We were both interested in music and I wrote their first hit song." Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now

LENNON: "An early one he wrote when he was about sixteen or seventeen. I think he changed the words later for the record by Peter and Garfunkel or something." Hit Parader (April 1972)
Lennon derisively thought the lyrics of this song were hilarious, particuarly the line "Please lock me away." Lennon : The Definitive Biography

McCARTNEY: "The funny first line always used to please John. 'Please lock me away -' 'Yes, okay.' End of song. It was an early song of mine that we didn't use for the Beatles that I thought would be good for Peter and Gordon - and it was." Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now

Paul had previously offered it to Billy J. Kramer, who rejected it. It was released in Britain on February 28, 1964, and reached number one in May, actually pushing the Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" from the top of the charts. In America it reached number one in June. A double US/UK number-one record was not a bad way to start a career. It also showed that even a song that Paul did not regard as good enough for the Beatles could still be commercial. Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now

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