THE BEATLES - “Can’t Buy Me Love”
(4th April 1964)
“I don’t care too much for money”, they sing sweetly as they conquer the world. By accident or design, this feels like a slight nod backwards for The Beatles - a solid, skiffley strumalong married to some earthy good sense (was “money can’t buy me love” even a saying before they said it?). The song takes off halfway through with a satisfyingly jangling solo and the band performance is as impressive as ever but this is still the least thrilling of their early hits. 6
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FT's SteveIson on July 22nd, 2008
Easily weakest of all their #1s(with the exception maybe of Ballad Of John and Yoko)
DJ Punctum on July 22nd, 2008
insightful
rosie on July 22nd, 2008
That was mean, Marcello! And you know it…
The point is, at the time nobody knew how the Beatles were going to develop. In the context of what was around it, and not all of it was at all bad, CBML stood out from the crowd. So, for that matter, did Love Me Do, which we aren’t dealing with here: I know I was only eight when I first heard it but I was already an enthusiastic listener to Luxy (under the bedclothes, as you did) but Love Me Do stood out instantly when I first heard it.
DJ Punctum on July 22nd, 2008
Pete Murray reviewed it in MM at the time and said it wasn’t very tuneful and that it was a shame that Lennon and McCartney were giving away their best songs to artists like Peter and Gordon.
They didn’t know then and they still don’t know now.