The Beatles released their first single, "Love Me Do"
On this day · 5 October 1962
The band's debut 45 crept to number 17, an unremarkable start to the most successful pop career in history.
On October 5, 1962, Parlophone issued “Love Me Do” in the United Kingdom, the first single by The Beatles. Backed with “P.S. I Love You” and carrying catalogue number R4949, it featured John Lennon’s harmonica and his shared vocal with Paul McCartney.
The drumming was a small saga. Early pressings used a take with Ringo Starr on drums; producer George Martin, unsure of the new drummer, later had session player Andy White record a version, with Starr nudged onto tambourine.
It reached only number 17, hardly a sign of the decade to come.
Still, the modest hit bought the band studio time and a warmer hearing from their label. Released in the United States in 1964, the same song eventually topped the American chart, turning a tentative debut into the opening note of a global phenomenon.
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