Can't Buy Me Love

Thanks to this exclusive composition of Paul McCartney, The Beatles threw themselves back into the pure rock' roll that they used to play in Hamburg and in Liverpool since the middle of the Fifties. This song, now part of their mythical standards, was the first single to be released by the band in 1964. On February 29th, 1964, The Beatles went to the Pathé Marconi studios in Paris to record the German versions of two of their greatest hits: Sie Liebt Dich (version of She Loves You) and Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand (version of I Want To Hold Your Hand).

After having carried out these two recordings, the band decided to use the remaining time of studio for tackling the recording of Can't Buy Me Love. The session was finished off with 4 takes. The version which was finally selected, was much elaborated and strongly contrasted with the first Rhythm And Blues sounding take. Actually, this song was composed by Paul in January 1964. At the time, The Beatles had a 18-days stay in Paris for their concert at the Olympia. Their single I Want To Hold Your Hand was at the top of the charts, and it was already scheduled to release a new title in March to take over. Can't Buy Me Love was thus written by Paul to conform with this schedule. After its recording in February, Can't Buy Me Love was used for the movie A Hard Day's Night, in which it replaced I'll Cry Instead, which was judged too weak to appear in the film.

		The Can't Buy Me Love recording of February was built around the solo song of Paul, taken on two tracks. George Harrison carried out a memorable guitar solo for the middle-eight, which was also recorded on two tracks. This guitar solo was added later on after the Paris' sessions. For the record, a first version of Can't Buy Me Love had already been carried out before the session of Paris. This very first release had been played in a dressing room of a theater, with Paul & John singing and playing the guitar, Ringo drumming on a bag, and George, away from the session, flushing the toilets (close to the dressing room) at the end to the song! This original conclusion for a musical work had filled the band with enthusiasm, and The Beatles then required to come out with this special version for a new single. But George Martin did not really appreciate the joke and refused all compromise.

This Can't Buy Me Love standard piece has obviously many versions. Particularly, some adaptations of this song were released by the Beach Boys in 1965 and by Ella Fitzgerald in 1964. Among the most remarkable versions, one will notice the following ones: