Can't Buy Me Love

The history of this classic Beatles song

Can't Buy Me Love

Written by: Paul McCartney (90%), John Lennon (10%) (credited as Lennon-McCartney)
Recorded: January 29, 1964 (EMI Pathe' Marconi Studios, Paris, France), February 25, 1964 (Studio 2, Abbey Road Studios, London, England)
Mixed: February 26, 1964, March 10, 1964
Length: 2:11
Takes: 4
Musicians: John Lennon: rhythm guitar (Gibson J160E acoustic)
Paul McCartney: lead vocal (double-tracked), bass guitar (1961 Hofner 500/1)
George Harrison: lead guitars (double-tracked; Gretsch 6122 "Country Gentleman" and Rickenbacker "Fire-glo" 360-12)
Ringo Starr: drums (Ludwig)
First released: March 16, 1964 (US: Capitol 5150), March 20, 1964 (UK: Parlophone R5114)
Available on: (CDs in bold)

• A Hard Day's Night, (UK: Parlophone PMC 1230; PCS 3058, Parlophone CDP 7 46437 2, US: United Artists UAL 3366; UAS 6366)
• The Beatles Million Sellers, (UK: Parlophone GEP 894)
• Hey Jude, (US: Apple SW 385, UK: Parlophone PCS 7184 as The Beatles Again)
• The Beatles 1962-1966, (UK: Apple PCSP 717, US: Apple SKBO 3403, Apple CDP 0777 7 97036 2 3)
• The Beatles 1, (Apple CDP 7243 5 299702 2)

Highest chart position: 1 (UK: three weeks beginning April 2, 1964), 1 (US: five weeks beginning April 4, 1964)
History:

• Written by Paul in Paris' George V Hotel on a grand piano as a specific candidate for the group's next big American single; constructed at first as a 12-bar blues about the importance of love over material possessions. It is thought that John may have contributed music to the chorus. Before this song was written, Capitol's next planned Beatles single consisted of two covers: "Roll Over Beethoven" b/w "Please Mr. Postman."
• Producer George Martin contributed to the arrangement by suggesting the song open with the chorus, rare for a pop song and only the second such occasion for the Beatles ("She Loves You" being the first).
• Though John and George provided backup vocals on the Paris version, Paul's vocal track was eventually doubled instead, another first for the band.
• Unique among Beatles songs in that the backing track was laid down outside of London's famed Abbey Road studios -- though Paul's vocal and George's solo were both re-recorded there after the fact.

Known live versions:

April 19, 1964 (IBC studios, London, for Around The Beatles)
April 26, 1964 (New Musical Express Poll Winner's Concert, London)
June 4, 1964 (K.B. Hallen Gardens, Copenhagen, Denmark)
June 12-13, 1964 (Centennial Hall, Adelaide, Australia)
June 15-17, 1964 (Festival Hall, Melbourne, Australia)
August 21, 1964 (Seattle Coliseum, Seattle, WA)
August 22, 1964 (Empire Stadium, Vancouver, BC)
August 23, 1964 (Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, CA)
September 2, 1964 (Convention Hall, Philadelphia, PA)
September 3, 1964 (State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, IN)
June 20, 1965 (Palais Des Sports, Paris, France)
June 22, 1965 (Palais d'Hiver, Lyon, France)
June 24, 1965 (Velodromo, Milan, Italy)
June 25, 1965 (Palazzo Dello Sport, Genoa, Italy)
June 27-28, 1965 (Teatro Adriano, Rome, Italy)
June 30, 1965 (Palais Des Fetes, Nice, France)
July 2, 1965 (Plaza De Toros De Madrid, Madrid, Spain)
July 3, 1965 (Plaza de Toros Monumental, Barcelona, Spain)
August 15, 1965 (Shea Stadium, New York, NY)
August 17, 1965 (Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada)
August 18, 1965 (Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, GA)
August 19, 1965 (Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, TX)
August 20, 1965 (White Sox Park, Chicago, IL)
August 21, 1965 (Metropolitan Stadium, Minneapolis, MN)
August 22, 1965 (Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR)
August 28, 1965 (Balboa Stadium, San Diego, CA)
August 19-30, 1965 (Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, CA)
August 31, 1965 (Cow Palace, San Francisco, CA)
BBC radio versions: 3 (for the BBC radio programs From Us To You and Saturday Club)
Trivia:

• When this song reached Number One on the US Billboard on April 4, 1964, it completed a remarkable feat never equaled since: all of the top five songs in the country that week were from one group (#1: "Can't Buy Me Love," #2: "Twist and Shout," #3: "She Loves You," #4: "I Want to Hold Your Hand," #5: "Please Please Me"). The following week, the Beatles landed an unprecedented 14 songs at once in the Billboard Hot 100.
• "Can't Buy Me Love" is also the first song to hit Number One from outside the Top 20, a feat unmatched until the magazine begin using its "Soundscan" method of reporting sales.
• Featured in the band's first film, A Hard Day's Night, in a sequence that has been described as the world's first music video. However, it only appears in the film and on the soundtrack album because director Richard Lester rejected "I'll Cry Instead," the song John originally wrote for the sequence.
• Paul has repeatedly denied rumors that the lyrics are specifically about prostitution!

Covered by: Chet Atkins, Count Basie, Blackstreet, Michael Buble, The Chipmunks, David Clayton-Thomas, Dave "Baby" Cortez, Ella Fitzgerald, Tom Jones, Brenda Lee, Henry Mancini, George Martin, R. Stevie Moore, Johnny Rivers, Peter Sellers, Shenandoah, The Supremes, Stanley Turrentine