On this day (September 9) in 1963, The Beatles were atop the official UK Singles Chart with “She Loves You.” The song became the best-selling song of the year in the United Kingdom, as well as the Fab Four’s best-selling single in the country. It held the title of the biggest single in the history of the United Kingdom until 1977. “She Loves You” was also part of their record-setting domination of the Hot 100 in the United States.
The Beatles had already found chart success in their home country. “Please Please Me” went to No. 2 and “From Me to You” brought them their first No. 1. However, “She Loves You” truly put the band on the map. It was their first international hit, topping the charts in the United States, New Zealand, Norway, and Canada.
“She Loves You” was more than a huge chart success. It was also a commercial smash. The song remains The Beatles’ best-selling single in their home country and was the best-selling single of the 1960s by any artist. It was also the best-selling single in the United Kingdom by any artist until 1977, according to Songfacts. In 1977, John Lennon’s band Wings broke that record with “Mull of Kintyre.”
The single also helped The Beatles set a record in the United States. On April 4, 1964, the Fab Four became the first and, to date, only band to hold the top five spots on the Hot 100. “Can’t Buy Me Love” was at No. 1, “Twist and Shout” was at No. 2, “She Loves You” was at No. 3, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” was at No. 4, and “Please Please Me” was at No. 5.
Paul McCartney on The Beatles’ Biggest UK Hit
Paul McCartney and John Lennon wrote “She Loves You.” According to Songfacts, they were inspired to write the song after a concert at the Majestic Ballroom in Newcastle. “There was a Bobby Rydell song out at the time, ‘Forget Him,’ and, as often happens, you think of one song when you write another,” McCartney said. “We were in a van up in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. I’d planned an answering song where a couple of us would sing ‘She loves you’ and the other ones would answer ‘Yeah yeah.’ We decided that was a crummy idea, but at least we then had the idea of writing a song called ‘She Loves You,’” he added.
“We sat in a hotel bedroom for a few hours and wrote it, John and I, sitting on twin beds with guitars,” he added.
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