{"id":627336,"date":"2026-06-08T10:15:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T10:15:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/627336\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T10:15:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T10:15:11","slug":"the-number-one-beatles-song-the-band-rejected-in-1962","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/627336\/","title":{"rendered":"The “number one” Beatles song the band rejected in 1962"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"George<\/p>\n

Credit: Far Out \/ Alamy<\/p>\n

It\u2019s impossible to overstate the impact that The Beatles<\/a>\u2018 material had on every generation of rock artists that came after them. <\/p>\n

Even though John Lennon and Paul McCartney never claimed to have a vast knowledge of musical theory, their way of working together on one classic after the next led to them turning in sonic works of art across every one of their albums. <\/p>\n

They became immortalised in music history by incorporating different studio techniques to achieve the sounds they were looking for. Even though the band would work with anything that they could get their hands on, McCartney admitted that there was one song they were far too embarrassed to record in the early days.<\/p>\n

The episode highlights just how uncertain The Beatles\u2019 future still seemed at the beginning of their recording career. Long before they were dictating musical trends, they were young musicians trying to prove that their own songs deserved to be heard.<\/p>\n

When playing their first gigs in Hamburg, though, nothing was off the table when it came time for the band to hit the stage. Having to fill up eight-hour blocks onstage, the Fab Four were known to tear through various B-sides of their favourite singles and stretch their songs to unheard-of lengths to ensure the audience was entertained.<\/p>\n

\"Paul<\/a>Credit: Far Out \/ Eric Koch for Anefo<\/p>\n

However, instead of their favourite artists like Chuck Berry and Little Richard, McCartney had a penchant for bringing show tunes into the band\u2019s repertoire. Being an avid of the great American songbook, many tracks from Broadway productions would find their way into their routine, from \u2018A Taste of Honey\u2019 appearing on their first album to McCartney\u2019s dashing take on \u2018Til There Was You\u2019.<\/p>\n

Even then, however, Lennon and McCartney were becoming increasingly confident in their own songwriting abilities. Covers remained an important part of their act, but original compositions were beginning to take centre stage.<\/p>\n

By the time the band had shopped their demos around to every record label they could find, producer George Martin showed some interest in their potential. Although Lennon and McCartney had already started writing their first classics, Martin still wasn\u2019t convinced they had any potential as writers then. <\/p>\n

When talking about the band\u2019s first sessions, Martin elected to record the Mitch Murray track \u2018How Do You Do It\u2019, telling Anthology, \u201cI spent a lot of time looking for songs, and what I wanted for The Beatles was a hit. I was convinced that \u2018How Do You Do It\u2019 was a hit song. Not a great piece of songwriting, not the most marvellous song I had ever heard in my life, but I thought it had that essential ingredient which would appeal to a lot of people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even though Martin was adamant about the tune, McCartney remembered other members having a visceral reaction to it, saying, \u201cGeorge said, \u2018Well, it\u2019s a number-one song. You want a number-one?\u2019. We said, \u2018Yeah, but we can\u2019t go back to Liverpool singing that. We can\u2019t be seen with that song.\u2019\u201d While the band had an ace in the hole with \u2018Please Please Me\u2019<\/a>, they eventually acquiesced since the track was far too slow to be considered a proper hit.<\/p>\n

Though The Beatles\u2019 version of \u2018How Do You Do It\u2019 would eventually get released on the Anthology project, the band convinced Martin to take on \u2018Please Please Me\u2019 again, increasing the tempo and creating that essential magic that only The Beatles could deliver. By the time they had finished recording the song, Martin would eventually announce to the group that they had written their first number-one record.<\/p>\n

While \u2018How Do You Do It\u2019 would remain on the shelf for a few more years, Martin\u2019s attempt at a single would see a release of sorts, becoming one of the first hits for fellow Liverpool act Gerry and the Pacemakers. For all of the great music that came out of the Tin Pan Alley tradition, Martin was becoming a part of a change of the guard in the studio, with The Beatles becoming the next driving force for what pop music would become.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In hindsight, the disagreement over \u2018How Do You Do It\u2019 marked an important moment in The Beatles\u2019 development. Had they accepted the song without objection, their story may have unfolded very differently. Instead, their determination to champion their own material helped lay the foundations for a new era in pop music, one where artists increasingly wrote and defined their own work rather than relying on songs supplied by others.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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