Session One: The first time the song premiered in the studio was during their first recording session at EMI studios with George Martin on June 6th, 1962 between 6 and 8 pm. It was the third of four songs recorded that day, the number of takes not being known. George Martin did have something positive to say about this song, commenting that he liked the switches between major and minor chords throughout the song. This recording of “P.S. I Love You” made on this day (with Pete Best on drums) has apparently been lost or recorded over, although some of the tapes have resurfaced later, as has happened with the version of “Love Me Do” recorded this day (available on “Anthology 1”). As to whether this will too resurface, only time will tell.
Session Two: Producer Ron Richards ran The Beatles (with Ringo) through a rehearsal session at EMI studios on September 4th, 1962, between 2:30 and 5:30 pm, to help determine which two songs would dominate for their first single. Of the six songs rehearsed at this time, “P.S. I Love You” was one of them, being that they had already recorded the song three months earlier on June 6th with somewhat positive feedback from George Martin. This song was not chosen at this time because Martin had hand-picked the song “How Do You Do It” to be recorded as the A-side and, reluctantly, “Love Me Do” as the B-side.
As events transpired, “How Do You Do It,” although being recorded, was rejected by publisher Dick James because he didn't think The Beatles' version did the song justice. This left a big question mark as to what the A-side of the first Beatles record was to be. That question mark was still hanging in the air next week as they reconvened at EMI studios for their next recording session.
Session Three: September 11th, 1962, was that session, with Ron Richards producing. The session ran from 4:45 to 6:30 pm in EMI Studio Two. Geoff Emerick, a newly hired teenage ‘button-pusher’ at EMI, was present at this session to witness the uncomfortable situation that ensued as Ringo arrived on this day to find a professional drummer, Andy White, had been hired for the session. “We weren’t happy with the drum sound on the original ‘Love Me Do,’” explains Richards regarding their September 4th session, “so I booked Andy White for the re-make. I used him a lot at the time – he was very good.”
Emerick’s book “Here, There And Everywhere” gives the details: “Ringo looked around a little helplessly, at a loss as to what to do. He began heading up to the control room. As the door opened, (engineer Norman Smith) crossed the room to greet him. ‘Morning Norman,’ Ringo answered in a funeral tone that matched his demeanor. Where’s George (Martin)? A flustered Ron (Richards) cleared his throat and introduced himself to Ringo…’Well, actually he’s asked me to tell you that we’ll be using Andy here today – he’s a professional drummer, hired for the session.’ Ringo’s face fell further still; he looked like he wanted to jump off the nearest bridge.”
Geoff Emerick continues: “Andy White, looking embarrassed, stood up. ‘Hello, mate,’ he said to Ringo, ‘I’ve heard a lot of good things about your group.’ They shook hands awkwardly; then White quickly headed down to the studio. I remember being impressed by Andy’s decision to leave right away, thus avoiding what could have been an unpleasant confrontation – another lesson in studio etiquette. Dejectedly, Ringo sank into a chair beside Ron, and the session got underway. The Beatles began by running through a new song, entitled ‘P.S. I Love You.’ After just a few run-throughs, White seemed to get the hang of it. I was amazed at how quickly he did so, and how well he fit in with three unfamiliar musicians – the mark of a great session player.”
“Following some discussion, it was decided that full drums weren’t necessary on the song and (Andy White) was relegated to playing bongos. After a few run-throughs, Ron suggested that Ringo go downstairs and join in, playing maracas. I could sense that he was growing increasingly uncomfortable at having the sulking drummer sitting beside him, and this must have struck him as a good way of getting Ringo out of the control room.”
“P.S. I Love You” was recorded live with no overdubs or edits, and after 10 takes, it was complete, take 10 being deemed best. After the recording was complete, Emerick recalls that the group “came up to the control room for a playback. They were enthused by what they were hearing, and eagerly discussed making it the A-side, but Richards dismissed them imperiously. ‘It’s good, but it’s no A-side,’ he said. ‘We’ll use it as the B-side of your first single. Now we need to get back to work; George (Martin) wants you to have another go at ‘Love Me Do.’” Richards reveals another reason “P.S. I Love You” couldn’t be the A-side: “I was originally a music publishing man, a plugger, so I knew that someone had already done a record with that title.” A similarly titled song recorded by Peggy Lee was no doubt remembered by Richards.
The song took approximately one hour to record, so by 5:45 pm, they recorded a version of John's recent composition "Please Please Me" for possible consideration as the B-side and then began work on “Love Me Do.” “P.S. I Love You” was then mono mixed at the end of the session by Richards, Smith, and an unknown 2nd engineer, in the control room of EMI Studio Two and used for its’ British single release on October 5th, 1962.
Stereo Mixing: February 25th, 1963, was the date chosen to create both mono and stereo mixes for the upcoming British album, “Please Please Me.” Since “P.S. I Love You” was also to be on the album, and it was recorded on a single track only, they somehow needed to create a stereo mix for the stereo copies of the album. To solve the problem, a “fake” stereo mix had to be made from the mono mix made on September 11th, 1962. Like “Love Me Do,” the song was rechanneled to have all the treble frequencies on one side and all the bass frequencies on the other, creating a stereo effect. There has never been, nor ever will be, a true stereo mix of the song, since it was originally only recorded in mono.
There are, however, additional official Beatle-related recordings of the song. Sometime between September of 1987 and February of 1989, while Paul McCartney was recording his “Flowers In The Dirt” album, he and his band concocted a rhythmic rendition of both “P.S. I Love You” and “Love Me Do” which they entitled “P.S. Love Me Do.” They were paired together, undoubtedly, because of these two song's publishing being the only ones in the entire Lennon/McCartney catalog that were owned by Paul. This studio recording miss inclusion on his solo album except for the Japanese version, entitled “Special Package,” which featured various bonus tracks. A live version of this song also surfaced, recorded on April 21st, 1990 in Rio de Janeiro, which he included on European copies of his EP “Birthday.”
Song Structure and Style
At first glance, this song seems to have an unorthodox structure, but after being analyzed, it is found to be of a similar structure as most of the early Beatles catalog. The structure consists of ‘verse/ verse/ bridge/ verse’ (or aaba). The exception to this rule is the unique introduction to the song, which is an altered version of the bridge that is repeated twice later in the song. The introduction, although identical in lyrics and number of bars to the bridge, differs in chord structure as well as melody line. Whether George Martin suggested this introduction, as other early Beatles songs were subjected to introductory arrangements by Martin, or stood as McCartney’s original arrangement remains unknown. Either way, it opens the song in a very unique and impressive way.
After this eight-bar introduction, the first verse commences, which consists of ten bars. McCartney is clearly singing lead with background harmony vocals from John and George, interestingly accentuating whatever syllable appears on the one beat of the first five bars, which turn out to be, “Treasure these few words till we’re together, keep all my love forever.” An interesting chord (B flat) is played during the first occurrence of the word “you,” adding anticipation which leads back to the resolving chord (D). McCartney’s adept and effective songwriting skills are on display even this early in The Beatles’ songwriting career.
Each verse consists of an alternating between major and minor chords, which is what attracted George Martin to this song, and characteristically concludes with the title of the song, which becomes the hook-line.
After a second verse which is identical in structure, the first actual occurrence of the bridge takes place, which consists of eight bars and features full three-part harmony from Paul, John, and George. This is followed by an identical repetition of the first verse before segueing into the bridge once again. This time McCartney accentuates the bridge in between each lyric gap, which differentiates it from the first time the bridge entered.
The final verse, which is a repetition of the second verse, is different this time in that the background vocals harmonize throughout the first five bars instead of the first syllable, as was done with each preceding verse. Four additional bars are added to the end as the harmonies rise, which creates a suitable climatic conclusion. So ends a satisfying and cleverly arranged production.
Andy White’s bongo style on the song hints at a rumba or cha-cha style (one even wants to say ‘cha-cha-cha’ at the end of the song). And with Ringo’s maracas, we get a full Latin flavor to the song.
Many may dismiss White’s drumming style on this song, saying that he misses the mark by not incorporating The Beatles driving beat. The responsibility, no doubt, probably rests on either Paul McCartney or George Martin, who intended the song to sound this way. George Martin is probably the one favored here since The Beatles heeded to his expertise in the studio this early in the game. It should be noted that White’s drumming on “Love Me Do,” also recorded this day, incorporated the rock/r&b style that The Beatles previously played on the song (witness Pete Best playing on "Anthology 1" and Ringo Starr’s released version on "Past Masters Volume 1"). We may never settle this argument fully because, even though Best and Ringo had played the song in the studio prior to Andy White, neither of those versions have survived for our ears to hear. Ringo’s performances of the song after this, such as on the BBC, mimicked Andy White’s drumming as heard on the released record.
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