And I Love Her

Written by Lennon - McCartney

Album This song officially appears on the A Hard Day's Night (Mono) LP.
Timeline This song has been officially released in 1964

Related sessions

This song has been recorded during the following studio sessions








Related interviews


The 1984 Playboy interview

December 1984 • From Playboy


Paul McCartney: The Long and Winding Q&A

Jul 17, 2014 • From RollingStone


You Gave Me The Answer (2016)

2016 • From paulmccartney.com



Paul McCARTNEY sits down with Chris Rock on RELEASED

Dec 17, 2020 • From YouTube Originals


In conversation with St. Vincent

Apr 15, 2021 • From Instagram

Spread the love! If you like what you are seeing, share it on social networks and let others know about The Paul McCartney Project.

Song facts

From Wikipedia:

And I Love Her” is a song recorded by English rock band the Beatles, written mainly by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon–McCartney). The fifth track on their third album, A Hard Day’s Night, it was released 20 July 1964 with “If I Fell” as a single by Capitol Records in the United States, reaching No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Beatles performed “And I Love Her” just once outside Abbey Road Studios; on 14 July 1964 they played it for an edition of the BBC’s Top Gear radio show, which was broadcast two days later.

Composition

A majority of this song switches back and forth between the key of E and its relative minor C#m. It also changes keys altogether just before the solo, to Gm. It ends on the parallel major of the key of F’s relative minor, D. This technique is known as Picardy third resolution.

The song was written mainly by McCartney, though John Lennon claimed in an interview with Playboy that his major contribution was the middle eight section (“A love like ours / Could never die / As long as I / Have you near me“).

Beatles publisher Dick James lends support to this claim, saying that the middle eight was added during recording at the suggestion of producer George Martin (an early take of the song was released on Anthology 1 in 1995, and the middle eight had not yet been added). According to James, Lennon called for a break and “within half an hour [Lennon and McCartney] wrote…a very constructive middle to a very commercial song.” McCartney, on the other hand, maintains that “the middle eight is mine…. I wrote this on my own. I would say that John probably helped with the middle eight, but he can’t say ‘It’s mine’.

The ‘And’ in the title was an important thing – ‘And I Love Her,’ it came right out of left field, you were right up to speed the minute you heard it,” McCartney said. “The title comes in the second verse and it doesn’t repeat. You would often go to town on the title, but this was almost an aside: ‘Oh . . . and I love you.’

McCartney credits George Harrison with composing the signature guitar riff, saying it “made a stunning difference to the song“.

McCartney called “And I Love Her” “the first ballad I impressed myself with.” Lennon called it McCartney’s “first ‘Yesterday.’

Recording

Recorded by the Beatles over three days, in Abbey Road Studio Two, the sessions were produced by George Martin and engineered by Norman Smith. The second engineer was Richard Langham.

Day 1

Work began at 2:30pm on Tuesday 25 February 1964, the first day of the sessions for the Hard Day’s Night soundtrack and the accompanying album. Two takes were recorded. Take 1 was incomplete, but Take 2 was complete. However, the Beatles decided a lighter touch was required. Take 2 was eventually released on Anthology 1 in 1995. This version was missing the middle-eight.

Instrumentation on this session was

  • Paul McCartney – lead vocal, 1963 Höfner 500/1 bass guitar through Vox AC-100 bass amp.
  • John Lennon – 1964 Rickenbacker 325 electric guitar through Vox AC-50 guitar amp
  • George Harrison – 1964 Rickenbacker 360-12 12 string electric guitar through Vox AC-50 guitar amp
  • Ringo Starr – Ludwig drum kit

Day 2

The following day, Wednesday 26 February, a further 17 takes (Takes 3–19) were made in a session lasting from 7:00–10:00pm. Although Starr swapped his drums for bongos and claves halfway through the session, they were still not happy. It was during this session that they stopped for a tea break and to write the middle eight. A brief fragment of Take 11 can be heard in the closing credits of Episode 8 of Anthology, where Paul sings “And if you saw my love, I’d love her [too]…” before the take breaks down.

Instrumentation on both this session and Day 3 was

  • Paul McCartney – lead vocal, 1963 Höfner 500/1 bass guitar through Vox AC-100 bass amp.
  • John Lennon – Harrison’s 1962 Gibson J-160E acoustic-electric guitar through Vox AC-50 guitar amp
  • George Harrison – 1964 José Ramírez Guitarra de Estudio classical guitar
  • Ringo Starr – Ludwig drum kit, switching to bongos and claves

Day 3

A further two takes (Takes 20–21) were recorded on the morning of Thursday 27 February, beginning at 10:00am. Take 20 saw the basic track laid down, while Take 21 was an overdub of McCartney’s double-tracked lead vocal and Starr’s claves.

Mixing and release

All mixes were prepared from Take 21.

Mono Remix 1

This initial mono mix was made in the Abbey Road Studio One control room on Tuesday 3 March. As for the recording session, Martin and Smith were producer and engineer. The second engineer was A.B. Lincoln.

The mix features McCartney’s single-tracked vocal, with only selected phrases (for example, the title) highlighted by double tracking. This mix was sent to Capitol and United Artists on Tuesday 9 June, and released on the US mono version of the Hard Day’s Night soundtrack album on Friday 26 June 1964. The stereo version of the album used a fake stereo version of this mono mix. This mix was also used on the mono version of the Capitol album Something New, released on Monday 20 July 1964. This mix was also used on the film print of A Hard Day’s Night except the speed was slower in a low pitch. It can currently be found as part of the Capitol Albums Volume 1 box set.

Mono Remix 2

This second mono mix was made in the Abbey Road Studio One control room on Monday 22 June. Martin and Smith were again producer and engineer. The second engineer was Geoff Emerick.

In this mix, McCartney’s vocal is double-tracked throughout, except for the first two lines of the third verse. This mix was released on the UK mono version of A Hard Day’s Night on Friday 10 July 1964. It can currently be found on The Beatles in Mono box set.

Stereo Mix

A stereo mix of “And I Love Her” was made on Monday 22 June immediately after Mono Remix 2. As with Mono Remix 2, McCartney’s vocal is double-tracked throughout, except for the first two lines of the third verse.

This mix was released on the UK stereo version of A Hard Day’s Night on Friday 10 July 1964. This mix was also used on the stereo version of the Capitol album Something New, released on Monday 20 July 1964. It can currently be found on the A Hard Day’s Night CD, and as part of the Capitol Albums Volume 1 box set.

Extended Stereo mix

The German version of Something New contained an edited version of the 22 June stereo mix, repeating the closing guitar riff five times instead of three. This version also appeared on the American Rarities album in 1980. It is not known when this edit was made. It has not yet been released on CD. […]

Paul McCartney, from Many Years From Now, by Barry Miles:

It was the first ballad I impressed myself with. It’s got nice chords in it, ‘Bright are the stars that shine, dark is the sky…’ I like the imagery of the stars and the sky. It was a love song really. The ‘And’ in the title was an important thing. ‘And I Love Her,’ it came right out of left field, you were right up to speed the minute you heard it. The title comes in the second verse and it doesn’t repeat. You would often go to town on the title, but this was almost an aside, ‘Oh… and I love you.’ It still holds up and George played really good guitar on it. It worked very well. […] I’m not sure if John worked on that at all… The middle eight is mine. I would say that John probably helped with the middle eight, but he can’t say ‘It’s mine’. I wrote this on my own. I can actually see Margaret Asher’s upstairs drawing room. I remember playing it there, not writing it necessarily.

From The Usenet Guide to Beatles Recording Variations:

  • [a] mono 3 Mar 1964.
    US: United Artists UAL 3366 and UAS 6366 Hard Day’s Night 1964, Capitol 5235 single 1964, Capitol T 2018 Something New 1964.
  • [b] mono 22 Jun 1964.
    UK: Parlophone PMC 1230 Hard Day’s Night 1964.
    CD: EMI CDP 7 46437 2 Hard Day’s Night 1987.
  • [c] stereo 22 Jun 1964.
    UK: Parlophone PCS 3058 Hard Day’s Night 1964, Apple PCSP 717 The Beatles 1962-1966 1973.
    US: Capitol ST 2018 Something New 1964, Apple SKBO-3403 The Beatles 1962-1966 1973.
  • [c1] stereo, probably edited.
    Germany: Odeon STO 83 756 (later 1C 062-04 600) Something New 1964.
    US: Capitol SHAL-12060 Rarities 1980.
  • [d] stereo 1993.
    CD: EMI CDP 7 97036 2 The Beatles 1962-1966 1993.

The “United Artists mix” [a] has a single track vocal (with harmonies), while the others have double track most of the way. Lewisohn does not report any recording after Feb 27, and if so it is a mix difference. “Bright are the stars that shine, dark is the sky” is always single tracked. Interestingly, the start of Paul’s humming after the last lyrics, as heard in other versions, is just barely audible in [a], as if on a track being mixed out.

The “German stereo version” [c1] has six guitar riffs at the end instead of only four. It seems to have been made by editing in repeats, rather than being an untrimmed version, although for what purpose is unknown. It also has the guitar softer on left, but this seems to be a balancing error, not a different mix, since the centered vocal is also pulled a little to right, as it would be if the balance were off.

Another stereo mix with only two riffs at the end is documented on a tape copy but the original source is not known.

Last updated on March 6, 2016

The book "The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present", published in 2021, covers Paul McCartney's early Liverpool days, the Beatles, Wings, and solo careers, by pairing the lyrics of 154 of his songs with first-person commentaries of the circumstances in which they were written, the people and places that inspired them, and what he thinks of them now.

"And I Love Her" is one of the 154 songs covered.

Lyrics

I give her all my love?
That's all I do?
And if you saw my love?
You'd love her too?
I love her??

She gives me everything?
And tenderly?
The kiss my lover brings?
She brings to me?

And I love her??
A love like ours?
Could never die?
As long as I?
Have you near me??

Bright are the stars that shine?
Dark is the sky
I know this love of mine?
Will never die?
And I love her??

Bright are the stars that shine?
Dark is the sky?
I know this love of mine?
Will never die?
And I love her

Officially appears on


A Hard Day's Night (Mono)

Official album • Released in 1964

2:29 • Studio versionA • Mono

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Congas
John Lennon :
Acoustic rhythm guitar
George Harrison :
Acoustic lead guitar, Claves
George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Feb 25, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Feb 26, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Feb 27, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Mar 03, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road


A Hard Day's Night (Stereo)

Official album • Released in 1964

2:31 • Studio versionA • Stereo

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Congas
John Lennon :
Acoustic rhythm guitar
George Harrison :
Acoustic lead guitar, Claves
George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Feb 25, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Feb 26, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Feb 27, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Mar 03, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road


A Hard Day's Night (Mono)

LP • Released in 1964

2:29 • Studio versionB • Mono

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Congas
John Lennon :
Acoustic rhythm guitar
George Harrison :
Acoustic lead guitar, Claves
George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Feb 25, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Feb 26, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Feb 27, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Jun 22, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road


A Hard Day's Night (Stereo)

LP • Released in 1964

2:29 • Studio versionC • Stereo

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Congas
John Lennon :
Acoustic rhythm guitar
George Harrison :
Acoustic lead guitar, Claves
George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Feb 25, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Feb 26, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Feb 27, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Jun 22, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road


Something New (Mono)

Official album • Released in 1964

2:32 • Studio versionA • Mono

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Congas
John Lennon :
Acoustic rhythm guitar
George Harrison :
Acoustic lead guitar, Claves
George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Feb 25, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Feb 26, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Feb 27, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Mar 03, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road


Something New (Stereo)

Official album • Released in 1964

2:32 • Studio versionC • Stereo

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Congas
John Lennon :
Acoustic rhythm guitar
George Harrison :
Acoustic lead guitar, Claves
George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Feb 25, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Feb 26, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Feb 27, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Jun 22, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road


Extracts from the Film A Hard Day's Night

EP • Released in 1964

2:29 • Studio versionB • Mono

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Congas
John Lennon :
Acoustic rhythm guitar
George Harrison :
Acoustic lead guitar, Claves
George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Feb 25, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Feb 26, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Feb 27, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Jun 22, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road


1962-1966 (US version, 1973)

Official album • Released in 1973

2:29 • Studio versionC • Stereo

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Congas
John Lennon :
Acoustic rhythm guitar
George Harrison :
Acoustic lead guitar, Claves
George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Feb 25, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Feb 26, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Feb 27, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Jun 22, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road


1962-1966 (UK version, 1973)

Official album • Released in 1973

2:29 • Studio versionC • Stereo

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Congas
John Lennon :
Acoustic rhythm guitar
George Harrison :
Acoustic lead guitar, Claves
George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Feb 25, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Feb 26, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Feb 27, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Jun 22, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road


Rarities (US - 1980)

Official album • Released in 1980

2:29 • Studio versionC1 • Stereo • Alternate version with six-bar ending; originally issued in Germany; available on The Beatles Box, not available on CD

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Congas
John Lennon :
Acoustic rhythm guitar
George Harrison :
Acoustic lead guitar, Claves
George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Feb 25, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Feb 26, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Feb 27, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Jun 22, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road


Live performances

“And I Love Her” has been played in 265 concerts and 9 soundchecks.

Latest concerts where And I Love Her has been played







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