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TL;DR:

  • The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love” was supposed to sound like blues music.
  • Paul McCartney said it was difficult to write.
  • He discussed his interpretation of the tune.
Paul McCartney in a suit during The Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" era
Paul McCartney | Fiona Adams / Contributor

The Beatles‘ “Can’t Buy Me Love” was inspired by the work of another rock star. Paul McCartney discussed the meaning of the tune. In addition, he revealed there’s one interpretation of “Can’t Buy Me Love” he cannot stand.

The Beatles’ ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ and ‘She’s a Woman’ were inspired by the same rock star

In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul said he was a huge fan of Little Richard. “I could do Little Richard’s voice, which is a wild, hoarse, screaming thing, it’s like an out-of-body experience,” he revealed. “You have to leave your current sensibilities and go about a foot above your head to sing it.”

In the book, Paul discussed Little Richard’s influence on “Can’t Buy Me Love” and “She’s a Woman.” “Like ‘Can’t Buy Me Love,’ [‘She’s a Woman’] was my attempt at a bluesy thing,” he said. “We always found it very hard to write the more rock ‘n’ roll things. 

“It seemed easy for Little Richard to knock ’em off, penny a dozen, but for us it wasn’t quite so easy, being white boys who’d not been to a gospel church in our lives,” Paul added. “So instead of doing a Little Richard song, whom I admire greatly, I would use the style I would have used for that but put it in one of my own songs.”

Paul McCartney discussed the meaning of ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ and a false interpretation of it

He said the song was about how material possessions are nice but they won’t get him what he really wants. He described the track as “hooky.” In addition, he was proud Ella Fitzgerald recorded a rendition of the tune.

According to Rolling Stone, Paul disliked one interpretation of “Can’t Buy Me Love.” “I think you can put any interpretation you want on anything,” he said. “But when someone suggests that ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ is about a prostitute, I draw the line.”

The song became a hit for The Beatles twice in the United Kingdom

“Can’t Buy Me Love’ became one of the band’s biggest hits in the United States. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks, staying on the chart for 10 weeks in total. It appeared on the soundtrack of A Hard Day’s Night, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for 14 weeks, staying on the chart for 56 weeks altogether.

According to The Official Charts Company, “Can’t Buy Me Love” hit No. 1 in the United Kingdom for three weeks, lasted a total of 15 weeks on the chart. The tune later reached No. 53 and remained on the chart for two weeks. Meanwhile, A Hard Day’s Night was No. 1 for 21 of its 39 weeks on the chart.

“Can’t Buy Me Love” was a hit even if Paul hated one interpretation of it.

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