Ringo Starr Remembered Hearing the BBC Play The Beatles’ ‘Love Me Do’ for the 1st Time
Ringo Starr recalled waiting to hear the BBC play The Beatles’ “Love Me Do” for the first time. He discussed what he felt in that moment. Fascinatingly, this anecdote makes The Beatles seem like many of their own fans!
Ringo Starr and company stopped their car to listen to The Beatles’ ‘Love Me Do’
During a 2023 interview with AARP, Ringo discussed the impersonal dynamics of The Beatles. “We looked out for each other,” he recalled. “We all went mad at different times. You can’t imagine what it was like, being in The Beatles. It got bigger and crazier.”
The “It Don’t Come Easy” singer remembered the impact of “Love Me Do.” “We were playing clubs, and then we made a record, ‘Love Me Do,'” he said. “My God, there’s nothing bigger than that, our first vinyl. We found out the BBC was going to play ‘Love Me Do’ at 2:17, or whatever time it was, and we pulled the car over. ‘Wow! We’re on the radio, man!'”
Ringo Starr later told the BBC that he didn’t know if The Beatles’ fame would last
Ringo recalled that nobody knew how long the band’s fame would last. “There was that terrible interview [with the BBC in 1963], which I pay for even today,” he recalled. “Paul and John said they would keep writing songs once The Beatles’ popularity faded.
“My girlfriend was a hairdresser, so I said I fancied having a ladies’ hair salon, and I’ve been s*** on ever since for saying that,” he added. “‘Oh, did you ever hear from the hairdressing salon?'” Ultimately, Ringo proved he could be a pop star on his own, just like Paul and John.
‘Love Me Do’ became a hit once in the United States and thrice in the United Kingdom
“Love Me Do” became a big hit in the United States. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 for a week, staying on the chart for 14 weeks. The track appeared on the album Please Please Me. That record only hit No. 155 on the Billboard 200 for a single week.
The Official Charts Company says “Love Me Do” was a hit three times in the United Kingdom. First, it hit No. 17 in 1962, then it hit No. 4 in 1982, and then it hit No. 53 in 1992. The single charted for a cumulative total of 26 weeks across three decades. The record Please Please Me was No. 1 for 30 of its combined 76 weeks on the chart.
While it was an international hit, “Love Me Do” has a reputation for being more of a prelude to The Beatles’ genius than a masterpiece in and of itself. While “Love Me Do” isn’t as experimental, penetrating, or complex as some of The Beatles’ later music, it still stands the test of time. While bubblegum pop isn’t everyone’s favorite genre, “Love Me Do” remains one of the greatest bubblegum pop tunes ever produced.
Hearing “Love Me Do” on the radio brought joy to Ringo and millions of others.
