TheBeatlesOnline

All You Need Is Love

John Lennon: Vocals, hapsichord, banjo
Paul McCartney: Vocals, string bass, bass guitar
George Harrison: Vocals, violin, guitar
Ringo Starr: Drums

George Martin: Piano
Sidney Sax: Volin
Patrick Halling: Volin
Eric Bowie: Volin
Jack Holmes: Volin
Rex Morris: Tenor sax
Don Honeywill: Tenor sax
Stanley Woods: Trumpet
David Mason: Trumpet
Evan Watkins: Trombone
Harry Spain: Trombone

Jack Emblow: Accordion
Mick Jagger: Chorus
Keith Richards: Chorus
Marianne Faithfull: Chorus
Jane Asher: Chorus
Mike McCartney: Chorus
Patti Harrison: Chorus
Eric Clapton: Chorus
Graham Nash: Chorus
Keith Moon: Chorus
Hunter Davies: Chorus
Gary Leeds: Chorus

Mike Vickers: Conductor

Recorded June 14, 19, 23, 24, 25 1967.

Available on:
Magical Mystery Tour
The Beatles 1967-1970(The Blue Album)
Anthology 2
The Beatles 1
Yellow Submarine

Liebe...Amour...Amor...Love...

On Sunday 25 June 1967, 400 million viewers tuned in to watch the Beatles represent the BBC and Britain in a live television programme which was broadcast worldwide. The programme, called Our World, featured contributions from national broadcasting networks across five continents.

The Beatles had been asked to write a song especially for the occassion, and in the last minute John put together a fairly simple tune with a chorus that reflected the flower power movement of the infamous summer of 1967: All You Need Is Love. Love Is All You Need.

It was far from Lennon's best composition, but it worked well for this particular event.

The Beatles performed the song in Abbey Road's Studio 1, while BBC transmitted the pictures live to every corner of the globe. The recording studio was decorated with flowers, and among the famous guests were celebrities such as Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and Graham Nash.

The Beatles were backed up by a 13-man orchestra, conducted by Manfred Mann saxophonist Mike Vickers. Producer George Martin, who had written the score for the orchestrial parts, had managed to weave in extracts from several famous classical pieces. The song started with the introduction of the French national anthem, La Marseillaise, and also featured bits of Bach's Brandenburg concerto in the fade out. Snaches of Greensleves, Glen Miller's arrangement of 'In The Mood' were also used, and even The Beatles' own She Loves You and Yesterday could be heard at the end of the fade out.

The programme tried to give the impression that the Beatles were performing live, but, strictly speaking, this was only partly true.

The Beatles had in fact recorded a basic rythm track and some vocals on June 14 at Olympic Sound Studios in Barnes, London. On this recording, the Beatles were playing - or trying to play - instruments they normally weren't associated with. John played harpsichord, Paul the double bass, and George played the violin (!). Only Ringo played the instrument he knew best; the drums. More vocals, drums, piano (played by George Martin) and banjo (played by Lennon), were overdubbed on June 19.

This rythm track was played as back-up during the Beatles' performance. Only the vocals, bass guitar, the lead guitar solo in the middle eight, drums and the orchestra were actually live.

The session went mostly according to plan, but everyone in the studio, including the Beatles, must have felt the nerves kick in at some point during that day or evening.

Tape operator Richard Lush later said he was "...shaking like a leaf."

"Lennon was very nervous that day too," he said in Mark Lewisohn's The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions.

"He might not have looked it but I was used to working with him and you get to know when someone is nervous."

All You Need Is Love was released as a single on July 7 in the UK, and on July 17 in the US. It peaked at number 1 on the UK charts for three weeks, and stayed at number 1 for a week in the US.

All You Need Is Love

There's nothing you can do that can't be done
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game
It's easy

There's nothing you can make that can't me made
No one you can save that can't be saved
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time
It's easy

All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need

Love, love, love
Love, love, love
Love, love, love

All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need

There's nothing you can know that isn't known
Nothing you can see that isn't shown
No where you can be that isn't where you're meant to be
It's easy

All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need