The Beatles’ first radio interview

Malcolm: You composed ‘PS I Love You’ and ‘Love Me Do’ yourself, didn’t you? Who does the composing between you?

Paul: Well, it’s John and I. We write the songs between us. It’s, you know, we’ve sort of signed contracts and things to say, that now if we…

John: It’s equal shares.

Paul: Yeah, equal shares and royalties and things, so that really we just both write most of the stuff. George did write this instrumental, as we say. But mainly it’s John and I. We’ve written over about a hundred songs but we don’t use half of them, you know. We just happened to sort of rearrange Love Me Do and played it to the recording people, and PS I Love You, and uh, they seemed to quite like it. So that’s what we recorded.

Monty: And that was Paul McCartney telling you all about it.

Malcolm: Is there any more of your own compositions you intend to record?

John: Well, we did record another song of our own when we were down there, but it wasn’t finished enough. So, you know, we’ll take it back next time and see how they like it then.

(Long pause)

John: Well… that’s all from my end!

(Laughter)

Monty: Well thank you for asking the questions, Malcolm. Now, in closing, I would like to just ask you, and we’re recording this at Hulme Hall in Port Sunlight: Did any of you come over this side before you became famous, as it were? Do you know this district?

Paul: Well, we played here, uh… I don’t know what you mean by famous, you know.

(Laughter)

Paul: If being famous is being in the hit parade, we’ve been over here, we were here about two months ago. Been here twice, haven’t we?

John: I’ve got relations here. Rock Ferry.

Monty: Have you?

John: Yes. Oh, all sides of the water, you know.

Paul: Yeah, I’ve got a relation in Claughton Village, Upton Road.

Ringo: I’ve got a friend in Birkenhead!

(Laughter)

Monty: I wish I had.

George: I know a man in Chester!

(Laughter)

Monty: Now, that’s a very dangerous thing to say. There’s a mental home there, mate. Peter Smethurst is here as well, and he looks as though he’s bursting to say a question.

Peter Smethurst: Yeah well, there is just one question I’d like to ask. I’m sure it’s the question everyone’s asking. I’d like your impressions on your first appearance on television.

Paul: Well, strangely enough, we thought we were gonna be dead nervous. And everyone said, ‘You suddenly, when you see the cameras, you realize that there are two million people watching,’ because there were two million watching that People And Places that we did, we heard afterwards. But, you know, strangely enough, it didn’t come to us. We didn’t think at all about that. And it was much easier doing the television than it was doing the radio. It’s still nerve wracking, but it was a bit easier than doing radio because there was a full audience for the radio broadcast.

Monty: Do you find it nerve wracking doing this now?

(Laughter)

Paul: (Jokingly) Yeah, yeah.

Monty: Anyway, we hope we’ve got a full audience in both hospitals, Clatterbridge and Cleaver. And over at Cleaver Hospital, a certain record on Parlophone, the top side has been requested for Eileen in Robert Cart Ward from Maddy. And, strangely enough, for Maddy from Eileen in the same ward. So perhaps the Beatles themselves would like to tell them what it’s going to be?

Paul: Yeah. Well, I think it’s gonna be Love Me Do.

John: Parlophone R4949.

(Laughter)

Paul: Love Me Do.

Monty: And I’m sure, for them, the answer is PS I love you!

Paul: Yeah.