Love Me Do at 50: Beatles fans break world singing record in Liverpool

More than 1,600 Beatles fans have broken the world record for singing in a round, by performing The Beatles’ 1962 hit ‘Love Me Do’ in Liverpool to mark the 50th anniversary of the song’s release.

The Beatles’ first EMI single was released on 5 October 1962 and reached number 17 in the charts.

Organisers asked fans to arrive at Liverpool’s Pier Head for rehearsals at 10.30am. The record attempt began at midday, and a Guinness World Records adjudicator confirmed that a record of 1,631 people singing in a round had been set.

Congratulations @BeatlesStory @VisitLiverpool for a World Record breaking performance of #LoveMeDo! pic.twitter.com/gf61v6PH

— VisitEngland (@VisitEngland) October 5, 2012

The previous record of 897 people was set in Chicago in 2011, where Danke Schoen was sung to mark the 25th anniversary of the film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

Singing in a round involves two or more voices singing the same melody, but with each voice beginning at a different time, so parts of the tune coincide at different times.

@beatlesstory #lovemedo #beatles just helped break a 'world record' pic.twitter.com/jva5L5LN

— Darleen (@darleenlee) October 5, 2012

The Love Me Do choir included members of the Liverpool Harmonic Gospel Choir, and children from schools including Dovedale Primary, Windsor Street, Archbishop Beck and Archbishop Blanche.

Fans travelled from as far afield as Japan, the United States and Canada to take part.

The Beatles are record-breaking royalty.

Not only are they the best-selling music group in history, the band holds the honour of being the creators of the first song ever beamed into space.

The record-breaking attempt was organised by The Beatles Story exhibition and Albert Dock, with backing from Liverpool City Council. It was part of a year-long programme of events to mark 50 years of The Beatles.