Log In
Register
6.12pm
7 November 2022
Offline
There’s some guy on YouTube who claims that by the time the Beatles were doing their BBC recordings/live performances (1963-4?) they had already previously written “hundreds” of original songs but didn’t use them (and I guess never did use them because they weren’t that good?). Is there anything to this? I think he’s a bit of a nut about conspiracy but that doesn’t mean he got that detail wrong…
Did The Beatles Write All Their Own Music?
The following people thank Sea Belt for this post:
RichardNow today I find, you have changed your mind
10.06pm
Reviewers
17 December 2012
Offline
Welcome to the forum @Sea Belt.
While it may be stretching it to say they had hundreds of original songs pre-1963, John and (especially) Paul would refer to having written around 100 songs when asked about their songwriting during interviews in 1963. Some were given away to other artists, some were dusted off and polished years later for recording, others we have brief glimpses of during the January 1969 when they were getting back, while others are just titles mentioned in interviews or that appear on old setlists.
Paul had a bunch of early exercise books filled with songs that, at the top of the page, were labelled as “Another Lennon-McCartney Original”; his housekeeper is said to have accidentally thrown them away in 1966.
From recordings, interviews and documentation it’s easy to come up with a list of 50+ songs written before the end of 1962 (not including the instrumental jams from the Forthlin Road tapes). The dating is approximate.
McCartney:
Suicide (1956)
When I’m 64 (1956)
I Lost My Little Girl (1957)
Thinking of Linking (1957)
Love Me Do (1958)
In Spite Of All The Danger (1958)
Catswalk (1958)
I’ll Wait ‘Til Tomorrow (aka If Tomorrow Ever Comes) (?) (1958?)
Michelle (1959)
Cayenne (1959)
Hot as Sun (1959)
Like Dreamers Do (1959)
I’ll Be on My Way (1959)
I’ll Follow The Sun (1959)
Love of the Loved (1959)
Some Days (1960)
Well, Darling (1960)
You Must Write Every Day (1960)
You’ll Be Mine (?) (1960)
Years Roll Along (1960)
World Without Love (1960)
Nobody I Know (1961)
Pinwheel Twist (1962)
PS I Love You (1962)
Tip of My Tongue (1962)
I Saw Her Standing There (1962)
Tell Me Who He Is (undated)
Lennon:
Calypso Rock (1957)
My Love Is Like a Bird… (1957)
Hello Little Girl (1957)
What Goes On (1957)
That’s My Woman (1958)
I Call Your Name (1958)
Looking Glass (?) (1959)
Winston’s Walk (?) (1959)
Winston’s – Stuart (?) (1959)
One After 909 (1960)
I’ve Just Fallen for Someone (1960)
I’m in Love (1961)
Ask Me Why (1962)
Won’t You Please Say Goodbye (1962)
Please Please Me (1962)
Do You Want To Know A Secret (1962)
There’s a Place (1962)
Lennon/McCartney:
Too Bad About Sorrows (1957)
Just Fun (1957)
Because I Know You Love Me So (1958)
Fancy Me Chances with You (1958)
I Don’t Know (1960)
Hold Me Tight (1962)
Harrison:
George’s Intr (?) (1959)
Harrison/Lennon:
Cry for a Shadow (1960)
McCartney/Sheridan:
Tell Me If You Can (1961)
Starkey
Don’t Pass Me By (1962)
writer unknown:
Keep Looking That Way (1960)
You’re in My Little Book (undated)
There are bound to many others that just disappeared into the mists of time.
The following people thank Ron Nasty for this post:
Sea Belt, Richard, vonbontee, sir walter raleigh, Rube"I only said we were bigger than Rod... and now there's all this!" Ron Nasty
To @ Ron Nasty it's @ mja6758
The Beatles Bible 2020 non-Canon Poll Part One: 1958-1963 and Part Two: 1964-August 1966
11.24pm
7 November 2022
Offline Wow thanks for that detailed reply Ron Nasty! I guess that guy was sort of half right.
I notice under the McCartney list there’s “Hot as Sun” which is on his first solo album which means he may have written that in the 1950s!
I looked up a few others, but couldn’t find “Pinwheel Twist”.
Thanks again!
The following people thank Sea Belt for this post:
RubeNow today I find, you have changed your mind
1.24am
6 May 2018
Offline Welcome to the Fab Forum, @Sea Belt.
Thank you for your very interesting post, Ron Nasty.
Here is a link to some more information regarding Early Beatles Songs: Hot As Sun and Pinwheel Twist are described in the sections on 1959 Songs and 1962 Songs respectively.
According to The Paul McCartney Project, it seems that Pete Best may have sung Pinwheel Twist up front with Paul playing the drums behind him. Pete Best remarked:
Paul wrote the song and asked me to do it. He coupled it with Joey Dee’s hit The Peppermint Twist. I used to get up and do the twist on stage and Paul played my drums. It was a little novelty act and it went down well with the fans.
Tony Barrow’s sleeve notes to the 1963 album, Please Please Me , include these comments:
Their own built-in tunesmith team of John Lennon and Paul McCartney has already tucked away enough self-penned numbers to maintain a steady output of all-original singles from now until 1975!
The following people thank Richard for this post:
Sea Belt, RubeAnd in the end
The love you take is equal to the love you make
2.39am
7 November 2022
Offline Thanks Richard, interesting stuff. I followed a lead there in one of your links to someone who put lyrics to “Hot as Sun”, Tim Rice (who I never heard of before, some famous lyricist behind lots of big musicals over the decades). Some UK singer I also never heard of, Elaine Paige has recorded it. I don’t like her singing that much, but there’s potential for the way she did the song, kind of a pop reggae feel. I could see Jimmy Buffet doing it with steel drums and the works.
Now today I find, you have changed your mind
