In July 1964, The Beatles released their third studio album A Hard Day’s Night. One of the highlights of the album is the beautiful ballad “And I Love Her”. The song was primarily written by Paul McCartney and addressed his then-girlfriend Jane Asher. In this article, we will dive into the story, meaning, and legacy behind the song!
The Story Behind the Song
Paul McCartney wrote “And I Love Her” in the Asher family home in London. He had a relationship with actress Jane Asher and moved in with her per Asher’s parents’ request. McCartney – sometimes accompanied by Lennon – wrote some of the most famous Beatles songs in the house, including “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “Yesterday”.
“It was the first ballad I impressed myself with,” McCartney reflected in his biography Many Years From Now. “It’s got nice chords in it, ‘Bright are the stars that shine, dark is the sky…’ I like the imagery of the stars and the sky. It was a love song really. The ‘And’ in the title was an important thing, ‘And I Love Her’, it came right out of left field, you were right up to speed the minute you heard it.”
Paul McCartney wrote most of the song, although Lennon claimed he wrote the song’s middle eight. In later years, Lennon’s story changed, claiming he helped with the middle eight. According to McCartney, the entire song is his creation.
Read more: The 10 Best Paul McCartney Songs With The Beatles
At the end of February 1964, Paul McCartney brought “And I Love Her” to the recording studio. Upon listening to the song, producer George Martin suggested to the band the track needed an introduction. “And I swear, right there and then, George Harrison went, ‘Well how about this?’ and he played the opening riff, which is such a hook; the song is nothing without it,” McCartney reflected in The Lyrics.
The spontaneous creation of the riff is typical of The Beatles, as the band would often work out compositions and ideas in the recording studio. “And I Love Her” was eventually recorded over the course of 3 days, with take 21 chosen as the best.
The Meaning of the Song
Paul McCartney wrote “And I Love Her” for his then-girlfriend Jane Asher. “I wanted to tell her there that I loved her, so that’s what initially inspired this song; that’s what it was,” McCartney reflected in 2021. “When I’d finished it, I felt, almost immediately, proud of it. I thought, ‘This is a good un.”
In the earlier 1984, however, McCartney stated the song wasn’t written for anyone in particular. But it’s important to note that his relationship with Jane Asher had ended by then, and he was 15 into his marriage with Linda Eastman. Besides that, changing your mind about a love song after an ended relationship seems to be a common thing among musicians. Good examples are Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” and bandmate George Harrison’s “Something”. So, it can be assumed the song was written for Jane Asher.
Jane Asher was a powerful muse for McCartney, as he reportedly also wrote many other songs for her, including “We Can Work It Out”, “For No One”, “I’m Looking Through You”, and “Here, There And Everywhere”.
The Legacy of And I Love Her
“And I Love Her” is a significant song in McCartney’s career and evolution as a songwriter. As stated earlier, he referred to it as ‘the first ballad I impressed myself with’. Lennon stated the song was McCartney’s ‘first Yesterday’ and ‘the big ballad’ of A Hard Day’s Night.
Many agree with Lennon, as the song is generally seen as one of the highlights of A Hard Day’s Night. The album – which also contains hits such as “Can’t Buy Me Love”, “If I Fell”, “I Should Have Known Better”, and the title track – is often considered The Beatles’ greatest feat during their ‘Beatlemania’ phase.
In the US, “And I Love Her” was released as a single backed with “If I Fell”. The song reached number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and spent seven weeks on the chart.
Over the years, “And I Love Her” grew out to be one of The Beatles’ most appreciated songs. The song has over 300 covers, including covers from Santo & Johnny, Kurt Cobain, and Esther Phillips, the last of which McCartney cited as one of his favorite covers of one of his songs.
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