The Beatles were a hit-making machine in the first and second half of the 1960s. Their first albums catapulted them to international superstardom. However, there was some disagreement about what would be their next hit when it came to their fourth album.
The unmatched success and productivity of their songwriting partnership rightfully earned John Lennon and Paul McCartney a place among history’s most revered. “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Can’t Buy Me Love,” these early songs, showcased their remarkable abilities. By 1964, they were ready for more, evident in “All My Love.”
As the group started recording their fourth album, there was a lot of pressure to follow up “A Hard Day’s Night” with another hit song. Their fame had increased with the release of the same-titled album. The band had finally, truly, made it big in America as the song instantly shot to the top of the charts.
Lennon and McCartney began working on their next album on their first extensive US tour in 1964. Typically, the procedure was as follows: one would compose most of the song and share it with the other. Afterward, they would collaborate to complete the composition. Usually, the singer on that track is the one who wrote the song’s opening verse.
But whether he sang it or not, McCartney was primarily concerned with writing a hit song when it came to “Every Little Thing.” According to McCartney in Many Years From Now, “Every Little Thing” was my attempt at the next single.” Paul McCartney, without a doubt, penned the soft, sentimental song as a loving tribute to his then-girlfriend, Jane Asher.
As McCartney added, “I played it amongst a few songs; it was something I thought was quite good.” However, it became an album filler rather than the great almighty single, despite Epstein initially believing the song was a hit. It lacked some of the necessities.
The band recorded the song in September 1964, still considering it as their next single. Beatles For Sale, the group’s fourth album, would include the songs. It featured tracks such as “I’m A Loser,” “I’ll Follow The Sun,” and “Baby’s In Black.”
“Every Little Thing” is the album’s most concise and direct love song, giving the intensely personal and autobiographical record a much-needed dose of universal relatability. McCartney acknowledged that the song wasn’t as successful as initially believed. He remarked, “It became an album filler rather than the great almighty single.” It lacked some of the necessities.
The band’s seventh US number one, “Eight Days A Week,” instead drove Beatles For Sale’s success and extended their winning streak in the US. “Every Little Thing” is now only an album track. Lennon and McCartney’s tender song remains one of their greatest interpretations of love and a testament to their collaboration.
