The week of May 30, 1964, saw the continued dominance of The Beatles on the Billboard Hot 100. Beatlemania was in full swing — this was the fourth #1 of an eventual six in a one-year period, still a record.

Before it topped the charts in the U.S., ‘Love Me Do’ was the band’s first single and first hit in England the previous November, peaking at #17.

Though this song is sweetly effective, it sounds like it was written in about 15 minutes. And it probably was. ‘Love Me Do’ is a Lennon/McCartney tune that predates The Beatles, written out in a school notebook by the childhood friends.

The recording that appears on the band’s debut album, Please Please Me, is notable for not featuring Ringo Starr on drums. Instead, session drummer Andy White held the sticks while Ringo played the tambourine. That was due to producer George Martin’s dissatisfaction with Ringo’s drumming on an earlier recording.