Song #189 - "All You Need Is Love" - The Beatles

Recorded - June 14, 19 and 23-26, 1967. 

Released - July 7, 1967 (UK), July 17, 1967 (US)

#1 for week of August 19, 1967. 

     The Beatles were riding high in June of 1967. Sgt. Pepper was released to widespread critical and commercial acclaim, and the pop music scene was now taking much inspiration from the album. However, during the time between the completion of Sgt. Pepper in April and the recording of "All You Need Is Love", The Beatles entered a bit of a creatively diminished period. Much of the material recorded during this time period consisted of discordant jamming, or lighter-weight material such as "All Together Now" and "You Know My Name, Look Up The Number". Not that these songs are bad, it's just that after recording an album with "A Day In The Life" on it, it's a bit of an anticlimax. 

     Fortunately, things were about to change. The Beatles were selected to represent the UK in the international television broadcast Our World. Since the broadcast was due to take place on June 25th, and would be also shown in non-English speaking countries, The Beatles needed to write a song that showcased their talents, while also featuring simpler and fewer words. The result was "All You Need Is Love" and with the so called, "Summer of love" just beginning, it was the perfect song for the occasion. 

     Despite "All You Need Is Love" being lyrically minimalist, musically it is rather complex. The basic instrument track of the song consists of John on harpsichord, Paul on stand up double bass, George on violin, and Ringo on his usual drumset. The live Our World broadcast acted like an elaborate overdubbing session (Adding instruments onto an existing music track). The vocals, George's guitar solo, Paul's bass, Ringo's drums and the orchestra were all live, and these elements were retained on the final single release of the song. 

     Musically, there is quite a melting pot of sounds and styles. Opening with a brief brass version of "La Marseillaise", the brass and string section remain prominent throughout "All You Need Is Love". In fact, one of the trumpeters who played on the song and appears in the broadcast is David Mason, the same classical trumpet player who played the solo on "Penny Lane". 

     Vocally, we are not only hearing vocals from The Beatles but also several assorted friends and companions. These include Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Graham Nash, Eric Clapton, and Keith Moon. In fact, if you watch the video of the broadcast, you can quickly spot Keith playing brush drums alongside Ringo. So in other words, this song has Keith Moon guesting on drums, and that is awesome. 

     It may be easy for today's more cynical generation to dismiss "All You Need Is Love" as a silly hippie anthem. But you know what, "All You Need Is Love" works because it lacks pretentiousness. It's message is simple, in a troubled society that glorifies wars, materialism, and cynicism, perhaps a simple alternative, love, is all we need to bring us closer to satisfaction. 

     The Beatles took much of the summer of '67 off. With no touring to worry about, and with no deadline to complete their next album, it was finally time for them all to relax. Unfortunately, the death of their manager Brian Epstein in late August would shake up things quite a bit. Thus, "All You Need Is Love" marks the last Beatles song released before many of the catalysts that ultimately broke up The Beatles were set into motion. 

Final Verdict - "All You Need Is Love", on the surface, is a simple plea for peace. However, due to the large variety of instrumentation, the large amount of guest singers, and the universal nature of the lyrics, I'd still rate the song as a classic, and one of the finest of '67. 

           Coming Up Next - "Ode To Billie Joe" by Bobby Gentry. 

      Until Next Time - I'm Dr. Rock, and yes, love is really all you need -