Words of Love

Thematically it touches on communication, plea and sound. The title has the word love in it, which the Beatles had last done on 'All My Loving' a year earlier, and the language is very spare. Whether it was meant or not, the line "Let me hear you say" turns up in one other Beatles song, 'You've Got to Hide Your Love Away'. In 1964, more of their songs put love in the title than in any other year: 3 of them, 'And I Love Her', 'Can't Buy Me Love', and this song.

Written in A major and taken at about 122 BPM, 'Words of Love' is a rock and roll and pop piece. Listen for the defining riff, holly's two-note electric guitar figure, double tracked by Harrison. Verse after verse and nothing else, which makes the song strophic, one of sixteen, such as 'Matchbox' and 'Mr. Moonlight'.

Cut on October 18, 1964 at EMI Studio 2 - two takes plus a vocal overdub, with Ringo striking a packing case rather than his snare for the backbeat. Released in distinct mono and stereo mixes (2:12 / 2:02). The Rickenbacker 325 on it was Lennon's guitar, which they had last done on 'Boys' a year earlier. Six songs share the day with this one among them, the 63rd to the 68th of their career.

Buddy Holly wrote it, and Lennon and McCartney share the lead. It has everybody in their usual roles, with Lennon on rhythm guitar, McCartney on bass, Harrison on lead guitar and Starr on drums, and 12-string guitar is in there too. Starr is credited with packing case struck for the backbeat, a habit that peaked in 1965.

The track was never released as a single, arriving instead with Beatles For Sale, December 4, 1964. It reached America six months later, on the Capitol album Beatles VI. This is their 64th record, and the 30th of the 35 they released in that year.