The Beatles All You Need Is Love lyrics
This site covers the original British Beatles Albums plus analyses of the lyrics of non-album tracks.
Information on how the Beatles wrote the lyrics to their songs on the yellow submarine album can be navigated from below.
Find out how the lyrics to the Beatles All You Need Is Love were written.
Beatles Single: 1967
Beatles Album: Yellow Submarine : Track 6
Year: 1969
Lyrics: Lennon, McCartney
Length: 3.47
The Beatles All you need is love appeared on the yellow Submarine album and as single. The song was written in 1967 after the Beatles were approached by the BBC to write a song for a global television project entitle 'our world'; a part of the Canadian Expo.
The BBC wanted the Beatles to write a song that would go out live to 26 different countries and stipulated that the song should be easy to understand by different nationalities. The Beatles knew the one thing that could be understood in any language was love. The recording of all you need is love on the yellow submarine album is taken from the rehearsal sessions.
Although all the Beatles set to work on the project it was John Lennon who came up with the idea and lyrics for all you need is love, and the rest of the Beatles thought that the song portrayed exactly the message that the Beatles wanted to give out to the world.
The Beatles recorded the rhythm section for all you need is love in advance and invited prominent actors and musicians such as Mick Jagger, Keith Richard, Keith Moon, Eric Clapton and Gary Brooker to join in for the live transmission.
At the time of the broadcast the Beatles played their guitars along to the rhythm and sang. It was thought that the performance was not quite good enough for the all you need is love single, so they re-recorded the vocals the following day but kept the main components of the live recording.
It was George Martin who came up with the idea of using the Marseillaise at the opening of the track. The Beatles wanted all you need is love to have an international feel to it to suit the international audience.
In addition to starting the song with the Marseillaise George Martin also had the orchestra play Greensleeves and In the mood at the end of the song; this resulted in the Beatles and EMI being threatened to be sued by the copyright holders of Glen millers song. EMI paid up before it went to court.
Individual Beatles role on All you need is love
John Lennon: Lead Vocals, Harpischord
Paul McCartney: Backing Vocals, Bass guitar, Arco String Bass
George Harrison: Backing Vocals, Lead guitar, Violin
Ringo Starr: Drums
Others: Chorus; Violins, Cellos, trumpets, Saxophones, Trombones, Accordion