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Fabulous!

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I sure would be stoked to hear Paul Rodgers’ comments!

Great in depth analysis and essay by the way.

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In 2014 Paul Rodgers said, "I still recall first seeing the Beatles on TV doing Love Me Do, which wasn’t their biggest hit but for me there was an immediate connection. That cheeky John Lennon smile – you know the one? Whenever I hear that song it’s like I’m 14 years old again."

And of course he immortalized Love Me Do in song -- the opening lines of the Bad Company hit "Shooting Star":

Johnny was a schoolboy

When he heard his first Beatles song

Love Me Do I think it was

And from there it didn't take him long...

Got himself a guitar

Used to play every night

Now he's in a rock and roll outfit

And everything's alright

Thanks for the kind words!

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Wow!!! I can’t imagine a better reference by him (he is one of the all time great singers in my humble opinion). And head-thunk YES that’s right, those lyrics in Shooting Star, I knew but forgot!

Thanks for the reply. :)

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Love that you've added audio!

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This installment was even better than the first. I like the addition of the audio.

I'm curious, did Bob Dylan ever publicly comment on Love Me Do? Sinatra? I assume there are some negative reviews over and above those who saw the Beatles live before they Heard Love Me Do.

Regardless, very interesting LUNPTB post. Thanks to the author/curator, Perry Gartner.

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I'm not aware of any Dylan or Sinatra comments about Love Me Do. I would bet money that Sinatra would have been contemptuous of the song for several (understandable) reasons. As for Dylan, we know he was a Beatles fan dating back to their first invasion of America in 1964, but it's likely that Love Me Do would have been an afterthought to him at best. Don't forget that the chronology of Beatles hits in the US began with I Want To Hold Your Hand and She Loves You, with earlier releases like Love Me Do climbing the charts only *after* those two monster records, when the Beatles floodgates opened.

It's easy to imagine Dylan cringing over Love Me Do, and if I had to guess, that's what he did. But then again you never know; after all, Dylan loved the early rock and roll he grew up with in the '50s.

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