The more relaxed style of ‘From Me To You’ was often overlooked in the wake of the group’s astonishing career as a mere link in the chain between the energetic ‘Please Please Me’ and the proto-punk thumping of ‘She Loves You’. Sandwiched in between these two rockers, ‘From Me To You’ often suffered the fate of being seen as a tame 'filler'. However, over the last decade or two this bluesy track, with its complex arrangement and infectious melody has regained ground in its consideration among Beatles critics such as Ian McDonald (Revolution In The Head, p.80).
The release of ‘From Me To You’ initiated a critical mass with fans and the public alike, which paved the way for the full-blown explosion of Beatlemania several months later. ‘Love Me Do’ and ‘Please Please Me’ had merely offered a taste of what was to come, but this cleverly packaged two minutes of pop with its bluesy appeal, catchy harmonica, arresting vocals, and the immediacy of its falsetto climaxes, created an instantaneous Beatles sound even before the 'Yeah Yeah Yeahs' of its 7" successor.
The Beatles were conquering Britain, and soon the world with their fresh and often outrageously original material. But they owed a debt of gratitude to Martin and his team of talented technical staff at Parlophone.
The group themselves were in no doubt as to the role ‘From Me To You’ played in achieving their success; McCartney recalled that he realised the group had made it when he heard a milkman whistling the melody of the song outside his bedroom window.
Article comments
1 - Michael L.
Brilliant assessment - very enjoyable read.
Thank you!
2 - Canute
Excellent stuff. Write a Beatles book, why don't you?
3 - Johnny Rhythm
Thanks for the kind words, actually I have written one. Kindle, iPad and Android App format for now only. I'm planning a guide to each Beatles studio album
Thanks again,
Johnny
4 - brian boyd
nicely written piece!
5 - Kit O'Toole
Very nice--your piece shows what a team effort "From Me to You" really was. George Martin, in my book, is the legitimate 5th Beatle.
6 - Zingzing
This is one of the best articles I've ever seen on this site. A true piece of original Beatles scholarship. Well done. I've read loads about the Beatles, but 95% of this was new to me. Do you have a link to that iPad formatted book?
7 - Johnny Rhythm
Thanks zingzing, very much appreciated
8 - Glenn Contrarian
Off topic, but this is the James Bond theme played by autonomous flying robots. It's pretty cool....
9 - gringo557
Nicely written. Maybe you should write a book!