"From Me to You" by The Beatles

It was 53 years ago today that "From Me to You" by The Beatles hit no. 1 on the British singles charts. The song was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney while The Beatles were on tour with Helen Shapiro. The song's title and chorus was inspired by the title of the letters section of the music magazine Melody Maker, "From You to Us".

"From Me to You" was recorded at Abbey Road Studios on March 5 1963. It was released in the United Kingdom on April 11 1963. It was only a few days later that it hit the top of the charts. "From Me to You" was the first Beatles song to reach no. 1 on every singles chart in the United Kingdom. Their previous single, "Please Please Me", had reached no. 1 on every singles chart except the Record Retalier's chart (generally considered the definitive chart at the time), where it peaked at no. 2.

"From Me to You" was released in the United States on  Vee-Jay Records on May 27 1963. It initially failed to chart, even though Cash Box magazine had named it a "Pick of the Week".  That having been said, "From Me to You" would see composers John Lennon and Paul McCartney's first real success in the United States. Both The Beatles and American artist Del Shannon performed at the all-star concert Swinging Sound '63 at the Royal Albert Hall on April 18 1963. Del Shannon decided that he wanted to cover "From Me to You" and release it as a single in the United States. Del Shannon's cover of "From Me to You" became the first Lennon/McCartney song to enter the Billboard Hot 100, doing so June 29 1963. Unfortunately it would only spend four weeks on the chart, peaking at no. 77.

With Beatlemania growing in the United States, Vee-Jay re-released "From Me to You" on January 30 1964, although only as the B-side to "Please Please Me". This time it performed much better in the United States. Despite only being a B-side, it peaked at no. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Here, from On Air, Live at the BBC Vol. 2, are The Beatles performing "From Me to You".