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A World Without Love

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"A World Without Love"
Norwegian picture sleeve
Single by Peter and Gordon
from the album A World Without Love
B-side"If I Were You"
Released28 February 1964[1]
Recorded21 January 1964[2]
StudioEMI, London
Genre
Length2:44
LabelColumbia, Capitol
SongwriterLennon–McCartney
ProducerNorman Newell
Peter and Gordon singles chronology
"A World Without Love"
(1964)		 "Nobody I Know"
(1964)

"A World Without Love" is a song recorded by the British duo Peter and Gordon and released as their first single in February 1964. It was included on the duo's debut album in the UK, and in the US on an album of the same name. The song was written by Paul McCartney[5] and attributed to Lennon–McCartney.[6] The B-side was "If I Were You", written by Peter and Gordon.[7]

In the United Kingdom, the song reached No. 1 on both the Record Retailer chart[8] and the New Musical Express chart.[9] In the United States, "A World Without Love" topped both the Billboard Hot 100[10] and the Cash Box Top 100.[11] The song also reached No. 1 on the Irish Singles Chart,[12] No. 1 on New Zealand's "Lever Hit Parade",[13] No. 2 in Australia,[9] and No. 8 on Norway's VG-lista.[6]

"A World Without Love" is one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.[14]

Background

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McCartney wrote the song when he was 16.[14] McCartney described John Lennon's reaction to the song: "The funny first line always used to please John. 'Please lock me away –' 'Yes, okay.' End of song."[15] Lennon said of the song that "I think that was resurrected from the past. ... I think he had that whole song before the Beatles. ... That has the line 'Please lock me away' that we always used to crack up at."[16] As such, McCartney realized that the song was not going to be used by The Beatles.[15] He instead offered it to fellow Merseybeat artist Billy J. Kramer, who declined.[17]

Meanwhile, McCartney had become involved with the actress Jane Asher during 1963, and when he was in London he was invited to stay at the Asher household.[17] Also there was her brother, Peter Asher, who asked McCartney if he could use the song after he and Gordon Waller had signed a recording contract as Peter and Gordon.[14] McCartney agreed, but the song lacked a bridge; shortly before Peter and Gordon were due to record the song, McCartney came up with one ("So I wait and in a while ...").[17]

Cash Box described the Peter and Gordon single as "a tantalizing, easy-beat thumper."[18] The lead guitarist on this recording is studio musician Vic Flick who also played the guitar lick for the James Bond Theme.[19]

Peter Asher first discussing the origins of "A World Without Love", and then some minutes later performing "A World Without Love", during a show in the United States in 2026

"A World Without Love" is one of two songs credited to Lennon–McCartney to reach number one in the US by an artist other than the Beatles.[20] The other is "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (which was recorded by the Beatles but not released as a single), reinterpreted by Elton John in 1974.[20] "Bad to Me", written by Lennon and McCartney in 1963, was given to Billy J. Kramer and reached number 1 in the UK, but it failed to do so in the US. The song was one of the seven number ones credited to Lennon-McCartney that charted in the US in 1964, an all-time songwriting record for most songs to top the US charts in a calendar year.

The song was never released by the Beatles, and the only known recording of the song by any member of the Beatles is an informal personal recording of the song by McCartney, pre-bridge, which is now in the possession of Peter Asher.[21] In January 2013, McCartney's recording was posted to YouTube.[22][non-primary source needed] The clip was subsequently played during Peter Asher's concert appearances, which include his reflections on the various aspects of his career interspersed with his performances of key songs.[21]

Chart history

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Bobby Rydell version

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A cover version by Bobby Rydell released in May 1964 was a strong regional hit in many markets. It reached No. 80 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100[32] and No. 2 in a tandem ranking with the Peter and Gordon version on the Cash Box Top 100, before Rydell's name was dropped from the entry.[33] In Canada, Rydell's version reached No. 9 co-charting with the Peter and Gordon version.[34]

In his native Philadelphia the paired versions reached No. 1,[35] while in the Pittsburgh market Rydell's version reached No. 4 to the exclusion of the Peter and Gordon original. In Chicago, Rydell's version reached No. 10 on the WLS "Silver Dollar Survey", in a tandem ranking with the Peter and Gordon version,[36] while reaching No. 13 independently.[37] Rydell's version also reached No. 5 in Singapore[38] and No. 9 in Hong Kong.[39]

Other notable versions

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In 1964, the Supremes released a version of the song on the album A Bit of Liverpool.[40] Their version was a hit in some countries in Southeast Asia, reaching No. 7 in Malaysia.[41] In 2001, Vonda Shepard's version appeared on a soundtrack for the television show Ally McBeal, being the first revival of the song in the new millennium.

Notes

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  1. ↑ Unterberger 2006, p. 345.
  2. ↑ Unterberger 2006, pp. 115, 345.
  3. ↑ Raggett, Steve. Peter & Gordon - The Best of Peter & Gordon (2004) Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  4. ↑ Ruhlmann, William. Peter & Gordon - The Ultimate Peter & Gordon (2001) Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  5. ↑ Miles 1997, p. 111.
  6. 1 2 3 Peter & Gordon - World Without Love, norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  7. ↑ Peter & Gordon - If I Were You, norwegiancharts.com. Accessed 27 July 2016.
  8. 1 2 Peter and Gordon - Full Official Chart History, Official Charts Company. Accessed 26 July 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 "Hits of the World", Billboard, 9 May 1964. p. 30. Accessed 26 July 2016.
  10. ↑ Hot 100 - Peter and Gordon A World Without Love Chart History, Billboard.com. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  11. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100", Cash Box, 27 June 1964. p. 4. Accessed 26 July 2016.
  12. ↑ "Irish Charts - Song Search Results - World Without Love". irma.ie. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  13. 1 2 "Lever Hit Parade" 28-May-1964 Archived 9 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Flavour of New Zealand. Accessed 27 July 2016.
  14. 1 2 3 Jackson, Andrew Grant (22 April 2013). "The Songs the Beatles Gave Away". Slate. Brow Beat: Slate's Culture Blog. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  15. 1 2 Miles 1997, p. 112.
  16. ↑ Sheff 2000, p. 173.
  17. 1 2 3 Bream, Jon (15 January 2012). "Hitmaker has been in the right place at the right time". The Star Tribune. Minneapolis. pp. E1, E6 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 25 April 1964. p. 12. Retrieved 12 January 2022.[dead link]
  19. ↑ "Peter Asher Shares Beatles Memories, Excerpt from His Inventive Fab Four Book". Billboard.
  20. 1 2 Songs written by John Lennon, MusicVF.com. Accessed 26 July 2016.
  21. 1 2 "Rare Paul McCartney Recording of 'A World Without Love' Surfaces". Rolling Stone. 18 January 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
  22. ↑ "A World Without Love – Home Demo by Paul McCartney". YouTube. 23 January 2013. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
  23. ↑ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. 13 March 1965. p. 22. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  24. ↑ "CHUM Hit Parade - June 8, 1964".
  25. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Erasure". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 197. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  26. ↑ "World Without Love | IRMA". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  27. ↑ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  28. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100" (PDF). Cash Box. 27 June 1964. p. 4. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  29. ↑ "Australian Chart Book".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  30. ↑ Musicoutfitters.com
  31. ↑ "Top 100 Chart Hits of 1964", Cash Box, 26 December 1964. p. 12. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  32. ↑ "Bobby Rydell Hot 100 - A World Without Love Chart History", Billboard.com. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  33. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100" (PDF). Cash Box. 13 June 1964. p. 4. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  34. ↑ "CHUM Hit Parade - May 18, 1964".
  35. ↑ "Top 99 Records of the Week", WIBG Radio 99, Survey No. 230, 15 June 1964. Accessed 26 July 2016.
  36. ↑ "WLS Silver Dollar Survey", WLS, 29 May 1964. Accessed 26 July 2016.
  37. ↑ "WLS Silver Dollar Survey", WLS, 12 June 1964. Accessed 26 July 2016.
  38. ↑ "Hits of the World", Billboard, 18 July 1964. p. 27. Accessed 26 July 2016.
  39. ↑ "Hits of the World", Billboard, 8 August 1964. p. 39. Accessed 26 July 2016.
  40. ↑ The Supremes - World Without Love, norwegiancharts.com. Accessed 27 July 2016.
  41. ↑ "Billboard Hits of the World", Billboard, 27 March 1965. p. 28. Accessed 27 July 2016.

References

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