The Beatles song written by Paul McCartney and sung by John Lennon

The Beatles were a hit-making machine in the first and second half of the 1960s. Their first albums catapulted them to international superstardom, but there was considerable disagreement over what would be their next smash when it came to their fourth album.

It is only fitting that John Lennon and Paul McCartney be remembered as one of the most successful and prolific songwriting teams in history. Their remarkable powers were demonstrated by early songs like “A Hard Day’s Night,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” and “All My Love,” but by 1964, they were ready for more.

As the group started recording their fourth album, there was a lot of pressure to follow up “A Hard Day’s Night” with another big song. Their renown had increased with the release of the same-titled album. The band had finally made it big in America as the song instantly shot to the top of the charts.

Lennon and McCartney began working on their next album on their first extensive US tour in 1964. Typically, the procedure was as follows: one would compose most of the song and share it with the other, after which they would collaborate to complete the composition. Usually, the performer on that track is the one who authored the song’s first verse.

Whether he sang it or not, McCartney was primarily concerned with crafting a smash song when it came to “Every Little Thing.” In the memoir Many Years From Now, McCartney said to Barry Miles, “‘Every Little Thing, like most of the stuff I did, was my attempt at the next single.” Written as a love ballad for his then-girlfriend Jane Asher, the song is unquestionably a McCartney composition with poignant, loving lyrics.

Nonetheless, McCartney gave Lennon the vocals in an attempt to recreate the popularity and sound of “A Hard Day’s Night” to create a smash. When he initially played it for Brian Epstein while traveling, he remembers remarking, “I remember playing it for Brian backstage somewhere. He had assembled a few people. It was one of those meetings – ‘Oh, we have to do some recordings, who’s got what?’ and we played a few at Brian.”

At first, McCartney questioned Epstein’s assessment of the song’s success, saying, “I played it amongst a few songs; it was something I thought was quite good, but it became an album filler rather than the great almighty single. It didn’t have quite what was required.”

The band recorded the song in September 1964, still considering it as their next single. The songs would be included on Beatles For Sale, the group’s fourth album, along with songs like “I’m A Loser,” “I’ll Follow The Sun,” and “Baby’s In Black.”

“Every Little Thing” is the most concise and direct love song on the album, giving the very personal and autobiographical record a much-needed dose of global relatability. Nevertheless, McCartney acknowledged that the song wasn’t as successful as they first believed, “It became an album filler rather than the great almighty single. It didn’t have quite what was required.”

The band’s seventh US number one, “Eight Days A Week,” instead drove Beatles For Sale’s success and extended their winning run in the US. Even though “Every Little Thing” is now only an album track, Lennon and McCartney’s gentle song is still one of their greatest interpretations of love and a testament to their teamwork.

The band’s seventh US number one, “Eight Days A Week,” instead drove Beatles For Sale’s success and extended their winning run in the US. Even though “Every Little Thing” is now only an album track, Lennon and McCartney’s gentle song is still one of their greatest interpretations of love and a testament to their teamwork.