Dates of Beatles First Releases

There has been a good deal of confusion concerning exactly which Beatles song was released on which date, and part of the problem stems from the fact that the group became popular in Great Britain long before they caught on in the United States.  The exact dates of U.S. releases seems to have been lost for several years, but researchers in 2004 are confident they uncovered the correct dates.  We'll try to clear up the confusion.

First, we must all keep in mind that record companies release many singles per day, although generally they are timed to get to radio stations on Monday or Tuesday so that said radio station can add it to their playlist and get it reported to the trade papers for publication by that weekend.  That said, it is sometimes difficult to ascertain the exact release date of a single.

In the case of the Beatles, however, where attention to detail is very important, many people have researched this information, and the most commonly reported dates of release are as follows:

"Love Me Do"

First released in the U.K.:  October 5, 1962

First released in the U.S.:  April 27, 1964

"Please Please Me"

First released in the U.K.:  January 11, 1963

 

 

 

 

First released in the U.S.:  February 7, 1963 (Promo Copy had Beatles misspelled)

  (Note:  Capitol Records, who infamously said "We don't think the Beatles will make it in this market", refused to release the early Beatles songs, even though they were the EMI affiliate of Parlophone Records in Great Britain.  Vee Jay Records in Chicago, Illinois stepped up to release the song in the United States.  It received some airplay but went nowhere on the national charts.  Then, one week after "I Want To Hold Your Hand" was finally released by Capitol, and anticipating the upcoming Beatles trip to America, Vee Jay re-released the single on January 3, 1964.  This time, it caught on, becoming the fourth Beatles hit to peak (after the double-sided "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "I Saw Her Standing There" and the #1 smash "She Loves You".)


"From Me To You"

First released in the U.K.:  April 11, 1963

 

 

 

 

 

 

First released in the U.S.:  May 27, 1963

This song didn't catch on either at first in the U.S. on Vee Jay Records, but on January 3, 1964, was re-released as the "B" side to "Please Please Me".  It charted this time, but was a very underrated #41.


"She Loves You"

 

 

First released in the U.K.:  August 23, 1963

 

 

 

 

 

First released in the U.S.:  September 16, 1963

Capitol again refused to release "She Loves You", and the Beatles had a problem with Vee Jay, which wasn't paying them their royalties in time.  So manager Brian Epstein found Swan Records to release the single.  It didn't do anything the first time either, but, when "I Want To Hold Your Hand" clicked, Swan re-released the song on January 25, 1964, and this time, the song went to #1.


"I Want To Hold Your Hand"

First released in the U.K.:  November 29, 1963

 

 

 

 

 

 

First released in the U.S.:  December 26, 1963

Thus, "Love Me Do" was the first Beatles single in the U.K., while "Please Please Me" was the first single released in the United States.  But, since it went nowhere the first time, the first Beatles hit was "I Want To Hold Your Hand", which caught on almost immediately.  That song set the stage for everything else that followed, with the Beatles landing a phenomenal 30 hits in 1964 alone.