What was the Beatles' first hit?
The Beatles' first single, Love Me Do, released in October 1962, reached number 17 in the UK. Please Please Me, released in January 1963, became their first big hit and reached number 1 on several UK charts.
Love Me Do was written mainly by Paul McCartney, with John Lennon playing harmonica. Its moderate success gave the band confidence and helped them get more attention. Their second single, Please Please Me, was much more successful, topping most UK charts and launching Beatlemania. Their debut album shared its title.
From I Want to Hold Your Hand onward, the Beatles had a long run of number-one singles in Britain, including She Loves You, the band's best-selling UK single.
Conquering America
I Want to Hold Your Hand was the Beatles' first US number one, in early 1964, just before their arrival in New York. In April 1964, they held the top five positions on the US Billboard Hot 100 at the same time, a record that stood for decades.
Did You Know?
Love Me Do reached number 1 in the United States in 1964, after Beatlemania made the band famous there.