John Lennon claimed The Beatles’ first number one – ‘Completely mine’ | Music | Entertainment

This year, The Beatles’ first major commercial success turns 60. At the time of its release in 1963, the Fab Four were still an up-and-coming band that, despite being very successful, were struggling to get their songs to the top of the singles charts. Eventually, Please Please Me changed everything for them. But John Lennon later revealed how he wrote the song on his own before producer George Martin perfected it.

Please Please Me was The Beatles’ first number one single. After being released on January 11, it reached the top of the New Musical Express and Melody Maker charts. However, it only reached number two on the Record Retailer chart, which eventually evolved to become the Official UK Singles Charts, so the certification of the track’s number one status has since been questioned.

Regardless, it was extremely successful, selling over 1 million units in the US and reaching platinum status in the process.

Lennon recalled the song’s success, noting, “Please, please, it’s my song entirely.” He told journalist David Sheff in 1980: “It was my attempt to write a Roy Orbison song, would you believe it? I wrote it in the bedroom of my house on Menlove Avenue, which was my aunt’s place.”

Historically, Lennon was one half of the Beatles songwriting duo, along with Paul McCartney. Together they created the Lennon-McCartney Songwriters Association to take charge of their songs for years to come.

However, Lennon recalled: “I remember the…