"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[3] and attributed to Lennon–McCartney.[4] The B-side was "If I Were You", written by Peter and Gordon.[5]
McCartney wrote the song when he was 16. When he moved into the London home of his then-girlfriend Jane Asher in 1963, sharing a room with 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.[12] 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."[13] 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."[14]
McCartney did not think the song was good enough for the Beatles.[13] As such, the song was never released by the Beatles, and the only known recording of the song by any member of the Beatles is the original demo of the song performed by McCartney, which is now in the possession of Peter Asher.[15] In January 2013, Paul McCartney's demo was posted to YouTube.[16][non-primary source needed] The clip was played at Asher's most recent string of concerts.
It is one of two songs credited to Lennon–McCartney to reach number one in the US by an artist other than the Beatles.[17] The other is "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (which was recorded by the Beatles but not released as a single), covered by Elton John in 1974.[17] "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. Before giving the song to Peter and Gordon, McCartney offered "A World Without Love" to Kramer, who rejected it.[13] 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.
Cash Box described it as "a tantalizing, easy-beat thumper."[18]
A cover version by Bobby Rydell released May 1964 was a strong regional hit in many markets. It reached No. 80 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100[29] 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.[30] In Canada, Rydell's version reached No. 9 co-charting with the Peter and Gordon version.[31]
In his native Philadelphia the paired versions reached No. 1,[32] 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,[33] while reaching No. 13 independently.[34] Rydell's version also reached No. 5 in Singapore[35] and No. 9 in Hong Kong.[36]
