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This was the first time Paul McCartney wrote the words to a song before the music. The song began as a poem he conceived while he was shaving one morning thinking about his girlfriend Jane Asher, who he met when she interviewed him for the magazine Radio Times. He wrote the music that night. He originally envisioned it as a country/western song.

This Beatles classic was never released as a single, but it was the first song the group played on their first Ed Sullivan Show appearance: February 9, 1964. It was a historic telecast, as over 73 million people tuned in. At the time, that was the largest audience ever for a TV show.

McCartney sang lead on this. His vocal was double-tracked to bring it out in the mix.

George Harrison's guitar solo was influenced by Chet Atkins, one of his idols when he was learning to play.

John Lennon was always fond of the grinding rhythm guitar he contributed to the studio recording. (thanks, Adrian - Wilmington, DE)

Comments:

the last thing he heard. well, that was sorta ironic. ah well, at least the last thing he heard was his best friend paul.
- Amanda, Gretna, VT

Very good song from Paul.
- Hugh, Oxford, United Kingdom

I'll pretend that I'm kissing the lips I am missing, and hope that my dream will come true. I wish I could dream up such words...
- RedRoseSpdwy, Columbus, OH

get in line, melissa...haha....anyway, its wierd how this incredibly peppy tune now makes me sad. i still find it unbelievably creepy that it was playing in the hospital.
- chloe, St. Louis, MO

oh god....the last thing he ever heard?.... crap, im gonna cry every time i hear this now! sort of ironic, though, that it just HAPPENED to be playing?
- chloe, st. louis, MO

Ah, I sang this to my Girlfried... Good Memories!
- Louis, Houston, TX

The last song John Lennon ever heard? Wow.
- M, Smithtown, NY

I was watching Oprah Winfrey almost a year ago when she had the director of the movie "Across the Universe" on her show. The director (Julie Taymor) had to privately sit in a theater with Paul, Ringo, Olivia Harrison, and Yoko Ono, all at separate times. When she sat next to Paul alone, the song All My Loving came on and she explained how he started singing along with it softly under his breath! I would've just died right there if I was her out of a mixture of emotions: happiness, nervousness...'cause Paul's my hero! This is one of his best Beatles songs, love it and the "oo-oo" part towards the end! Great song!
- Julia, *, OH

omg paul mccartney marry me!
- melissa, newtown, PA

The song is just amazing. =] I absolutely love it!
- Dezirae, Endicott, NY

This song was on the radio today! Love Paul's voice, it's so cute. So is he!
- Andrea, Sønderborg, Denmark

Long before I was a tadpole my mother say the beatles in melbourne australia, years later she married my father and named me Paul James after Paul Mccartney and my brother John and my sister cynthia after Johns first wife, then we had a cat and named it YOKO mee owww Paul Australia
- Paul James, Melbourne, Australia

this is a great pop rock song from their early years. both McCartney and Lennon to this day are unequalled in pop song writing and in this song McCartney writes another winner.
- George, Belleville, NJ

This song is one of Paul's best early hits. The lyrics, while very simple, are honest and sentimental, attributes I adore in all of Macca's work.
- Paul Isn't Dead, Irvine, CA

This is a great Paul song. That melody with that words. And listen to that great great chords on the rythm guitar contribued en played by John. That just makes it perfect!
- Bram, Zoetermeer, Netherlands

this was used on the safm (south australian radio station) hot 30 countdown for AGES, where people would shout out to their friends and that throughout the song, it went along so well to the music...mcCartney was a genius!
- MeL, SoutH AustraliA, Australia

Muzak was originally the name of a company that made and compiled music for various specific purposes, including background music for offices and elevators. Thus, the word came to be used to describe the type of innoffensive and easy listening music generally associated with such uses. Apparently the company still operates, google it!
- fyodor, Denver, CO

i thought it was im kissing the lips i am missing, i don't hear MMM.
- joey, hw, United States

I love All My Loving Paul did a great job on it!
- Kirsten, Union, NJ

Syliva From London, I Think Thats The Best Word I've Ever Heard..Very "Paul-ish" It's GREAT, If Ever I'm In Need To Discribe A Beatles Song (Which Is Almost Everyday In My Life) I'll Just Say "Paul-ish, or George-ish or John-ish or Ringo-ish or Beatle-ish" B-E-A-Utiful!!!
- Michelle, Antigonish, Canada

Nice song, very Paul-ish!
- Sylvia, London, England

This was the first time that George Martin double-tracked Paul's vocal, and later admitted that it was a mistake, unlike John, George or Ringo, Paul's vocals didn't need to be double-tracked. After this, Martin rarely double-tracked Paul's voice.
- Ken, Louisville, KY

This is as much a signature line of the Early Beatles as I Want To Hold Your Hand, or She Loves You, and I Saw Her Standing There. I liked it best on Ed Sullivan, because George played a certain guitar lick more often on that show than on the record.
- lee, clearwater, FL

This was Linda McCartney's favourite Beatles song
- John, dublin, United States

One of the best
- Benjamin, Cheverly, MD

yeah well i reckon they if they were doing it as a tribute, kinda mooving, but coulda picked a song he actually wrote... if they didnt even know what they were playing its creepily ironic... we all send our loving to him... hmmm
- Kat, Sydney, Australia

I Don't think they had satelite radio in 1980, Ashley.
- Joseph, Manteca, CA

Paulo's Right: Muzak is elevator music.
- Takashi, Tokyo, Japan

The broadcast of this song played on the Ed Sullivan show was placed on Anthology 1, complete with "Ladies and gentlemen, the BEATLES!" and the screaming crowd. Yeah, it is creepy that this was played as Lennon died. Funny how it was a Paul song... (although the slowness of muzak combined with John's dying-ness probably made him incapable of hearing it... pity.)
- Martin, Sterling, VA

This song has an admitted error (by Paul): when he sings "I'll pretend I am missing the lips I am missing" it should actually be "I'll pretend I am KISSING the lips I am missing." It's a pretty obvious error.
- Alan, New Baltimore, MI

In 1992, a spanish group "Los manolos", make a version of this song
- Jordi, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain

when i first heard the line "i'll pretend that i'm kissing??" i thought it said "i'll pretend I am missing the lips I ain't kissing". sounds kinda mean, eh?
- Dave, Springfield, United States

Musak is like satelite radio. go to your local department store
- Ashley, Scranton, PA

Muzak is basically elevator music, if I'm not mistaken.
- Paulo, New York, NY

What's muzak mean?
- Tzipora Leah, Cedarhurst, NY

Intersting fact, how do you know that?
- Marie, NYC, NY

A muzak version of this was playing at the Roosevelt hospital as John Lennon lay dying the night of Dec. 8 1980.
- Charles, Charlotte, NC