Baby's In Black

A simple song with a simple story. Boy loves girl, girl loves other boy, other boy doesn't love girl. Girl feels blue and dresses in black.

By 1964, Lennon and McCartney seldom used to sit down together and write a song from start to finish like they had done. Even though some songs were still collaborations, this usually meant that an unfinished song was given a middle eight by the other partner or awkward lines were improved. The nose-to-nose writing which had happened in Liverpool and during the early days in London was coming to an end. "It would be daft to sit around waiting for a partner to finish your song off with you," explained Paul at the time. "If you happen to be on your own, you might as well get it finished yourself. If I get stuck on the middle eight of anew number, I give up, knowing that when I see John he will finish it off for me. He'll bring a new approach to it and that particular song will finish up half and half, Lennon and McCartney."

'Baby's In Black' was a genuine joint effort, the first since 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' almost a year before, with John and Paul writing the song together in the same room. It became the first song to be recorded for Beatles For Sale.