From Me To You was the Beatles’ third Parlophone 45 rpm and their first undisputed No.1 disc – topping every UK sales chart from Disc, New Musical Express to the BBC.

The single was released on April 11 1963 – taking two weeks to knock Gerry and The Pacemakers’ How Do You Do It (the Mitch Murray song the Beatles had rejected for their own Please Please Me) off pop’s prized summit and then staying put for the next seven weeks.

The McCartney/Lennon song (as billed on the single) was written as a 50/50 composition while travelling on the Helen Shapiro tour bus between York and Shrewsbury on the 28 February – just five days before they were due back into EMI Studios at Abbey Road to record their next single. With Please Please Me causing a nationwide sensation, the demand from Parlophone – and from within the Beatles’ own camp itself – racked up the pressure on John and Paul to come up with another potential chart-topper. They delivered. As the tour bus made its way west across the Pennines on the old A62, Paul, seated next to John at the back of the bus, had been reading the NME letters column entitled ‘From You To Us’ and the Beatle bell of inspiration rang – a few chords later and a new song was beginning to hatch. Fellow artist and tour member, singer Kenny Lynch, already unimpressed and mildly irritated by this impromptu writing session, shot to the back of the coach to register his displeasure as the two young composers added the catchy ‘oo’ to cap off the song’s middle eight. ‘Don’t worry Kenny – the fans will like it,’ replied John. And he was right.

The following Monday the Beatles drove overnight from St Helens to the President Hotel, London in readiness for the busy day ahead. EMI studio Studio 2 was booked for the afternoon and evening of 5 March, but in the morning the band had a photo-shoot engagement at EMI headquarters at Manchester Square. The Beatles were fast becoming hot property and Brian Epstein, publisher Dick James and George Martin were all there for the event. Whether the photo session was possibly for the new Please Please Me LP or not -time has forgotten – but three photographers were present to capture the Beatles in their brown suits and red gingham shirts that day. In the final event, it was the celebrated ‘stairwell’ shot – also at EMI in Manchester Square W1 – by Angus McBean that was used for their debut LP sleeve; the exact date that McBean’s famed image was taken still remains a hotly debated mystery amongst Beatle historians.

After more snaps on the studio steps – followed by a swift cuppa in the EMI canteen – the Beatles got to work, recording their new record (plus overdubs) in just a few thirteen takes. It was at producer George Martin’s suggestion they used the harmonica and add the ‘dum-dum-da’ intro. Also cut to tape that day were the ‘B’ side Thank You Girl, One After 909 (version 1) and even a brief, early shot at What Goes On! Six weeks later From Me To You was the Hit Parade’s No.1 record.

Some critics have been less than kind to From Me To You over the passing years – famed NME journalist Roy Carr later calling it a ‘holding operation’ and others pointing out that it was the only Beatle single not to do well in the US charts (re-released in 1964). However, Paul McCartney described the composition as ‘pivotal’ in the Beatles’ development as composers – the chord change into the middle eight being a break-through moment; and then that final chord – an A minor to close a C major song – was unheard of gem. This was the release that confirmed the Beatles’ status as bona fide chart contenders and proved that Lennon and McCartney could compose a chart-bound hit ‘on demand’. Perhaps its only real fault was that the Fab Four’s follow-up single was to be the mighty million-seller She Loves You?