The Beefeaters - Please Let Me Love You (1964)

As mentioned in yesterday's post, the roots of the iconic folk rock band, The Byrds, can be traced back to the solo folk days of its original members playing around coffeehouses in Los Angeles, California during the early '60s. When they first came together, Jim McGuinn, Gene Clark, and David Crosby chose the name The Jet Set. It was mentioned that David Crosby brought The Jet Set in to record at World Pacific Studios in Los Angeles, California. As mentioned, the band recorded a lot of demo material, but only one single, released under the name The Beefeaters. That single, “Please Let Me Love You” / “Don’t Be Long” was put out under the name “The Beefeaters” because the group wanted to cash in on the British Invasion and use a name that “sounded British.” The single, which was released on Elektra Records in October 1964, featured session musicians Ray Pohlman and Earl Palmer, members of the “Wrecking Crew” session musicians.

The song was released in October 1964, but failed to chart. It was written by Gene Clark, Jim McGuinn, and Harvey Gerst (a friend of McGuinn's from his early solo folk years). The song’s flip-side, “Don’t Be Long,” was later rewritten, rerecorded, and renamed “It Won’t Be Wrong” by the band (then going by the moniker The Byrds) for their Turn! Turn! Turn! album in 1965.



The Beefeaters - Please Let Me Love You (1964)

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Lyrics:

Please let me love you a while
Let me live in the warmth of your smile
Let them see you with me
Let them wish they could be
As lucky as me
To have you here
To hold you oh-so near
Oh yeah, oh yeah

Please let me love you today
Let me give you my heart right away
And we’ll walk in the sun
And we’ll tell everyone
Our new love has begun
Just you and me
Always
Oh yeah, oh yeah

And when I hold you, I feel- feel so high
And when I kiss you I could fly

Please let me love you a while
Let me live in the warmth of your smile
Let them see you with me
Let them wish they could be
As lucky as me
To have you here
To hold you oh-so near
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah