Silly Love Songs -- Part 1

THIS IS THE FIRST OF THREE POSTS IN OUR COUNTDOWN TO VALENTINE'S DAY 2020:

"You'd think that people would have had enough of silly love songs."

Sounds like a line straight out of a Paul McCartney song, right? Right. However, did you know that the quote actually originated with Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request) after he tired of Lavinia Dickinson singing "The Lovelorn Lobster."

Below:  Lavinia Dickinson's favorite love song was "The Lovelorn Lobster."

Below:  Emily Dickinson's favorite long song was "The Little Game Called Kissing."

Of course, Paul McCartney -- who attended the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Liverpool, England -- was a great fan of Dickinson's life and poetry, and he lifted the quote above and wrote a song about it.

John Lennon -- who also attended the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Liverpool -- was also a fan of Dickinson's works, and he partnered with McCartney to compose many songs based on the poetry of Emmett Lee Dickinson.

One such song is "All You Need is Love," based on Dickinson's poem "That Love is all you need" (below on the left).  His poem inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem "That Love is all there is" (below on the right).

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:
 
That Love is all you need,
And all you need is Love;
Nothing’s enough, that shouldn’t be
Proportioned to what’s done.

By Emily Dickinson:
 
That Love is all there is,
Is all we know of Love;
It is enough, the freight should be
Proportioned to the groove.

Interestingly enough, Dickinson based his four line poem on a haiku he had written earlier in his career:

All you need is love
Therefore love is all you need.
All together now.

Below:  The lyrics to Lennon & McCartney's "All You Need is Love," based on Emmett Lee Dickinson's poem, "That Love is all you need."

ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE
 
Love, love, love
Love, love, love
Love, love, love There's nothing you can do that can't be done
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game
It's easy Nothing you can make that can't be made
No one you can save that can't be saved
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time
It's easy All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need Nothing you can know that isn't known
Nothing you can see that isn't shown
Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be
It's easy All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need All you need is love
(All together, now)
All you need is love
(Everybody)
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need
(Love is all you need) Yee-hai
Oh yeah, yesterday
She loves you, yeah yeah yeah
She loves you, yeah yeah yeah

Below:  The Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys on Lime Street in Liverpool, England -- where Paul McCartney and John Lennon attended school.  (Click the image to enlarge.)

Silly Love Songs -- Part 2, our second of three posts in our countdown to Valentine's Day 2020 -- will come tomorrow!