I Saw Her Standing There – The Lovers

I Saw Her Standing There – The Lovers

(Lennon/McCartney)

Please Please Me, 1963

Our journey through the Beatles astonishing body of work begins with the first song off their first album. They had already released the singles “Love Me Do” and the #1 smash “Please Please Me“. But here, with a count in of “One, two, three, FOUR!”, the greatest rock and roll band of all time introduced themselves to the world they would soon change forever.

After the count in and the bouncy, danceable beat kicks in for a few measures, Paul opens with, “Well she was just seventeen, and you know what I mean.” It’s a pretty risqué lyric and in the context of youthful attraction, it is the perfect opening.

This wonderfully catchy and upbeat song is the perfect Song #1 of Album #1 for the Beatles’ recording career. Their explorations of the meaning and power of love would evolve greatly over the next seven years. But here we have ground zero: The Beatles and the Power of Love. Paul and his partner dance through the night, hold each other tight, and share a most enchanted evening together. But notice the title: it refers to the magical moment he first saw her standing there. At its essence the song is about the breathtaking moment and mysterious power of love at first sight.

What is it that attracts us to another? It’s hard to put into words; it resists rational explanation. The heart knows what it wants (and the loins do too). The Lovers card is #6 of tarot’s major arcana. The 22 cards in the tarot deck known as the “majors” or trump cards are the fundamental archetypes of the life journey. In other words, these cards identify the underlying, universal  aspects of being alive.

Surely the force of attraction and finding that special someone who completes us is a vital part of the life experience. It’s going on constantly, at every moment someone or something attracts us. When we draw The Lovers card, we are invited to consider romantic love and the people we are attracted to because deep down, we know within our hearts they will complete us.

Notable Lyric:

“Whoa, we danced through the night

And we held each other tight

And before too long I fell in love with her

Now I’ll never dance with another (Woo)

Since I saw her standing there”

This is song #1 of the Beatles Song Tarot Project. Click here to learn more about this magical, mystical trip through the Beatles catalogue. (Scroll down to enjoy an excellent live version of “I Saw Her Standing There”.)