Pop Music

Peter Asher and Gordon Waller formed their duo in the early 1960s and were part of the Sixties British Invasion of American. They were school friends at Westminster, one of the top private schools in Britain. Peter and his sister Jane Asher were child actors in the 1950s, notably for appearing as siblings in an episode of the TV series The Adventures of Robin Hood. Jane dated Paul McCartney, and that liaison turned out to be good fortune for Peter and Gordon.

The story behind the song goes something like this. It was written years before by a 16-year-old Paul McCartney and is now credited to Lennon-McCartney. John Lennon, for some reason, was always amused by the first line, which is “Please lock me away.” But he did not care enough about the rest of it to make it a Beatles song. Anyway, in 1963, Paul was then 21 and staying at the home of Jane Asher, his girlfriend at the time. Paul shared a room with her brother Peter Asher. The Beatles did not want the song. Paul offered it to Billy J. Kramer, who rejected it. Paul then gave Peter and Gordon the song. They released it as their first single backed “If I Were You,” which they had written. “A World Without Love” sky-rocketed to #1 in the U.K. and U.S. on both the Billboard and Cash Box charts in 1964. It is on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s list of the “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.” There have been numerous covers, including versions by The Supremes, Del Shannon, Bobby Rydell, and Terry Black.

Here are the lyrics to “A World Without Love” by Peter and Gordon:

“Please lock me away
And don’t allow the day
Here inside, where I hide with my loneliness
I don’t care what they say, I won’t stay
In a world without love

Birds sing out of tune
And rain clouds hide the moon
I’m OK, here I stay with my loneliness
I don’t care what they say, I won’t stay
In a world without love

So I wait, and in a while
I will see my true love smile
She may come, I know not when
When she does, I’ll lose
So baby until then

Lock me away
And don’t allow the day
Here inside, where I hide with my loneliness
I don’t care what they say, I won’t stay
In a world without love

(Please lock me away)
(And don’t allow the day)
(Here inside, where I hide with my loneliness)
I don’t care what they say, I won’t stay
In a world without love

So I wait, and in a while
I will see my true love smile
She may come, I know not when
When she does, I’ll lose
So baby until then

Lock me away
And don’t allow the day
Here inside, where I hide with my loneliness
I don’t care what they say, I won’t stay
In a world without love

I don’t care what they say, I won’t stay
In a world without love”

For those who are fans of Beatles trivia, the only known recording of the song by any member of The Beatles is Paul’s demo. It is in the possession of Peter Asher, and a clip was put on YouTube a few years ago:

For other songs by Peter and Gordon: “Lady Godiva” and “Knight in Rusty Armour.”

Check Out The Groove Pad for More 1960s Music

The Pass the Paisley Groove Pad is a resting stop, a place to chill out and listen to the featured song on the stereo. If the mood strikes you, click on the juke box to access and listen to the 50+ free online songs there. The TV has several channels, with selections updated twice a week. Every now and then, Pass the Paisley hosts an all-request of 1960s and 1970s songs for a Be-In at the juke box in the Groove Pad. Keep on truckin’. Hope you enjoyed “A World Without Love” by Peter and Gordon.