Written by: McCartney-Harrison
Recorded: May 1995
Producer: Jeff Lynne
Unreleased
‘All For Love’ was a McCartney-Harrison composition considered for release on Anthology 3.
The March 1996 edition of Beatles Book Monthly carried a news item about the song:
Recording of the third new Beatles ‘reunion’ song, ‘All For Love’, is now complete. There’s still little inkling as to the nature of the track, although it’s understood that the song isn’t one of the John Lennon demo tapes handed to Paul by Yoko Ono, but is in fact a brand new song written by Paul McCartney and George Harrison – only their second-ever collaboration, after 1958’s ‘In Spite Of All The Danger’!At presstime, it had yet to be confirmed that the song would even be released, although it is likely to appear as the opening track on Anthology 3, as well as becoming a single in its own right. Without a contribution from John Lennon, however, it’s difficult to imagine how the song can be presented as a Beatles recording. Anthology 3 itself is said to be scheduled for release in late summer 1996, possibly September.
Anthology 3 was released in October 1996, but without ‘All For Love’ – or, indeed, any new recording, or the third reworking of a Lennon demo, ‘Now And Then’. The album began instead with ‘A Beginning’, a 1968 outtake.
‘All For Love’ was recorded in May 1995 at Hog Hill Mill, McCartney’s studio in East Sussex. The three remaining Beatles completed work on ‘Real Love’ before turning their attentions to the new song.
It remains unclear why the song was left unreleased, but Harrison was reportedly the member least willing to continue with the recording sessions.
In 2008 Peter Hodgson, a friend to McCartney, shed a little light on the song:
I visited Paul McCartney at his Recording Studio on 27th March 1995 Whilst Paul was showing me around his recording Studio he mentioned that Yoko & Sean had been there 2 weeks previously and that they had recorded a track (‘Hiroshima Skies’). He also told me that the previous week, George and Ringo and himself had been working on a song, I then asked him what it was called. His answer was ‘All For Love’.Now what happened was that a gentleman named Andy Davis (Record Collector Magazine & Beatles Monthly) had been phoning me on a number of occasions and I mentioned to him that Paul had mentioned ‘All For Love’ during conversations that we had had. Paul definitely said ‘All For Love’ when I asked him what the song was called that he, George & Ringo had been working on the previous week, 100% ‘All For Love’ were his exact words. The article was in Beatles Monthly and was picked up by various other publications including Keith Badman’s book, the sessions for the song would have been March 20-21 1995.
My visit to Paul’s studio in East Sussex took place on 27th March 1995. Rip, I hope that it clears things up, the track was definitely worked on as I know that my ears were not deceiving me when Paul said ‘All For Love’.