On 17 July 1967, the Beatles released "All You Need Is Love" in the United States, a single that would go on to top the charts in both America and the UK. John Lennon wrote the song for Our World, the first live global television broadcast, which had been devised by BBC executives to link networks across 25 countries via newly available satellite relays. The event mattered as both a technical milestone in broadcasting and a cultural touchstone of 1967's "Summer of Love", using the Beatles' platform to spread a message of unity to an enormous international audience.

Our World aired on 25 June 1967 and was watched by an estimated 400 million people, with each participating country represented by a chosen artist or band; the Beatles were the obvious pick for Britain. The group began recording their new track just 11 days before the broadcast, after producers asked for a song with a simple, easily understood message. Ringo Starr later recalled the occasion fondly, describing it as being "for love and bloody peace". The phrase "All You Need Is Love" itself echoed a slogan already common within the 1960s anti-war movement.