Released on Nov. 22, 1963, ‘With the Beatles’ rocketed the group back to No. 1 on the U.K. charts, while providing songs that appeared on the U.S.-only releases ‘Meet the Beatles’ and ‘The Beatles’ Second Album.’ This sophomore release was best known for Paul McCartney’s radio-favorite “All My Loving.” The internationally chart-topping stand-alone single “I Want to Hold Your Hand” also emerged from these sessions, and ended up obscuring much of what else could be found inside. It’s a shame, because ‘With the Beatles’ featured some intriguing new original songwriting from John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and cover songs that revealed important influences. Deep Beatles columnist Kit O’Toole takes us off the album’s beaten path:
‘ALL I’VE GOT TO DO’
As any Beatles student knows, the four made no secret of their love for R&B. Before they conquered the world, they cut their teeth on tracks by Little Richard, Arthur Alexander, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Larry Williams and numerous Motown acts. Throughout their careers, The Beatles (as a group and as solo artists) interpreted soul and blues in a unique fashion, adding that pounding Ringo Starr backbeat and John Lennon’s slightly raspy vocals to lend them an edge. “All I’ve Got to Do,” a standout track from their second album, blends rock and soul in a particularly sophisticated yet catchy way.
In 1980, primary composer Lennon labeled “All I’ve Got to Do” as “me trying to do Smokey Robinson again.” While Lennon lacks Robinson’s patented falsetto, he does turn in a memorable vocal on this song. In fact, his emotion-packed singing ranks as one of his finest performances, both in his Beatles and solo years. “And the same goes for me, whenever you want me at all – I’ll be there, yes I will, whenever you call,” he cries, his voice rising in pitch and volume.
When Lennon repeats these lines toward the track’s end, he effectively dramatizes the lovestruck man who will do anything for his beloved. “All I’ve Got to Do” also showcases the Beatles’ still-impressive harmonies, which they gradually honed until they reached near-perfection on Abbey Road. Paul McCartney and George Harrison’s combined voices punctuate and echo Lennon’s lead vocal, emphasizing his commitment. They stress the title phrase as well as the “you just gotta call on me” line, essentially convincing Lennon’s lover of his devotion.
Another standout in this track is Starr, whose slightly off-kilter drumming distinguishes this song from others circa 1963-1964. Few songs featured such start-stop rhythms instead of a typical 4/4 pattern. Starr’s trademark power-drumming accents the R&B roots of “All I’ve Got to Do,” also accompanying McCartney’s bass. When Starr’s beat briefly hesitates, it stresses Lennon’s passion while singing such lines as “And when I wanna kiss you, yeah, all I gotta do is whisper in your ear … the words you long to hear.”
Having Lennon’s voice laid so bare must have been difficult, as he famously disliked his own singing and often employed studio tricks to distort his vocals. However, such effects would have dulled the impact of the lyrics’ emotion.
The ending of “All I Got to Do” intrigues as well. Instead of fading out over the Beatles singing the lyrics, the song ends with Lennon humming the melody with McCartney and Harrison crooning “oos” behind him. After the intense feelings expressed in the final verses, the song downshifts to conclude on a quieter note. Has the narrator successfully convinced his lover of his devotion, thus transitioning into a laid-back, gently romantic tone? As is typical of many Beatles songs, they leave it to listeners to determine for themselves.
Even early in their careers, the Beatles proved themselves masters of manipulating words and sounds to create a mood or evoke a feeling within the listener. In 1963, the Beatles were gradually experimenting with taking elements of already existing music, tearing them apart, and reconstructing them using their unique talents as glue. This action resulted in forever altering the rock landscape by expanding the very definitions of “rock” and “pop,” demonstrating that there may not be such a thing as “pure” soul or “pure” rock.
Instead, these genres borrow from other fields to create new kinds of music. “All I’ve Got to Do” represents their early stage in this process, and album by album they further established themselves as “mad scientists” expanding the rock and pop worlds. While not as adventurous as later cuts like “Tomorrow Never Knows” or “A Day in the Life,” “All I’ve Got to Do” perfectly illustrates the Beatles’ pastiche technique.
‘PLEASE MR. POSTMAN’
The Beatles clearly had a fondness for the “girl group” sound, and no song better exemplifies that fact than “Please Mr. Postman.” Originally recorded by Motown act the Marvelettes, “Please Mister Postman” allowed the Beatles to demonstrate how they could interpret numerous genres, transforming them into their own sound. In addition, their enthusiasm and raw energy foreshadowed a change in pop culture, a musical revolution that the Beatles would lead.
Before examining the Beatles’ energetic take on “Please Mister Postman,” let’s rewind further back to 1961. That year five young women called the Casinyets entered Detroit’s Motown Studios, hoping to audition for label head Berry Gordy and songwriter/producer/singer Smokey Robinson. The two subsequently called in the group for another audition, but there was one problem: the group needed to perform an original tune. Under pressure, Georgia Dobbins and friend William Garrett penned “Please Mister Postman,” a bluesy number featuring only a few lyrics.
Dobbins departed the group after the second audition, but her song lingered. Gordy turned the promising track over to producers Freddie Gorman, Brian Holland and Robert Bateman to rework the tune. (Interestingly, Gorman moonlighted as a postman at the time.) After Gordy rechristened them as the Marvelettes, the quartet recorded the song, accompanied by Motown house band the Funk Brothers and a new drummer: Marvin Gaye. By December, “Please Mister Postman” had become a massive hit, topping the R&B and Hot 100 and officially establishing Motown as a major force in music.
Flash forward two years later, when the Beatles were recording With the Beatles. As with Please Please Me, the group chose a mixture of original compositions and selections from their live repertoire for the track lineup. Paul McCartney claimed in a 1984 interview that the Beatles were attracted to “Please Mister Postman” because of fan mail: “We got it from our fans, who would write ‘Please Mr. Postman’ on the back of the envelopes,” he said. “’Posty, posty, don’t be slow, be like the Beatles and go, man, go!’ That sort of stuff.”
However, it may be more likely that they were simply fans of Motown cuts: After all, they would rave about the label in subsequent interviews. As demonstrated by previous covers, they also seemed to have great affection for “girl group” tracks. Indeed, the Beatles had already included the Marvelettes hit in their live sets less than a year after the single was first released.
Despite the fact that they had performed the song numerous times, it took nine takes to perfect “Please Mr. Postman.” Under George Martin’s direction, the group assembled at Abbey Road on July 30, 1963, with John Lennon on lead vocals and rhythm guitar; Paul McCartney on backing vocals and bass; George Harrison on backing vocals and lead guitar; and Ringo Starr on drums. In the end they decided to combine two takes, namely an overdub of take nine onto take seven. In addition, Lennon’s lead vocals were double-tracked to add punch to the track.
The Beatles would subsequently perform the song for several BBC sessions, including 1962’s Teenager’s Turn (Here We Go) and 1963’s Pop Go the Beatles. Due to the rapidly increasing number of original compositions, however, the band would eventually drop the Marvelettes cover from their concerts.
In typical fashion, the Beatles took a risk in covering “Please Mister Postman”; after all, they were opening themselves up to criticism. How could a British band convincingly reinterpret an R&B tune by a Motown “girl group”? The Beatles delivered a decisive answer to the question: very well, thank you.
They pay tribute to the original through the tight harmonies and virtual call-and-response sections. As Lennon cries “wait a minute” and “oh yeah,” Harrison and McCartney either repeat his phrases or underscore on key lyrics such as “since I’ve heard from that girl of mine.” Lennon’s lead vocals rank among his best, as his powerful, slightly raspy performance adds an edge to the Marvelettes’ original.
George Martin also deserves a mention, as his production is flawless on the track. The 2009 stereo remaster fully reveals the crystal-clear sound, with Starr’s drums and McCartney’s bass thumping through the speakers. “Please Mister Postman” exemplifies the jolt the Beatles delivered to the music industry. Their youth, enthusiasm, and slight edge signaled a new era in pop culture, and all are present on the recording.
Nodding to the group’s early days, Lennon uses an amusing accent in the following line: “deliver de letter, de sooner de better.” It subtly refers to their Hamburg and Cavern eras, when they would add cheeky parts to their covers of “Sheik of Araby,” “Three Cool Cats,” and “Besame Mucho.” While they clearly adored the original versions, their irreverence and virtual winks to the audience indicate that the group’s members did not take themselves too seriously.
“Please Mister Postman” illustrates how the Beatles adapted other musical forms to create their own sound, both honoring their forebears and adding another dimension to the original versions. By choosing yet another “girl group” song, the Beatles revealed the fearlessness that would drive them through their entire career. Soul and rhythm and blues inspired the four musicians, and their cover of the Marvelettes’ hit pays homage to genres they loved.
‘HOLD ME TIGHT’
Some Beatles tracks forged new sonic territory, and others just rocked hard. “Hold Me Tight,” a track off With the Beatles, harkens back to their beginnings in Hamburg and Liverpool, driving audiences mad with their hard-driving guitars and unflagging energy. While never released as a single, “Hold Me Tight” remains one of this 1963 LP’s hidden gems and a perennially underrated song in their catalog.
Originally intended for inclusion on Please Please Me, “Hold Me Tight” was born out of songwriting sessions at Paul McCartney’s Forthlin Road, Liverpool home circa 1961. McCartney later told biographer Barry Miles that “when we first started it was all singles and we were always trying to write singles. That’s why you get lots of these two minute, 30 second songs; they all came out the same length. ‘Hold Me Tight’ was a failed attempt at a single which then became an acceptable album filler.” In Mark Lewisohn’s Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, McCartney added that he and John Lennon were emulating the Shirelles, perhaps meaning harmonically or their “call and answer” format.
In any case, the Beatles began including the song in their live set lists in 1961, then brought it to Abbey Road for a marathon Feb. 11, 1963, session. The Beatles recorded 13 takes of the track. Unfortunately, the tape containing these versions was subsequently destroyed, thus no bootlegs exist from that day. When the group converged to work on their followup, With the Beatles, they resurrected “Hold Me Tight,” completing nine takes on Sept. 12, 1963. Luckily footage exists of takes 20-29; producer George Martin edited versions 26 and 29 together to create the final album edition, completing work on September 30.
Sadly, the Beatles thought very little of “Hold Me Tight.” In typical “own worst critic” fashion, Lennon later dismissed the track as a “pretty poor song” and was “never really interested in it.” McCartney was slightly kinder to the song in 1988: “I can’t remember much about that one. Certain songs were just ‘work’ songs – you haven’t got much of a memory of them. That’s one of them. You just knew you had a song that would work, a good melody. ‘Hold Me Tight’ never really had that much of an effect on me.”
Upon close listening, “Hold Me Tight” does have a rushed quality, with some flubbing of the lyrics and McCartney’s less than perfect vocal. However, these imperfections only enhance the energy and the “live” feeling of the recording, emulating what a Cavern performance may have sounded like.
As the Beatles reworked the song, it’s apparent that they experimented with a different introduction in take 20. Wisely they chose what exists on the With the Beatles album version: the handclap-heavy beat with Lennon’s driving rhythm guitar. Clearly, the long sessions took a toll on McCartney’s voice; his vocals grew strained, cracking and wavering from the effort. He as well as Lennon and George Harrison would occasionally forget the lyrics – leading a frustrated McCartney to yell “bloody hell!” after once again missing the words.
However, Lennon’s chugging rhythm guitar (accented by George Harrison’s lead), Ringo Starr’s thunderous drumming, and the call-and-answer vocals significantly add to the song’s power. The handclap-dominant percussion adds a crucial element to the track, as it also lends a “live” aspect to the track, as if hearing the Beatles perform it at a small club.
Lyrically, “Hold Me Tight” does not break any new ground. However, its suggestive lines perfectly blend with the song’s nervous energy, injecting it with sexual as well as youthful vitality. “Hold me tight,” Harrison, McCartney, and Lennon croon, with McCartney immediately adding “Let me go on loving you.” The trio increases the sense of urgency by harmonizing on the words “tonight, tonight,” with McCartney concluding his plea with “Making love to only you.”
Starr somewhat tempers the drums during the bridge, with handclaps and guitar rising to the foreground. “Don’t know what it means to hold you tight, being here alone tonight with you,” McCartney sings alone, his slightly quavering voice communicating anxiety, excitement, and anticipation. The trio finally reenters the scene by loudly emphasizing the line “It feels so right.”
With its harder-rocking feel, sexually tinged lyrics and overall exuberance, “Hold Me Tight” embodies everything the early Beatles stood for: youth, energy, pulsating excitement, and newness. It offers a glimpse into the group’s rougher roots, sporting leather head to toe while performing for rowdy audiences. In addition, the song highlights how the Beatles excelled as a straight-ahead rock and R&B band guaranteed to entrance the crowds.
Lennon and McCartney may not have thought much of “Hold Me Tight,” but its raw power endures and encapsulates the changes the Beatles brought to teenagers and early ’60s pop culture.
‘DEVIL IN HIS HEART’
When choosing songs to cover in concert or on record, the Beatles did not select obvious tracks. Sure, they played Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and Carl Perkins tunes, but they also favored lesser-known R&B artists and “girl group” covers. No other song may have as fascinating a history as “Devil in Her Heart,” originally released in 1962 as “Devil in His Heart” by a one-hit-wonder group called the Donays. Without the Beatles discovering the single by chance, the Donays may have faded into complete obscurity.
The origin of the Donays is shrouded in mystery, but they emerged from the Detroit area. They were led by singer Yvonne Vernee Allen, who would later join the Motown group the Elgins. Songwriter Richard Drapkin, who also recorded under the alias Ricky Dee, worked closely with Detroit label Correct-Tone Records. When the company added the Donays to its roster in 1962, Drapkin’s composition “Devil in His Heart” was chosen as the group’s first single. Motown artist Richard “Popcorn” Wylie produced the track along with its B-side: “Bad Boy,” another Drapkin composition that’s not to be confused with Larry Williams’ song of the same name. The song was picked up by New York label Brent Records, but failed to chart. For unknown reasons, the Donays never recorded another track.
In Anthology, George Harrison explained that the Beatles came across this rare single in Brian Epstein’s NEMS store. “Brian had a policy of buying at least one copy of every record that was released. If it sold, he’d order another one, or five or whatever. Consequently, he had records that weren’t hits in Britain, weren’t even hits in America,” Harrison said. Before going to a gig, we’d meet in the record store after it had shut, and we’d search the racks like ferrets to see what new ones were there. ‘Devil in Her Heart’ and Barrett Strong’s ‘Money’ were records that we’d picked up and played in the shop and thought were interesting.” They added the song to their live repertoire, and would record their cover version for With the Beatles.
The Beatles began recording “Devil in Her Heart” on July 18, 1963, with George Martin producing as usual. George Harrison assumed lead vocals and guitar; John Lennon sang backup and played rhythm guitar; Paul McCartney contributed backing vocals and bass; and Ringo Starr played drums and maracas. They completed the song in six takes, with the latter three involving overdubs.
Clearly, the Beatles held great affection for the song, as they performed it during their 1962-63 concerts and later for the BBC. A 1963 version can be found on the Live at the BBC Volume 2 compilation.
During the 1969 Get Back sessions, the group briefly revisited “Devil in Her Heart” while rehearsing “Don’t Let Me Down.” As they were learning the song, Harrison began playing guitar riffs similar to those he used in “Devil in Her Heart”; Lennon commented on the similarities, which led to them fondly recalling the track.
What makes the Beatles’ take on “Devil in Her Heart” so effective are two elements: Harrison’s strong vocal performance and Starr’s powerful drumming. Harrison’s double-tracked voice resounds, resisting his friends’ advice to stay away from a certain woman. “I’ll take my chances / For romance is / So important to me,” he argues. He then asserts that “she’ll never hurt me – she won’t desert me.”
Lennon and McCartney’s additional backing vocals stress their roles as the Greek chorus, advising Harrison that appearances can be deceiving. Harrison’s narrator refuses to believe that his lover will “tear [his] heart apart.” “No, no, nay will she deceive” Harrison insists (a change from the original lyric “no, not me will he deceive”). His Latin-inspired guitar work also deserves a mention, closely mirroring the feel of the original.
Another crucial element is Ringo Starr’s drumming, a force that adds a distinctly rock edge to the Donays’ Motown-esque take on “Devil in His Heart.” His thundering drums kick off the track, effectively introducing Harrison’s guitar-fueled melody. Proving his versatility as a percussionist, Starr includes fills and patterns reflecting the song’s Latin-inspired origins. He is an important ingredient in making the song rock, and he perfectly complements — but never overwhelms — Harrison’s voice.
“Devil in Her Heart” exemplifies the early Beatles, in that it represents their eclectic song selection, willingness to take risks, and ability to transform a cover into their unique sound. These are all qualities that would play even greater roles as they developed artistically, even as they ultimately turned away from covers and concentrated on their own compositions. The track also showcases George Harrison’s strong voice, one that does not always receive the attention it deserves. Finally, the Beatles’ cover of “Devil in Her Heart” rescued the Donays from complete obscurity, revealing a charming track from the heyday of the “girl group” era.
‘NOT A SECOND TIME’
“Not a Second Time” may be a hidden gem off With the Beatles, but it has also become famous for two other words: “Aeolian cadence.”
A London Times review of the album from Dec. 27, 1963, praised this song in a rather flowery manner, with critic William Mann writing “harmonic interest is typical of their quicker songs, too, and one gets the impression that they think simultaneously of harmony and melody, so firmly are the major tonic sevenths and ninths built into their tunes, and the flat submediant key switches, so natural is the Aeolian cadence at the end of ‘Not a Second Time’ (the chord progression which ends Mahler’s Song of the Earth).” John Lennon later dismissed the article, stating in one of his final interviews, “To this day I don’t have any idea what [Aeolian cadences] are. They sound like exotic birds.”
The words may have been a tad over the top, but “Not a Second Time” features a stellar lead vocal from Lennon. It also foreshadows the melancholy, introspective tones the Beatles would further explore on Beatles for Sale, Help!, and Rubber Soul.
The lyrics tell the story of disillusionment and anger, a determination not to revisit a past romance. In Anthology, Lennon stated he was attempting to write a Smokey Robinson-esque song; indeed, there are similarities between chord changes and lyrics in one of Lennon’s favorite Robinson tracks: 1961’s “I’ve Been Good to You.” In addition, the piano is reminiscent of another Robinson and the Miracles track the Beatles also covered: the classic “You Really Got a Hold on Me.”
Lennon brought his composition to Abbey Road Studios on September 11, 1963. In addition to producing the session, George Martin also played piano; Lennon sang lead and strummed acoustic rhythm; George Harrison also contributed acoustic guitar; Paul McCartney played bass; and Ringo Starr, as usual, manned the drums. They recorded it in five takes, then completed four overdubs to add the piano and Lennon’s double-tracked lead vocal.
Musicologist Alan W. Pollack makes several key observations about the uniqueness of “Not a Second Time.” He states that the middle section (“you’re giving me the same old line”) serves as more of a refrain than a bridge; in other words, it functions as an extension of the verses rather than its own distinctive interlude. In addition, the fluctuations between G Major and E Minor emphasize the anguish the narrator is experiencing.
“The lyrics would seem on the surface to articulate a feeling of unbendable resolve not to be taken in or fooled anymore,” Pollack writes. “Yet the manner in which the resolute harmonies of G Major repeatedly give way in the refrain sections to surprising turns toward the more mournful, disappointed key of E Minor would indicate that the hero is not quite so able to follow his own best advice.”
The track begins abruptly, stumbling in as John Lennon sings “You know you made me cry / I see no use in wondrin’ why.” Starr’s steady beat comes in at the line “I cried for you,” emphasizing the drama of those words. Starr’s drumming is often used to stress important phrases, such as the fills after the first use of the title words.
Martin’s brooding piano provides an ominous tone, suggesting that the narrator’s initial defiance may be weakening. After the solo, Lennon returns to the opening phrase, this time holding the note on “cried for you – ooh-ooh yeah.” The descending notes on “you” again infer that the protagonist is struggling with his determination to never return to his previous troubled relationship.
Another interesting aspect of Lennon’s vocal performance is through his delivery of the lines “and now you’ve changed your mind – I see no reason to change mine.” The rhythm is slightly off-pace, the wordiness complicating the vocal performance. Lennon handles the potentially awkward melody and rhythm with apparent ease, although it would pose a challenge to any other singer.
Where does the Smokey Robinson influence occur in the song? There are several spots where the legendary singer/songwriter’s fingerprints linger. First, the moody piano section faintly recalls “You Really Got a Hold on Me” in that the instrument largely dominates both tracks, lending a melancholy air. Thematically, Robinson’s “I’ve Been Good to You” (a favorite of Lennon’s) also addresses troubled romance from the perspective of a tortured narrator.
Compare the angry opening sections of the songs:
Robinson:
Look what you’ve done
You made a fool out of someone
Who thought love was true
And found out that you we’re just having fun, oh yeah
Lennon:
You know you made me cry
I see no use in wond’rin’ why
I cried for you
Next, both narrators resolve never to surrender to their ex-lover’s temptations:
Robinson:
But there come a time
One day, one day, one day, one day, one day you gonna wake up and find
You’ll come back to me on your bending knees
And you’re gonna be crying
Lennon:
You’re giving me the same old line,
I’m wond’ring why.
You hurt me then,
you’re back again;
No, no no, not a second time!
Lennon’s vocals at the conclusion of “Not a Second Time” faintly imitate harmonies from Miracles tracks like “You Really Got a Hold on Me”; here, the narrator appears to be taking a final stand. Will he eventually surrender to his lover’s charms? That question is never quite answered; indeed, the minor keys suggest otherwise.
“Aeolian cadences” aside, the Beatles’ “Not a Second Time” stands as an example of John Lennon’s increasing experimentation in his songwriting. He plays with the typical “verse-chorus” structure, stretches his voice’s capabilities, and explores lyrical complexity. For hints of future Beatles for Sale tracks such as “No Reply,” “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” from Help! and even “Norwegian Wood” from Rubber Soul, one need look no further than “Not a Second Time.”
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