A Taste Of Honey 11/02/63 |
Lead Vocal
(double tracked)
Bass guitar |
Harmony Vocal
Rhythm guitar |
Harmony Vocal Lead guitar |
Drums |
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Songwriting:
Scott : 50%
Marlow : 50% |
This Scott / Marlow composition was a famous movie soundtrack and it was a small hit for Lenny Welch in 1962. Paul mostly used Welch's arrangement for his own performance. Acker Bilk also had a hit with it just before The Beatles were planning Please Please Me. The song was part of the Beatles' repertoire for concerts in 1962 & 1963. |
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Anna (Go To Him) 11/02/63 |
Harmony Vocal Bass guitar |
Vocal
Rhythm guitar |
Harmony Vocal Lead guitar |
Drums |
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Songwriting:
Alexander : 100%
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The Beatles had to complete the track list of Please Please Me with some covers. That's what they did with Anna. The Beatles covered other songs sung or written by Alexander like A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues during 1962 (BBC) and Soldier Of Love during 1963 (Pop Go To The Beatles). |
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Ask Me Why 06/06/62 26/11/62 |
Harmony Vocal
Bass guitar |
Vocal
Rhythm guitar |
Harmony Vocal? Lead guitar |
Drums (Recording of November) |
Pete Best:
Drums (Recording of June) |
Songwriting:
McCartney : 30 %
Lennon : 70% |
Written in the spring of 1962 by John and Paul, this song was mostly John's. It was the first of many Lennon / McCartney compositions to show the influence of Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, one of their favourite groups. |
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Boys 11/02/63 |
Harmony Vocal
Bass guitar |
Harmony Vocal
Rhythm guitar |
Harmony Vocal Lead guitar |
Lead Vocal
Drums |
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Songwriting:
Dixon : 50%
Farrell : 50% |
This number was written by Dixon & Farrell for the American group The Shirelles. It was the Beatles' main "drummer's number" when they were on stage, even performed by Pete Best before his replacement by Ringo Starr. It was recorded by the Beatles as a filler for the album Please Please Me. For this cover, George Harrison tried to perform a pastiche Chet Atkins solo. |
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Do You Want To Know A Secret 11/02/63 |
Harmony Vocal
Bass guitar |
Harmony Vocal
Rhythm guitar |
Lead Vocal Lead guitar |
Drums |
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Songwriting:
McCartney :
Lennon : 100% |
It was written by John to give a solo number to George on the album Please Please Me. John based his composition upon a tune from a Disney film sung to him by his mother when he was younger. The song was also given to Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas who took the number to the top of the UK charts in June 1963. Paul McCartney claims a 50% contribution to this song (2). |
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Hold Me Tight 11/02/63
12/09/63 |
Vocal
Bass guitar
Handclaps |
Harmony Vocal
Rhythm guitar
Handclaps |
Harmony Vocal Lead guitar
Handclaps |
Drums
Handclaps |
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Songwriting:
McCartney : 80%
Lennon : 20% |
This number was mainly Paul's attempt to do something in the style of The Shirelles. It was part of the Beatles' repertoire at the Cavern between 1961 and 1963. The first recording in February was intended for the album Please Please Me, but it would remained unreleased until the re- recording in September for the album With The Beatles. This tune finally remained unloved by The Beatles & by the critics. |
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I Saw Her Standing There 11/02/63 |
Vocal
Bass guitar
Handclaps |
Harmony Vocal
Rhythm guitar
Handclaps |
Backing Vocal Lead guitar
Gretsch Duo Jet
Handclaps |
Drums
Handclaps |
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Songwriting:
McCartney : 80%
Lennon : 20% |
This is another song which was co-written by Paul and John in the front room of Forthlin Road, Paul's family home, in September 1962. It's mostly a Paul's song, but John had an interesting contribution by modifying the opening lines of the lyrics.
With this title, George Harrison had his first solo on a Beatles record. |
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Love Me Do 06/06/62 04 & 11/09/62 |
Vocal
Bass guitar |
Vocal
Rhythm guitar
Rickenbaker Capri 325
Harmonica |
Harmony Vocal Acoustic rhythm guitar |
Drums /v.1
Tambourine /v.2 |
Andy White:
Drums /v.2 |
Songwriting:
McCartney : 70%
Lennon : 30% |
One of Paul's earliest songs when he was 16 years old (1958).
John had a contribution for the middle eight. |
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Misery 11/02/63
20/02/63 |
Vocal
Bass guitar |
Vocal
Rhythm guitar
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Lead guitar |
Drums |
George Martin:
Piano |
Songwriting:
McCartney : 40%
Lennon : 60% |
Lennon & McCartney started to write this title during the Helen Shapiro tour in late January, 1963, and they finished it at Forthlin Road, Paul's family home. They hoped to sell the song to Helen Shapiro herself, but he was Kenny Lynch who would finally record it and be the first performer to record a Beatle song. This title was also the eigth and last Lennon / McCartney composition recorded by The Beatles for the album Please Please Me, a small revolution in itself, for it was an unprecendented act for a group to write most of its own material. |
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Please Please Me 11/09/62
26/11/62 |
Harmony Vocal
Bass guitar |
Vocal
Rhythm guitar
Harmonica |
Harmony Vocal Lead guitar |
Drums |
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Songwriting:
McCartney :
Lennon : 100% |
John Lennon wrote it at his Aunt Mimi's house. First it looked like a mid-tempo solo ballad in the style of Roy Orbison, but George Martin suggested to speed up the tempo and decided to rearrange it for harmonised voices. |
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P.S. I Love You 11/09/62
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Vocal
Bass guitar |
Harmony Vocal
Acoustic rhythm guitar
Gibson J-160 |
Harmony Vocal Lead guitar Gibson J-160 |
Maracas |
Andy White:
Drums |
Songwriting:
McCartney : 80%
Lennon : 20% |
Some think that Paul McCartney wrote it in Hamburg in 1961 for his girlfriend Dot Rhone (1).
This was denied by Paul (2). According to other inputs (5), the song was written in Hamburg in May 1962. |
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There's A Place 11/02/63
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Vocal
Bass guitar |
Vocal
Rhythm guitar
Harmonica |
Harmony Vocal Lead guitar
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Drums |
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Songwriting:
McCartney : 10%
Lennon : 90% |
John and Paul co-wrote this song at Forthlin Road, Paul's family home. The lyrics are commonly viewed as mostly John's. This is the first song in which John sings about himself. |
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