1962
The first day of the year brought the most important single session the Beatles had yet attended...
RECORDING: decca studios, london, january 1, 1962
The Beatles’ Decca audition saw them run through some 15 songs, all of which were recorded on tape for the benefit of A&R man, Dick Rowe. The audition set is worth looking at, since it reveals the type of material the group were performing, as well as their reticence when it came to pushing their own original songs:
The tracks have since been released semi-officially without the three group originals. As is often the case, it is the bootleg versions which are complete, containing the otherwise unavailable “Love Of The Loved” in its true context. |
Although Dick Rowe and Decca famously turned them down, Epstein was not deterred and had these tapes transferred onto a pile of discs, during an eventful London visit soon after. It was these records which first opened a door at EMI. Epstein actually sat in George Martin’s office briefly on February 13 and played him “Hello Little Girl” – although the producer was reportedly nonplussed by the group with a strange name and their own songs to sing.
As a working stage act, the Beatles were gigging non-stop through 1962, with the Cavern the main focus of events. From this period, we can identify two new numbers in the expanding Lennon-McCartney songbook:
As a working stage act, the Beatles were gigging non-stop through 1962, with the Cavern the main focus of events. From this period, we can identify two new numbers in the expanding Lennon-McCartney songbook:
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pinwheel twist (mccartney)
The ‘twist’ craze had broken out in 1962, and it seems McCartney fancied writing one of his own twist songs. According to local performer Earl Preston, “Pinwheel Twist” was written off-the-cuff on March 22 at the Cavern. That night there happened to be a twist act supporting the Beatles, and McCartney supposedly wrote “Pinwheel Twist” in the ‘bandroom’ (what passed for backstage in the cellar), premiering it to the audience that very night. The result was reputedly mediocre (as one might expect) with an incongruous waltz section in the middle.
Nevertheless, it endured for a little while. It is perhaps a measure of McCartney’s own estimation of the song that it was soon given over to Pete Best for his live vocal spot. Best has since recalled some of the lines, as follows: “Pinwheel twist going round and round / Pinwheel twist going round and round / Pinwheel twist going round and round / Hey, pinwheel twist”. Mark Lewisohn has since identified further lyrics, recalled from fans who saw the song performed: "We’ll twist, we’ll pinwheel / Do the spin wheel / Right away, night and day, [at this point, Paul calls out: 'two-three'] / Well come on everybody and do the shimmy-shimmy / While you’re dancing to and fro – like this / Everybody’s doing the Pinwheel Twist." Average it might have been, but when Brian Epstein drew up a list of 30 tracks to take into EMI for the group’s first proper recording session, “Pinwheel Twist” was on it, noted as a McCartney vocal and indicating that Epstein thought it had something going for it (if only by tapping into a fashion). In the end the list of 30 songs was whittled down to four, “Pinwheel Twist” not among them. The track has never been heard since. (That list of 30 songs included seven Lennon-McCartney originals. All have made it to vinyl bar this one.) As a footnote, there was one other significant spin-off from the twist craze: the release of the Isley Brothers’ “Twist and Shout”, which the Beatles incorporated into their live act during the year. |
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ask me why (lennon)
Lennon was inspired to write this after hearing “What’s So Good About Goodbye” by the Miracles. That single was released in February 1962 in the UK, and “Ask Me Why” presumably followed closely.
It is thought to be Lennon’s first proper composition for a couple of years, and also follows McCartney’s first song for some time (“Pinwheel Twist”), suggesting he and McCartney were responding to their new manager’s enthusiasm for self-written material. McCartney has claimed to have worked on the song with Lennon, making it a co-write on Lennon’s original model. During the year, the Beatles signed with EMI and “Ask Me Why” was earmarked for possible release. It was taped as early as June in versions now lost, but the definitive recording was made on November 26. It duly appeared as the B-side to “Please Please Me” in 1963. Meantime a version was recorded on stage at the Star Club, Hamburg, which has circulated illicitly. |
The Beatles made their BBC radio debut at around this point, as Epstein managed to get them booked on the show, Here We Go on March 7. The group performed live in a studio in Manchester, their set including “Hello Little Girl” as the only original, alongside three cover versions. But while the others were broadcast, “Hello Little Girl” was not!
In April, the Beatles were due back in Hamburg for their third prolonged booking. Tragedy struck again, however – on the day the group landed, news arrived that their friend and former band-mate, Stu Sutcliffe, had died. Lennon in particular was said to be shell-shocked, and not for the first time in his life. Nevertheless, the band saw through their bookings, performing another gruelling set of gigs, this time with somewhat better accommodation and remuneration to raise the spirits. It was during this visit that they went back into the recording studio...
In April, the Beatles were due back in Hamburg for their third prolonged booking. Tragedy struck again, however – on the day the group landed, news arrived that their friend and former band-mate, Stu Sutcliffe, had died. Lennon in particular was said to be shell-shocked, and not for the first time in his life. Nevertheless, the band saw through their bookings, performing another gruelling set of gigs, this time with somewhat better accommodation and remuneration to raise the spirits. It was during this visit that they went back into the recording studio...
RECORDING: rahlstedt studio, hamburg, may 24, 1962
This session satisfied Bert Kaempfert’s contract with the Beatles, originating from their June 1961 recordings with Tony Sheridan. It seems that the session was somewhat perfunctory, the lead singer not there and just a few backing tracks laid down. No Beatles originals were recorded.
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During this time away, events were taking place in London, unknown to the Beatles, or indeed, Brian Epstein. The circumstances surrounding the signing of the Beatles to Parlophone were never really clear, until Mark Lewisohn’s 2013 epic explained things. During Epstein’s London visit in February, during which he met George Martin, he’d brought the Beatles to the attention of Sid Colman, of Ardmore and Beechwood – EMI’s publishing company. Colman was drawn to the idea of a group writing their own songs, and was impressed with the Decca recording of “Like Dreamers Do”, which he wanted to secure the rights to.
It was as a result of Colman’s jockeying that EMI’s record division MD, Len ‘LG’ Wood, consented to getting the group into the studio to cut a few sides. Wood was at this stage on less than glowing terms with George Martin, and knowing that Martin had himself turned his nose up at the Beatles back in February, devilishly told the producer that he would have the privilege of recording the group.
And so, by a circuitous route, and via EMI’s great rivals Decca – whose January recordings made things possible – EMI offered the Beatles a short recording contract. Epstein was elated, and immediately telegrammed the Beatles in Hamburg. McCartney in particular saw this opening as his long-awaited chance of stardom, and set about writing a new song especially for the coming EMI recording sessions. From here, events would move with some pace.
It was as a result of Colman’s jockeying that EMI’s record division MD, Len ‘LG’ Wood, consented to getting the group into the studio to cut a few sides. Wood was at this stage on less than glowing terms with George Martin, and knowing that Martin had himself turned his nose up at the Beatles back in February, devilishly told the producer that he would have the privilege of recording the group.
And so, by a circuitous route, and via EMI’s great rivals Decca – whose January recordings made things possible – EMI offered the Beatles a short recording contract. Epstein was elated, and immediately telegrammed the Beatles in Hamburg. McCartney in particular saw this opening as his long-awaited chance of stardom, and set about writing a new song especially for the coming EMI recording sessions. From here, events would move with some pace.
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ps i love you (mccartney)
Composed just after Epstein informed the Beatles that they had been offered a contract with Parlophone, this song is mainly McCartney’s work. Purpose-written, it was immediately short-listed for the group’s imminent recording session, where it was taped with Pete Best on drums (in a version sadly wiped).
The song was taken back to the studio for a proper recording in September. After it was released as the group’s first B-side, it was re-recorded a few times for BBC radio, with Starr on drums. One of these versions can be heard on On Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2 (2013), but the original single must be considered definitive, albeit with Andy White sitting in for Starr. |
RECORDING: emi studios, abbey road, june 4, 1962
The Beatles returned to England on June 2, and signed contracts with EMI before walking into Studio 2 at Abbey Road for the first time. Here, in front of producer George Martin, they recorded test versions of “Love Me Do”, “Ask Me Why” and the new “PS I Love You” (as well as a cover version of “Besame Mucho”).
The fact that three originals featured among the four song choices that day may have had something to do with Sid Colman’s interest in their composing skills, but equally may have reflected a new-found self-confidence on the group’s part. (They’d recorded three originals for Decca as well – but buried in a set list of 15.) |
The Beatles would have to return to EMI on September 4 to get proper recordings made, and we can date three new songs to this period:
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won't you please say goodbye (lennon)
An elusive number with just enough clues to date it to summer 1962. The only remaining evidence of the song comes via the Get Back tapes of 1969, when it was dredged up shortly before the group broke for lunch on January 3. Having just refreshed their memories of a clutch of very old oldies (including “One After 909”, “I’ll Wait ’Til Tomorrow”, “Because I Know You Love Me So” and “Thinking Of Linking”), Lennon and McCartney go through a rough and ready version of this song lasting less than a minute.
It comes across as a slow but spirited group number with vocal harmonies, and has something of the shape of “Baby’s In Black” about it. Significantly, Lennon remarks that it was cribbed from “Bring It On Home To Me” by Sam Cooke, and it’s on this basis – which he felt the need to explain – that we ascribe it to him, and also date it to this summer; Cooke’s single was released in May 1962. Note: the resemblance to “Baby’s In Black” has led some commentators to suggest that the 1964 song was devised from this earlier one. (Walter Everett for example, says “The bridge has its origins in the Quarry Men (sic) number, ‘Won’t You Please Say Goodbye’”.) Although the resemblance is clear, it’s by no means obvious that “Baby’s In Black” is a derivative. |
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please please me (lennon)
A song which needs little introduction. A couple of days after the Beatles had first showcased their talents for George Martin, and galvanised by the prospect of returning to EMI for more recording, Lennon devised this one with its sexual innuendo and Orbison-like tempo. The song was written at Menlove Avenue then polished up with McCartney at Forthlin Road, probably that same night.
The track eventually became the Beatles’ second single, and came out in January 1963 to reach the top of several charts, although in the ‘official’ Record Retailer listing it peaked at number 2. Nevertheless it was a major breakthrough, and was used as the title track to the Beatles’ first LP. Several versions are known – but there is only one recording to listen to. (An initially unused recording with Andy White on drums has appeared on Anthology 1.) |
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tip of my tongue (mccartney)
As Lennon had, McCartney left the group’s first EMI session in June with a personal goal of writing something great for their impending return. While Lennon succeeded with “Please Please Me”, McCartney’s offering was weak, and failed to impress the EMI staff on September 4. Lennon played maracas, and in pre-EMI “rehearsals” on the Cavern stage, the group tended to muck about (according to Mark Lewisohn, inserting “yabadoos” into the lyric for fun). All in, not much to take forward into an important recording session.
Walter Everett states that a “demo” was recorded at a later EMI session (November 26, the day that “Please Please Me” was finally captured) but Lewisohn disagrees. Assuming Lewisohn to be correct (and there is no Beatles version extant), a demo must have been taped privately at some other point, since a copy was given to Brian Epstein’s Tommy Quickly in July 1963. He rattled off a version which was put out as a single at the end of the month, to general disinterest and in truth, the song wasn’t up to scratch, its author later stating that he was “ashamed” to have written it. |
On June 11, the Beatles made their second radio appearance, again for the BBC’s Here We Go slot. This time they showcased Lennon’s “Ask Me Why”, long before it was ever released on disc. But other events were casting a shadow over this otherwise positive period.
The Beatles were aware that George Martin had not been satisfied with Pete Best’s drumming in June, and anticipating their return to Abbey Road in September, they took an important decision which, in truth, had been brewing for quite some time. On August 16, Epstein had to deliver the news to Pete Best that the group wanted him out. Best had never really gelled with the others and moreover, they had a camaraderie with a certain Ringo Starr – a better drummer, without doubt – who was at once brought into the fold.
Meantime, Epstein had been busy on the group’s behalf, and just six days after Best was sacked, Granada TV turned up to film the Beatles at the Cavern – with Starr now in place. This is the earliest proper footage of the group, and we hear them running through “Some Other Guy” on stage.
Next stop, Abbey Road...
The Beatles were aware that George Martin had not been satisfied with Pete Best’s drumming in June, and anticipating their return to Abbey Road in September, they took an important decision which, in truth, had been brewing for quite some time. On August 16, Epstein had to deliver the news to Pete Best that the group wanted him out. Best had never really gelled with the others and moreover, they had a camaraderie with a certain Ringo Starr – a better drummer, without doubt – who was at once brought into the fold.
Meantime, Epstein had been busy on the group’s behalf, and just six days after Best was sacked, Granada TV turned up to film the Beatles at the Cavern – with Starr now in place. This is the earliest proper footage of the group, and we hear them running through “Some Other Guy” on stage.
Next stop, Abbey Road...
RECORDING: emi studios, abbey road, september 6, 1962
The group went back for their second EMI session with Starr now embedded in the act. Six tracks were rehearsed before the recordings began (probably including “Love Me Do”, “PS I Love You”, “Please Please Me”, “Ask Me Why” and “Tip Of My Tongue”). Something good came of these run-throughs: George Martin noticed “Please Please Me” and advised Lennon and McCartney that if they speeded it up, it was a possible hit.
Of the songs taken into the recording studio that day, only one was actually taped: “Love Me Do”, with Starr drumming. But so was the song “How Do You Do It”, at George Martin’s insistence, which for a while would hang over their heads as a possible single which they didn’t want to release. |
So far, George Martin only had these two recordings to use, but when it came to scheduling them for release, he ran into a brick wall. Mitch Murray, writer of “How Do You Do It” would not authorise his potential hit coming out as a B-side – so “Love Me Do” would have to take that relegated position. But Sid Colman, who hustled for the group in the first place, insisted that a Lennon-McCartney song had to appear on their first A-side. There was only one solution...
RECORDING: emi studios, abbey road, september 11, 1962
Back they went on September 11 to record yet more material. That day they captured “PS I Love You”, “Please Please Me” and “Love Me Do” (again!), all with session man Andy White in Starr’s place (to his eternal dismay). “Please Please Me” was now rocking, but it was “Love Me Do” and “PS I Love You” – with Andy White on – which were lined up for the first single, which came out on October 5. Oddly, and possibly by mistake, it was the September 4 version of “Love Me Do” – the one with Starr on – which was pressed up.
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There are a trio of new songs which date to October time:
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do you want to know a secret (lennon)
Written mainly by Lennon under the impetus of the group’s recording activities with EMI, plus Lennon-McCartney’s new drive to present themselves as professional songwriters, this number has its roots in a few lines from the Disney film, Snow White, which Lennon remembered from childhood. (McCartney, incidentally, has since claimed it as a 50-50 co-write.) By the time the group took it into the studio in sessions for their first album in 1963, the song had been assigned to George Harrison for his vocal spot, and was thereby secured in the Beatles’ repertoire and in Lennon-McCartney’s song catalogue.
Footnote: This song contains the lines, Let me whisper in your ear/Say the words you long to hear/I'm in love with you. In 1963 the Beatles came up with another song, All I've Got To Do, which contains, Whisper in your ear/The words you long to hear/And I'll be kissing you. Thus, a little bit of All I've Got To Do dates back to 1962. |
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hold me tight (lennon-mccartney)
This song seems to have been written by Lennon and McCartney together at Forthlin Road, at around the time “Love Me Do” was released (early October). McCartney was apparently the main force behind it, having in mind the creation of new song to serve as a follow-up single. In the event, it was trumped by “Please Please Me” and was instead recorded for the group’s first album in 1963. However it wasn’t used, leading them to record it once again on September 12, 1963, in a definitive version for With The Beatles.
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i saw her standing there (mccartney)
It is difficult to pin down the starting date for many early Beatles songs, but this one is known exactly. McCartney devised the melody in his head while driving on October 22, 1962, then worked out the chords and opening line when he was next able to pick up a guitar.
The song had virtually no other lyrics at this point, but in the next day or two, McCartney went down to London with his girlfriend, Celia Mortimer, and in her account, McCartney had the song on his brain all day. He would keep singing it as they walked around town, asking for suggestions and opinions as the lyric gradually came to him, so that by the end of the day it was close to completion. There it seems to have rested, with the provisional title “Seventeen”, until Lennon helped him complete it at Forthlin Road, sometime in late-November or early-December. The song was taped for the first time on a Hamburg stage (see below) but was recorded properly at EMI on February 11, 1963, to become the lead-off track on their first LP. In an interview for GQ magazine in 2018, McCartney discussed the song and suggested its genesis was much earlier: "When John and I were getting together, and we were kind-of showing each other what we had written, and this was one [where] I said to him, 'well, I've got this idea', and we finished it together, so it was a very early Lennon-McCartney song ... and that started our song writing partnership." We don't uncritically accept the implication that this was one of their very first collaborations, although we remain open to the possibility, if McCartney were to confirm. |
More radio appearances took place on October 8, October 25 and November 16. Between these there were television films made, as the group continued their relentless live schedule, which took them back to Hamburg yet again, between November 1 and November 14, where they shared the bill at the Star Club with Little Richard. “Love Me Do” was in the charts when they returned, and George Martin still had “How Do You Do It” up his sleeve for a follow-up – but at the end of November, the Beatles returned to EMI to record some new material...
RECORDING: emi studios, abbey road, november 26, 1962
During this fourth EMI session, “Please Please Me” and “Ask Me Why” were taped. Already aware of the potential of the former, George Martin was excited by its sizzling new arrangement, which was obviously now going to usurp “How Do You Do It” as the group’s next single – and thereafter, popular music was never going to be the same!
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RECORDING: cavern club, november/december 1962
At the Cavern, the Beatles recorded a rehearsal session some time in late-November or early-December. The tracks recorded that day are as follows, and these versions of “Catswalk” are the best in existence:
This tape has been mis-dated by bootleggers, but since “I Saw Her Standing There” was not complete until mid-November, we must date it to some time after that. |
With little time for reflection, the Beatles returned to the Star Club for the last time, in their fifth German residency (December 18 - December 31). With events in England coming thick and fast, the group saw this visit as a step backwards, although it did have one beneficial spin-off:
RECORDING: star club, hamburg, late-december 1962
Around Christmastime, the Beatles were recorded on stage at the Star Club, performing upwards of 30 songs. It is fascinating that even here, on the cusp of stardom, there are only two original numbers in the set (or, to be precise, only two on the tape): “Ask Me Why” and the very recent “I Saw Her Standing There”.
Although there is little repetition among the songs, giving the impression of one long gig, in fact the tape is compiled from recordings made over more than one night, and possibly as many as five. Just as Lennon and the Quarry Men were recorded on the day McCartney met the group, so this tape captures a poignant moment – the end of the Beatles’ early phase. This unique tape has been widely bootlegged and released many times. |
Our coverage largely ends here. The rest, as they say, is history, but before we close, we need to include two more songs which are associated with late-1962, although in both cases the details are vague.
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don't pass me by (starr)
Apparently enthused by his band-mates’ songwriting activities after he joined the group, Starr came up with the basics of “Don’t Pass Me By”, showing it to Lennon and McCartney in late-1962, to dismissive response. The song was inspired by the track “Pass Me By” by Ernest Tubb, released in 1960.
Although the other Beatles laughed at the song, Starr stuck with it, promoting it to the group throughout the 1960s and even bringing it up as a possible recording on BBC radio in 1964. It eventually found a home on the Beatles’ eclectic and lengthy White Album, as Starr’s first composition for the Beatles. Harrison later reported back to him that the Band thought it the best track on the album! It is interesting in retrospect that Starr, new to the Beatles, brought in a self-composed song prior to Harrison ever doing likewise (so far as is known). |
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there's a place (lennon-mccartney)
It has been suggested with some justification, eg by Walter Everett, that this Lennon-McCartney original may have been written in 1962. Its inclusion on the group’s Please Please Me does imply as much; of the seven other originals on the LP, no fewer than six pre-date 1963. (Just “Misery” is known to have been written after the New Year.)
The theme of the narrative is unmistakably Lennon-esque, prequelling his 1966-8 material which explored his inner thoughts and dreams. Conversely, the contrasting section (“In my mind there’s no sorrow...”) seems very much McCartney in its free melody and optimism – making this a co-write. Given the uncertainty over the date it was written (and the two separate parts could have arrived at different points), we list it here with reservation. |