49 Years Ago This Week, The Beatles Release Their Second 7” Single: Please Please Me

Released during one of the bitterest winters in British history, "Please Please Me," The Beatles' second 7" single release, helped to initiate a post-war sociocultural thaw among British youth. The release had a similar effect on its U.K. audience that "I Want To Hold Your Hand" would have upon a U.S. audience almost 12 months later.

Released on January 11th 1963, the record's meteoric ascent up the charts brought the Beatles into virtually every British home, against the backdrop of the freezing winter and the unfolding political sex scandal of the Profumo affair.

Written in John Lennon’s childhood bedroom as a deliberate bluesy attempt at emulating Roy Orbison, "Please Please Me" became the Beatles’ first number one (NME and Melody Maker polls) hit single in the U.K., catapulting the group out of Liverpool and installing them as overnight national stars in one fell swoop.

In 1980 its author, Lennon, reflected:

"Please Please Me" is my song completely. It was my attempt at writing a Roy Orbison song, would you believe it? I wrote it in the bedroom in my house at Menlove Avenue, which was my auntie’s place. I heard Roy Orbison doing "Only The Lonely’"or something. That’s where that came from. And also I was always intrigued by the words of "Please Lend Your Ears To My Pleas," a Bing Crosby song. I was always intrigued by the double use of the word "please.’" So it was a combination of Bing Crosby and Roy Orbison.

Lennon must have composed the song sometime between June and September 1962, as it was not presented at the first EMI session on June 6th or at the earlier Decca audition in January of that year.

"Please Please Me" first appeared in the studio on September 4, 1962 during the recording session for "Love Me Do" and "How Do You Do It."  It was rehearsed during a run-through presided over by EMI producer Ron Richards, from 2:30 to 5:00 pm, with new Beatle Ringo Starr behind the drum kit.
The song was certainly in its infancy on September 4, with a number of differences from the eventual official release. Slower in tempo, this earlier version featured Harrison playing the scaled guitar riff throughout the verses rather than at only the beginning of each. This repetition eventually grated on Richards’ ears, prompting him to lose his patience, declaring, “For Christ’s sake, George, just play it in the gaps!”

Article Author: Johnny Rhythm

Johnny Rhythm is a musician and historian from Dublin, now living in Kerry, Ireland. He was the drummer in several notable Dublin originals bands throughout the '90s such as Puppy Love Bomb and Eva Dallas. …

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