"Free as a Bird"

Song: "Free as a Bird"

Album: (Not Released on LP)

According to Yoko, George had, at some point, presented her with the idea of adding vocals and instrumentation to demos Lennon had recorded prior to his death.  Paul later visited her at her home in New York, following the ceremony inducting John into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and she gave him four tapes of unreleased material. The surviving Beatles selected and contributed to two, which were both then released as a promotion for The Beatles Anthology in 1995.

John’s performance in “Free as a Bird” comes from the demo he recorded at his apartment in 1977.  Jeff Lynne (of E.L.O. and The Traveling Wilburys) co-produced the final record to which Paul, George, and Ringo added tracks. The overdubs and production took place in February and March of 1994 at McCartey’s home studio in Sussex. Since the lead vocals and piano were recorded together on a cassette tape, they couldn’t be separated, and aside from breaking apart the song to move its pieces around, or adding the occasional space for Paul and George to add lead vocals, they had to follow the original structure of the song fairly closely. So they agreed to treat the project as such: John wrote and recorded his bit then stepped out of the studio for lunch (or perhaps tea). They also all agreed the recording for "Free as  Bird" was more pleasant than it was for the second song selected for Anthology, “Real Love.” It was like they were simply “filling in” an almost completed Lennon tune. 

"Get Back"

Song: “Get Back”

Album: Let It Be (1970)

“Get Back” was written by Paul and recorded in January 1969 during the “Get Back” sessions. It was released as a single in April, 1969 (and on the Let It Be LP in May 1970, shortly after the Beatles went their separate ways). 

An earlier version of the song was more racially charged, addressing immigration in the United States and Great Britain, and “get back” could be read as a cry for immigrants to leave.  Obviously, the final version is less complicated and controversial.

Billy Preston was brought in by Harrison and recorded keyboards for the track on January 22. His presence was also likely meant to ease tension within the group, which was plagued by infighting throughout the session.  The song was ultimately credited to “The Beatles with Billy Preston” and was the only single for which they requested another artist be credited with them.

“Get Back” was performed three times during “The Beatles Rooftop Performance” on the roof of Apple Studios in January of 1969. The third play was the final song of the performance and was interrupted by the police.

"Twist and Shout"

Song: “Twist and Shout”

Album: Please Please Me

“Twist and Shout” (originally titled “Shake It Up, Baby”) was written by Phil Medley and Bert Russell and performed by both the Top Notes and The Isley Brothers before it appeared on the Beatles Please Please Me in 1963. It was the last of eleven songs recorded during an epic 10-hour session on February 11, 1963. George Martin knew Lennon’s voice would take a hit from the performance so he waited until the last 15 minutes of the session to record it. Lennon was even fighting a cold at the time, producing a rasp that is evident on the record (and giving him only enough oomph for one take of the song). 

But it is John’s vocal that makes it one of the finest examples of early British rock, and the song is (at least) partially credited with the dawn of Beatlemania, as their energetic live performance of the song was popularized during widely-viewed performances on Sunday Night at the London Palladium (1963), The Royal Variety Show (1963), and the Ed Sullivan Show (1964).

The song continued to be a fixture at the Beatles’ live shows until 1965, and they recorded it nine times for BBC television and radio. In 1986, following the release of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (in which “Twist and Shout” is prominently featured in an iconic scene), the song re-entered the pop-charts, peaking at No. 23.  

The performance below is from The Royal Variety Show in 1963.

"Some Other Guy"

Song: "Some Other Guy"

Album: (Not Released on LP)

"Some Other Guy" was written by Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, and Richard Barrett, and was first released by Barrett in 1962. The Beatles recorded the song the same year during a BBC radio session (which was later included on 1994’s Live at the BBC). It played an important role in the Beatles’ early success as it was a popular tune  at the Cavern Club. The video below, of John and Paul singing the song, is the only know existing synchronization of recorded sound with a Beatles performance at the club. And it’s the first film featuring Ringo as the Beatles’ drummer. 

An interesting nugget: John later paid homage to "Some Other Guy" by using the same two-chord intro in his single “Instant Karma.”

And another: This footage is from Wednesday, August 22, 1962—exactly 50 years ago today (heck, it was even on a Wednesday!).  

"I Saw Her Standing There"

Song: “I Saw Her Standing There”
Album: Please Please Me (1963)

“I Saw Her Standing There” is the first track on the Beatles’ debut LP, Please Please Me.” It was also released as a B-side in the U.S. (A-sided by “I Want To Hold Your Hand”). The song originated with McCartney (in fact, the Please Please Me liner notes credit the tune to McCartney-Lennon, instead of the more familiar Lennon-McCartney), but John and he collaborated in its completion.  It was first titled “Seventeen” and included the lyric, “She was just seventeen, never been a beauty queen,” which evidently induced howling laughter in John, who insisted the beauty queen bit be changed.   It was, as was the title.

The track was recorded at EMI in February of 1963, during the marathon recording session that included 10 of the 14 songs on the  Please Please Me LP.  Producer George Martin hoped to capture the energy of a Beatles’ concert by giving the album a live performance vibe. One of his techniques to this end was to include Paul’s “One, two, three, four! count-in at the beginning of this song (something that was usually removed during mixing).  Apparently The Ramones began most songs during their live sets with the same count-in, paying homage to the Beatles and “I Saw Her Standing There.”

"Two of Us"

Song: "Two of Us"
Album: Let it Be (1970)

Written by McCartney, “Two of Us” was originally titled “On Our Way Home” and recorded with a more electric/rock sound. McCartney didn’t care for it, though, and the band reworked it acoustically and recorded the final version that appeared on Let It Be in January 1969.

McCartney said the song was about (and dedicated to) his wife-to-be, Linda Eastman, but many critics (and fans) feel that some of the lyrics (like, “you and I have memories/longer than the road that stretches out ahead”) suggest that the song was actually about McCartney and Lennon.

"Money"

Song: “Money (That’s What I Want)”
Album: With the Beatles (1963).

Written by Janie Bradford and Berry Gordy, and originally recorded by Barret Strong in 1959, “Money (That’s What I Want)” was frequently covered in the 1960’s, including by the Beatles on their second U.K. release, With the Beatles. They discovered the original version in Brian Epstein’s record store (it had been released—but was not a hit—in the UK). They played it live and recorded it several times for BBC radio before they recorded it in July 1963 for the LP.