Saturday, February 28, 2009

Please Please Me

Please Please Me, Track 7, 1963

Ah yes, the title track. The Beatles’ second single, and first Number One Hit. Well, that’s debatable, with different UK Charts listing the song as peaking at either #1, or #2 (to “How Do You Do It?,” a song offered to the Beatles by EMI that they declined). For this reason, “Please Please Me” did not appear on the “1” compilation album released in 2000. (link)

I Love:
  • The back-and-forth on the "c'mons" contrasting John's strung out vocals with the polished backing harmonies
  • I know the bass line is nothing special, but I think it really holds the song together, and gives it tension.
  • Also, I haven't mentioned nearly enough how much I love John's harmonica playing.
  • And the little guitar riffs preceding the aforementioned "c'mons."
  • Okay, basically all the instruments. Even the drums, right before the bridge. Excellent.
This is the last track on side one of the vinyl, and is of course, strategically placed to make the listener go through the entire record before reaching it, since, as the hit single, it was the most recognizable song. George Martin and the Beatles were both very meticulous about the track order on their records, even before the "concept album" and connected tracks of the later years.

There was some controversy over Please Please Me, with critics claiming it was about oral sex. Now that I’ve said that, I’m sure you’re incapable of thinking it’s about anything else. Paul McCartney denied it, but, well, the title is “Please Please Me.”

1 comment:

andrea said...

come on (comeon)
come on (cmon!)
come on comeon?
come on come on!