"Twist and Shout" is a cover song by The Beatles. It has been released in various forms of media.
Recording/Influence[]
"Twist and Shout" is a song written by Phil Medley and Bert Russell. The Beatles released the song on their first UK album, Please Please Me, the recording of which on 11 February 1963 was their first album session and is notable for 11 songs recorded in a mere 10 hours. "Twist and Shout", with John Lennon on lead vocals, was the last song recorded; producer George Martin knew Lennon's voice would suffer from the performance, so he left it until last, with only 15 minutes of scheduled recording time remaining. Lennon was suffering from a cold, and was drinking milk and sucking on cough drops to soothe his throat. His coughing is audible on the album, as is the cold's effect on his voice. Even so, he produced a memorable vocal performance: a raucous, dynamic rocker. He later said his voice was not the same for a long time afterward, and that "every time [he] swallowed, it felt like sandpaper". A second take was attempted, but Lennon had nothing left and it was abandoned. George Martin said, "I did try a second take ... but John's voice had gone." The Beatles' cover was released on 2 March 1964 in the U.S. as a single, with "There's a Place" as its B-side, by Vee-Jay Records on the Tollie label. In the UK, "Twist and Shout" was released by Parlophone on an EP with three other tracks, "Do You Want to Know a Secret", "A Taste of Honey", and "There's a Place", from the Please Please Me album. Both the EP and album reached No. 1 (see Twist and Shout (EP)). In Canada, it became the title track to the second album of Beatles material to be issued by Capitol Records of Canada, on February 3, 1964. The Beatles continued to play the song live until the end of their August 1965 tour of North America. Additionally, they recorded "Twist and Shout" on nine occasions for BBC television and radio broadcasts, the earliest of which was for the Talent Spot radio show on 27 November 1962.
Releases[]
- Please Please Me (Album) - 22 March 1963
- Twist and Shout (EP) - 12 July 1963
- Twist and Shout (Single) - 2 March 1964
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