Beatlesongs.wiki
SongsWith The BeatlesHold Me Tight
With The Beatles album cover

Hold Me Tight

1963 · With The Beatles

“It feels so right, now”

An early McCartney original he later dismissed as 'a work song' - a stomping handclap-driven rocker the band attempted but shelved in February 1963 before remaking it for With The Beatles. Never played live.
CD

affiliate link - supports this wiki

Year1963
AlbumWith The Beatles
Track9 · Side 2
Duration2:32
Songwriter(s)McCartneyCredited as Lennon-McCartney
Lead VocalPaul
RecordedSeptember 12, 1963
ReleasedNovember 22, 1963
Song familyEarly songWritten 1961

● tap a tag for its page and notes

Text146 tags

Motif

CommunicationDirectionsRelationshipNumbersTime referenceSexPleaLonelinessLoveTime

Influence

Buddy Holly influence

Title

Pronoun in title

Vocabulary

Limited vocabularyPositive tone

Narrative

Second personConversationalFirst personImperative

Rhyme type

Identical rhymeExtrametrical rhymePerfect rhyme

Song form

Verse-chorus

Sections

Has bridgeMultiple bridges (2+)Standard verses (2-4)Many choruses (4+)Has introHas outro

Section links

Outro based on chorusIntro based on bridgeIntro based on chorus

Repetition

Recurring lineConsecutive wordRecurring verse
Word cloud

Recurring words

feelsmakingmeanstightbe thebeing heredon't knowgo onhold youi mighti'm theit feelslonely oneloving youme i'mme tightnever beonly youright nowthe lonelythe onlyto holdyou oohand then ihold you tightnever be thetell me i'mthe only oneto hold youyou ooh oohyou you yoube the lonely one

Cover-shared words

alonegohereholditknowletlonelylovelovingmenevernowoneoohrighttelltonightyouand thenhold meit's youlet melove totell methen iwhat itwith youyou you

Lyric shape

[ADJ] one[ADV] so[ADV] with[WORD] bebeing [ADV][ADV] with you[VERB] [VERB] to[VERB] me i'm[WORD] be thebe the [ADJ]it [VERB] soit [VERB] to[WORD] be the [ADJ]be the [ADJ] oneit [VERB] to [VERB]so [VERB] [VERB] me[VERB] to [VERB] you [ADJ]

Cover-shared shape

[VERB] me[VERB] so[VERB] to[VERB] you[WORD] ondon't [VERB]it [VERB]me [ADJ]me [WORD]on [VERB]so [NOUN]so [VERB]the [ADJ]to [VERB]you [ADJ]you [WORD][VERB] [VERB] me[VERB] me [ADJ][VERB] me [WORD][VERB] so [NOUN][VERB] to [VERB][VERB] you [ADJ]so [VERB] [VERB]to [VERB] youyou [WORD] [WORD][VERB] to [VERB] youto [VERB] you [ADJ]

Rhyme scheme

AAABCBAABBABAB

Line length

Consistent line lengths1-1Unique line length
You might also like:Nas – Teaches Hip-Hop StorytellingAll the Songs

affiliate link - supports this wiki

Music172 tags

Arrangement

Lead vocalsBacking vocalsElectric guitarLead guitarRhythm guitarBass guitarDrumsPercussionHandclaps

Instrument group

GuitarsPercussion

Drum work

Heavy hi-hat

Music genre

MerseybeatRock and rollRock

Vocal work

Ooh vocalsVocal harmoniesFalsettoTwo-part harmony

Melody

Call and responseOstinato

Tempo

Upbeat

Key

F major

Time signature

4/4

Song form

Verse-chorusABABCABCAB

Sections

Has bridgeMultiple bridges (2+)Standard verses (2-4)Many choruses (4+)Has introHas outro

Section links

Outro based on chorusIntro based on bridgeIntro based on chorus

Section transition

I to IV to II to IV

Harmony

Jazz cadencePlagal cadenceCircle of fifthsSecondary dominantHalf cadencePerfect cadenceBorrowed chordModal mixture

Composition

Tonic openingTonic endingBridge in IVVerse in IChorus in ITonic verseTonic chorusNon-tonic bridge

Mode

Ionian

Chord type

majorminordom7

Scale degree

II7II7iiIVV7VVI7

Chord degree

V–I–II–IIII–VV–VI–II–Vii–VV–Iii–V–II–II–IVIV–IVI–iiVI–ii–VII–V–VI–VIV–I–VII–VI–iiIV–I–III–VI–ii–VV–I–VI–iiii–V–I–Iii–V–I–VIIV–I–II–VIV–I–IV–I–VI–ii–V–Iii–V–I–VI–ii–V–I–I

Chord shape

C → F → FC → DC → D7C → G → AC → D → GC → G → A → DC → D → G → GC → AC → FmC7 → FmAm → DAm → D7C → FC7 → FC → Fm → B♭Am → D → GC → CC → C7C → F → DC → GC → A → DmC → Fm → B♭ → E♭C7 → F → D7C → A7C → D7 → GAm → D7 → GC7 → F → F7Am → D → G → GC → A → Dm → GAm → D → G → EC → A7 → DmC → F → D → GmC → G → EC → D7 → G → G7C → G → E → AmC → F → C → AC7 → Fm → B♭7Am → D → G → E → Am → D → G → GC → G → C → G → E → Am → D → GC7 → Fm → B♭7 → E♭C → A7 → Dm → G7Am → D7 → G → E7Am → D7 → G → G7

Chord literal

F → FF → GF → G7G → CC → CF → G → CC → FC7 → FGm → C → FB♭ → FF → B♭C7 → F → D7F → D7G7 → CF → DGm → CC → C7D → GmC → F → DF → F7Gm → C → F → DF → G7 → CF → D → GmG → C → CD7 → GmC → F → D → GmG7 → C → C7F → D7 → GmD → Gm → CGm → C7Gm → C → F → D → Gm → C → F → FF → D7 → Gm → C7F → G7 → C → C7F → G → C → CC7 → F → F7Gm → C7 → FB♭ → F → G
You might also like:The Musician's Guide to TheoryHarmony & Voice Leading

affiliate link - supports this wiki

Sources & references

Tags on this page are original analysis, transcribed and cross-checked against the fine work of others: Alan W. Pollack's “Notes on…” series, the Beatles Complete Scores (Hal Leonard), Mark Lewisohn's session histories, Ian MacDonald's Revolution in the Head, Dave Rybaczewski's Beatles Music History and Andy Babiuk's Beatles Gear for the instruments and studio equipment, and others besides - then verified by ear against the recordings. Full bibliography: Sources & thanks.

Updated

Feedback

Got a tag idea for Hold Me Tight? Or think we've got it all wrong - no, no, no? Don't let it be.