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SongsPast MastersKomm, Gib Mir Deine Hand
Past Masters album cover

Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand

1964 · Past Masters

“Du nimmst mir den Verstand”

German-language re-recording of 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' with new lyrics by Camillo Felgen (as Jean Nicolas). Cut in Paris on the band's only non-EMI session of the EMI era, alongside the German 'Sie Liebt Dich'.

What is unique about this song?

The track is one of two songs that were recorded with a Rickenbacker 425, and 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' is the other, being this song in a second version. The record is one of only 2 Beatles recordings sung entirely in German.

See also: I Want to Hold Your Hand (English original, 1963)
VinylCD

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What happened around it?

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'Sie Liebt Dich' and 'Can't Buy Me Love' were cut at the same session. On top of that, 3 weeks before the session, Introducing The Beatles came out in America, the first US album, released by Vee-Jay Records in January 1964. Meanwhile, 10 days later, Meet The Beatles! also came out in America, the first Capitol Records album, released January 1964.

Did you know?more like this →

Only 2 Beatles recordings are entirely in a non-English language: 'Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand' and 'Sie Liebt Dich', the band's German-market covers cut in early 1964.

Sie Liebt Dich1964Foreign language
Year1964
AlbumPast Masters
Track8
Duration2:25
Songwriter(s)Lennon, McCartney, Camillo Felgen
Lead VocalJohn, Paul
RecordedJanuary 29, 1964
ReleasedMarch 5, 1964 (Single)March 7, 1988 (Past Masters)
Song familyTwin songsTwin of Sie Liebt Dich: German versions of I Want to Hold Your Hand / She Loves You.

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Text38 tags

This track deals in the motifs of jewelry, plea and love. The lyric turns to simile ('Schön wie ein Diamant'), and the Beatles had done the same on 'A Taste of Honey' eleven months earlier. The title issues a command ('Komm' and 'gib' are commands), and the language is built on a limited vocabulary. Only 2 Beatles recordings are entirely in a non-English language, this song and 'Sie Liebt Dich', the band's German-market covers cut in early 1964.

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Music210 tags

Written in G major and taken at about 131 BPM, 'Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand' is a rock and pop piece. You can hear a melodic bass (McCartney's bass-led arrangement) on it, and it has no chorus. Also, the key moves from G major to C major in the chorus and the verse, 1964 being the year they used it most.

Arrangement

Lead vocalsBacking vocalsElectric guitarLead guitarRhythm guitarBass guitarDrumsPercussionHandclaps

Instrument group

GuitarsPercussion

Bass work

Melodic bassStepwise bass line

Music genre

RockPopMerseybeat

Vocal work

Vocal harmonies

Tempo

Fast

Key

G majorC majorKey change

Time signature

4/4

Song form

Verse-chorusAABABAAABA form

Sections

Has refrainHas bridgeMultiple bridges (2+)Has introStandard choruses (1-3)Standard verses (2-4)

Section links

Refrain variationVerse variationIntro based on verse

Repetition

Consecutive verses

Section transition

I to vIII to I

Harmony

50s variantRoyal road (partial)Royal roadJazz cadenceRhythm changes (partial)Ice cream changesModal mixturePerfect cadenceBorrowed chordDeceptive cadenceCircle of fifthsHalf cadenceChromatic mediant

Composition

Non-tonic openingTonic endingVerse in IChorus in vTonic verseNon-tonic chorus

Mode

IonianLydian

Chord type

majorminordom7

Scale degree

IIIiiIIIiiiIVVviVII7VII

Chord degree

ii–V–IIV–VV–IVV–IIV–V–II–VV–viI–vivi–IVI–V–viV–I–viI–vi–IVvi–IV–VI–vi–IV–Vvi–IV–V–Iii–Vvi–iiii–V–I–viI–vi–ii–Vvi–ii–V–II–IIII–Viii–II–II–VII–V–IV–I–III–iiII–iiiVII–IV–iiiI–V–vi–IIIIII–IV–V–IV–I–vi–iiIV–V–IV–V–IV–V–IV–I–iiV–I–vi–IVV–IIvi–ii–VI–vi–iiI–ii–VIV–V–I–viV–IV–V–Ivi–IIII–VIIIII–IVV–IV–V–IV–V–IIII–IV–VV–vi–IIIV–I–VII

Chord shape

Am → D → GC → DC → B♭C → FC → D → GC → B♭ → C → FC → GC → DmAm → EC → A♭C → D♭C → AmAm → FC → G → AmC → Dm → AC → A♭ → E♭C → F → DmC → Am → FAm → F → GC → Am → F → GAm → F → G → CAm → DAm → DmC → BAm → D → G → EmC → Am → Dm → GAm → Dm → G → CC → F → B♭C → F → GAm → Dm → GC → F → E7Am → F → G → C → FC → D♭ → E♭ → A♭C → G → Am → EC → F → Dm → B♭ → C → F → B♭C → F → G → C → Am → F → GC → D → G → C → D → G → EmC → Am → F → G → C → F → GAm → F → G → C → F → G → CC → F → Dm → GmC → F → Dm → B♭C → B7C → F → GmC → Dm → GC → Am → DmC → D → G → EmC → D♭ → E♭C → F → EC → B♭ → C → B♭ → C → FC → F → G → C → AmC → D → C → D → C → D → G

Chord literal

B → CC → DD → GC → D → GG → DEm → BEm → CD → G → EmG → Em → C → DDm → GG → CC → AmAm → DmDm → G → CG → C → AmAm → Dm → G → CD → G → CG → C → DD → G → Em → CEm → C → D → GD → C → D → GD → C → D → C → D → GDm → G → C → AmG → D → Em → BC → Dm → GG → C → DmB → C → DB → GG → EmD → EmD → CC → BG → C → D → G → Em → C → DC → DmEm → C → DG → D → EmC → D → G → EmC → B7
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Studio13 tags

The track came out of Pathé Marconi Studios, the Beatles recorded fresh backing tracks in Paris rather than overdubbing German vocals onto the English masters, which were two-track and couldn't be reused. Lennon brought the Rickenbacker 325, his guitar. Double tracked vocal is audible on the finished record, 1964 being the year they used it most. Three songs came off that day's tapes, the 35th to the 37th of the career.

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Info16 tags

This song was released only as a German Odeon single with 'Sie Liebt Dich'. Capitol later issued it in the US, where it briefly entered the lower reaches of the Billboard Hot 100. This is the Beatles' 35th record, and the 1st of the 35 they released in 1964.

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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.

External entity links: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz recording · MusicBrainz work · Wikidata

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