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SongsPlease Please MePlease Please Me
Please Please Me album cover

Please Please Me

1963 · Please Please Me

“Last night I said these words to my girl”

Lennon's first UK No.1, originally conceived as a slow Roy Orbison-style ballad before George Martin sped it up. The 1963 hit broke the Beatles nationally and launched Beatlemania, with a famously confident 'You've just made your first No.1 record' from Martin in the control room.

What is unique about this song?

This one is one of two songs that show the mark of Roy Orbison, 'Day Tripper' being the second, and one of two songs that were recorded with a Hohner Echo Vamper, with 'From Me to You' for company. This is where the Rickenbacker 325 first turns up on a Beatles record, with 43 more to follow, such as 'Chains' and 'Twist and Shout'.

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What happened around it?

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Three months into the making of Please Please Me, the same day's work produced 'Ask Me Why'.

Did you know?more like this →

The Childhood motif first appears in the Beatles catalogue on 'Please Please Me' (1963).

1963Childhood
Year1963
AlbumPlease Please Me
Track7 · Side 1 · Side closer
Duration2:00
Songwriter(s)LennonCredited as Lennon-McCartney
Lead VocalJohn, Paul
RecordedNovember 26, 1962
ReleasedJanuary 11, 1963 (Single)March 22, 1963 (Please Please Me)

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Text232 tags

The lyric puts its case as a question ('Why do you make me blue?'), and it touches the motifs of sex and communication. It is on more of the Beatles' 1968 records than any other year's. The writing reaches for wordplay ('Please' as noun and verb). An extrametrical rhyme arrives once, "my girl / try". For anyone keeping count, the title is shared with the album. Fun fact, the line "Come on come on come on come on" turns up in one other Beatles song, 'Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey'.

Motif

LoveSexRelationshipPleaQuestionColorWeatherAnatomyTimeChildhoodWomenDarknessCommunicationDialogueRain

Title

Pronoun in titleTitle is album title

Vocabulary

Casual languagePositive tone

Narrative

First personConversationalSecond personImperative

Lyrical device

Wordplay

Rhyme type

Internal rhymePerfect rhymeExtrametrical rhymeIdentical rhyme

Song form

Verse-chorus

Sections

Standard verses (2-4)Standard choruses (1-3)Has outroHas bridgeHas intro

Section links

Outro based on chorusOutro based on bridgeOutro based on verseIntro based on verse

Repetition

Recurring verseRecurring lineConsecutive line
Word cloud

Recurring words

rainreasonshowalways havedo alldo ido youdon't needeven tryhard toit's soneed meso hardto sayto showbut you knowi know youin my heartit's so hardmake me blueso hard towhy do youyou don't needi don't want tocome on come on come oncome on come on come on come on

Cover-shared words

allalwaysbluecomegirlhardheartknowlastlikelovemakememyneednevernightpleasesaidsaysoundtrywantwaywoahwordsyeahyouall thebut youcome ondon't wantgirl ihave toi doi don'ti knowi neveri saidin myknow youlast nightlike imake meme tomy girlmy heartplease pleasethe wayto mywant towith youwoah yeahyou don'tyou knowyou makeyou neverdon't want toi don't wantlast night iyou make me

Lyric shape

[ADJ] with[VERB] there's[VERB] these[WORD] even[WORD] haveeven [VERB]there's [WORD][ADJ] with you[WORD] [VERB] inbut you [VERB]do [WORD] thedo you [VERB]have to [VERB]i [WORD] havei do [WORD]it's so [ADV]me to [VERB]my [NOUN] inso [ADV] toto [NOUN] withto [VERB] [VERB]to [VERB] theto my [NOUN][NOUN] in my [NOUN][VERB] [NOUN] i [VERB][VERB] me to [VERB][VERB] the [NOUN] [VERB][VERB] to [VERB] [VERB]i don't [VERB] toto [VERB] the [NOUN]why do you [VERB]you [VERB] me [ADJ]you don't [VERB] me[NOUN] i [VERB] you [WORD]i don't [VERB] to [VERB][VERB] on [VERB] on [VERB] onon [VERB] on [VERB] on [VERB]

Cover-shared shape

[ADV] to[NOUN] i[NOUN] in[NOUN] to[NOUN] with[VERB] i[VERB] in[VERB] me[VERB] on[VERB] the[VERB] to[VERB] you[WORD] thedo [WORD]don't [VERB]i [VERB]i [WORD]me [ADJ]me [WORD]my [NOUN]on [VERB]so [ADV]the [ADJ]the [NOUN]these [NOUN]to [NOUN]to [VERB]you [VERB]you [WORD][NOUN] i [VERB][NOUN] in my[NOUN] with you[VERB] [NOUN] i[VERB] [VERB] me[VERB] i [VERB][VERB] me [ADJ][VERB] me [WORD][VERB] me to[VERB] on [VERB][VERB] the [NOUN][VERB] to [VERB][VERB] you [WORD][WORD] [VERB] i[WORD] the [ADJ]don't [VERB] medon't [VERB] toi [VERB] youi don't [VERB]in my [NOUN]me [WORD] [WORD]the [NOUN] [VERB]you [VERB] meyou don't [VERB][NOUN] i [VERB] you[VERB] i [VERB] you[VERB] me [WORD] [WORD][WORD] [VERB] i [VERB]don't [VERB] to [VERB]i [VERB] you [WORD]

Rhyme scheme

AAAABUnique rhyme scheme

Line length

8-84-4-96-6Consistent line lengthsUnique line length

Distinctive word

complainingpleasing
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Music215 tags

In E major at roughly 139 BPM, 'Please Please Me' is a merseybeat and R&B song, with Roy Orbison and Everly Brothers influences. The tune carries call and response (lead and backing vocals trade 'Come on'), and this is where the call and response starts in the Beatles' writing. It features a guitar riff. Then, listen to an ascending bass. One for the curious, the chords run E → A → E → A → C♯m, the same move 'What You're Doing' makes as D → G → D → G → Bm.

Arrangement

Lead vocalsBacking vocalsElectric guitarLead guitarRhythm guitarBass guitarDrumsPercussionHandclapsHarmonica

Instrument group

GuitarsPercussion

Guitar work

Guitar riff

Bass work

Ascending bassStepwise bass line

Music genre

R&BRock and rollRockPopMerseybeat

Influence

Everly Brothers influenceRoy Orbison influence

Vocal work

Three-part harmonyVocal harmonies

Solo / Riff

Harmonica riffGuitar riff

Melody

Call and response

Tempo

Fast

Key

E major

Time signature

4/4

Song form

Verse-chorusABABCAB

Sections

Standard verses (2-4)Standard choruses (1-3)Has outroHas bridgeHas introHas riff

Section links

Outro based on chorusOutro based on bridgeOutro based on verseIntro based on verse

Section transition

V to II to II to IV

Harmony

Half cadence50s variantThree-chord trickModal mixtureBorrowed chordCircle of fifthsPlagal cadenceParallel harmonyPerfect cadenceSecondary dominantDeceptive cadenceDouble plagal

Composition

Tonic openingTonic endingChorus in IVBridge in IVerse in ITonic verseNon-tonic chorusTonic bridge

Mode

Ionian

Chord type

majorminordom7

Scale degree

IiiIII7iiiIVVV7♭VI7vi♭VII

Chord degree

I–♭VII♭VII–IVIV–II–♭VII–IV♭VII–IV–II–IVIV–VV–IIV–vivi–iiI–VI–IV–VIV–V–IV–I–IVIV–vi–iiV–I–IV–IV–vivi–IVIII–viV–vi–IVvi–IV–Vvi–IV–V–II–ii–iii–IVii–iiiI–iiiii–IViii–VIV–V–I–IV–Iiii–IV–I♭VI–Ivi–IIIV–I–IV–I–IVI–ii–iiiV–vi–IIII–IV–viIII–vi–IVI–IV–I–IV–viii–iii–IV–Iii–iii–VIII–vi–IV–V–IV–vi–III–viI–IV–vi–ii♭VI–I–V–IIV–V–viIV–I–ii

Chord shape

C → B♭C → GC → B♭ → FC → G → DC → FC → DC → EmAm → DmC → EC → F → GC → D → GC → F → B♭C → Em → AmC → F → B♭ → FC → F → Am → DmC → DmAm → FAm → EC → Dm → Em → FC → FmC7 → FmC → Dm → B♭Am → F → GC → Dm → AC → Fm → D♭C7 → Fm → D♭Am → F → G → CAm → CC → G → AmAm → E → Am → FAm → B♭C → D → EmC → F → AmAm → B♭ → FC → Dm → EmAm → C7C → G → C → EmC → G → Am → BmC → F → C → F → AmAm → B♭ → F → GmAm → Bm → C → GAm → Bm → D7C7 → EC → Fm → D♭ → E♭ → A♭C → G → C → Em → AmC → Dm → A7 → DmC → E → B → EAm → E♭Am → BmAm → E7C → F → B♭ → F → B♭C → D → G → C → G

Chord literal

E → DD → AA → EE → AA → BB → EC♯m → F♯mA → C♯m → F♯mC♯m → AE → F♯mE → BD → A → EB → E → AA → C♯mB → C♯mC♯m → A → BE → A → BC♯m → A → B → EG♯m → AB → E → A → EA → E → F♯mA → B → C♯mG♯ → C♯mE → A → C♯mB → C♯m → AE → A → E → A → C♯mE → A → C♯m → F♯mE → F♯m → G♯m → AC → E → B → EG♯7 → C♯m → AG♯ → C♯m → AG♯m → A → EC♯m → G♯7C♯m → G♯G♯m → BE → D → AC → EA → B → EG♯7 → C♯m
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Studio11 tags

Cut in 18 takes at EMI Studio 2 after Martin pushed for a faster tempo and a harmonica intro. George Harrison's octave-leap backing vocal became the signature hook. On this one Lennon played the Rickenbacker 325, his guitar, and no earlier Beatles record does it. The record carries double tracked vocal, as on 139 of their records. The day this one was recorded carried two songs in all, the 3rd and 4th of their career.

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People10 tags

Lennon wrote it and shares the lead with McCartney (a harmony vocal). It was played the way the band normally lined up, with Lennon on rhythm guitar, McCartney on bass, Harrison on lead guitar and Starr on drums, and harmonica is in there too. 1963 is the year they reached for it most.

Unique personnel
Beatles onlyClassic formation
Line-up
John Lennon
Lead vocalsElectric rhythm guitarHandclapsHarmonica
Paul McCartney
Lead vocalsBacking vocalsBass guitarHandclaps
George Harrison
Backing vocalsElectric lead guitarHandclaps
Ringo Starr
Drums
Songwriter
John Lennon
Producer
George Martin
Recording engineer
Norman Smith
Assistant engineer
A. B. Lincoln
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Info24 tags

UK #1 on NME and Melody Maker charts (#2 on Record Retailer) and a US Top 3 hit when reissued on Vee-Jay. In America it arrived twelve months later, on Introducing The Beatles, a Vee-Jay record, with 12 tracks from the UK Please Please Me, minus 'Please Please Me' and 'Ask Me Why'. This is their 4th record, and the 2nd of the 32 they released in 1963.

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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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