Information about I Saw Her Standing There

"I Saw Her Standing There "
Original UK cover
Original UK cover
album track by The Beatles
from the album Please Please Me
Released	22 March, 1963
Recorded	Abbey Road Studios: February 11 1963
Genre	Beat
Length	2:55
Label	Parlophone
Writer(s)	Lennon/McCartney
Producer(s)	George Martin
Please Please Me track listing
Side one "I Saw Her Standing There" "Misery" "Anna (Go to Him)" "Chains" "Boys" "Ask Me Why" "Please Please Me" Side two "Love Me Do" "P.S. I Love You" "Baby It's You" "Do You Want to Know a Secret" "A Taste of Honey" "There's a Place" "Twist and Shout"
Meet the Beatles! track listing
"I Want to Hold Your Hand" (1)	"I Saw Her Standing There" (2)	"This Boy" (3)

"I Saw Her Standing There"
US single cover
B-side to "I Want to Hold Your Hand"
Released	December 26 1963 (U.S.)
Length	2:55
Label	Capitol 5112 (U.S.)

"I Saw Her Standing There" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and is the opening track on the The Beatles' debut album Please Please Me, released in the United Kingdom by Parlophone on 22 March, 1963.

In December 1963, Capitol Records released the song in the United States as the B-side on the label's first single by the Beatles, "I Want to Hold Your Hand". The single topped the U.S. charts for seven weeks starting 18 January 1964. "I Saw Her Standing There" entered the Billboard Hot 100 on 8 February 1964, remaining there for 11 weeks, peaking at number 14.

Composition

The song was co-written but based on McCartney's initial idea.^[1] Originally titled "Seventeen", the song was conceived by McCartney driving home from a concert in Southport, Merseyside^[2] and later completed at his Forthlin Road home in September 1962^[1] McCartney said: “I had: “She was just seventeen,” and then: “Beauty queen”. When I showed it to John, he screamed with laughter, and said “You’re joking about that line, aren’t you?”^[2] "It was one of the first times he ever went "What? Must change that..."^[3] The lyrics were written on a Liverpool Institute exercise book. Remember, a book by McCartney's brother Mike McCartney, includes a photograph of Lennon and McCartney writing the song while strumming guitars and reading the exercise book. McCartney admits to lifting his bass line directly from a Chuck Berry song called "I'm Talking About You" (1961).^[1]

Recording

The song was recorded at Abbey Road Studios on 11 February 1963, as part of the marathon recording session that produced 10 of the 14 songs on Please Please Me. The Beatles were not present for the mixing session on 25 February 1963,^[4] which was not unusual at that time.

On the album, the song starts with a rousing "one-two-three-FOUR!" count-in by McCartney (pronounced "one-two-three-FAH!"). Usually, these count-ins are edited off the final audio mix. However, this was left on by record producer George Martin, as it was considered especially spirited,^[3] and began the album in an upbeat vein. Music journalist, Richard Williams suggests that this dramatic introduction to their debut album was just as stirring as Elvis Presley’s “Well, it’s one for the money, two for the show…” on his opening track, Blue Suede Shoes, for his debut album seven years earlier^[5] and makes the statement that the Beatles were a performing band as they also opened their live set in this way. However, by listening to outtakes of the song, one can hear that the count-in is actually from take 9, while the master take is actually take 12. (Take 12 was not preceded by a loud count-in). George Martin initially contemplated recording the Please Please Me LP live at the Cavern in front of their own audience^[6] and visited the Liverpool club to experience the Beatles phenomenon for himself.^[7] But when time constraints intervened it was decided to book them into the Abbey Road studios instead.

Release

In the UK, "I Saw Her Standing There" is the opening track on Please Please Me. In the U.S., Vee Jay Records released it as the opening track on both versions of Introducing... The Beatles.In addition to the "I Want to Hold Your Hand" B-side offer, Capitol released it as the second track on Meet the Beatles!, released in late January 1964. Vee-Jay had a limited portfolio of Beatle songs to offer, and re-issued their material using various names including Songs, Pictures and Stories of the Fabulous Beatles and other packages.

Capitol reissued the song twice in the 70's, once on the Rock 'n' Roll Music compilation released on 11 June 1976, and as the opening track in the 14-disc Limited-limited edition boxed set, The Beatles Collection released in December 1978.

Credits

• Paul McCartney — bass guitar, lead vocals
• John Lennon — rhythm guitar, harmony vocals
• George Harrison — lead guitar
• Ringo Starr — drums

Critical acclaim

Carr and Tyler, in The Beatles: An Illustrated Record, claimed it was only the third all-British rock classic up to that time, the previous two being Cliff Richard's "Move It" and Johnny Kidd's "Shakin' All Over".

Cover versions

A 1974 live version was released as a duet by Lennon and Elton John as the B-side to the latter's "Philadelphia Freedom" single. The song is available on the Lennon Box Set, and on Elton John's To Be Continued... box set as well as the expanded CD edition of his 1976 live album Here and There. Lennon's introduction:

I'd like to thank Elton and the boys for having me on tonight. We tried to think of a number to finish off with so I can get out of here and be sick, and we thought we'd do a number of an old, estranged fiancé of mine, called Paul. This is one I never sang, it's an old Beatle number, and we just about know it.

Paul McCartney included "I Saw Her Standing There" on his live albums Tripping the Live Fantastic (1990), Back in the U.S. (2002) and Back in the World (2003). In 1987, he recorded a new version for his album CHOBA B CCCP, but left it to outtakes.

Other versions include:

• The Who filmed and recorded a version of the song for their film The Kids Are Alright; Keith Moon sang the lead vocal. However, this was not released on the film or soundtrack album, and has only been available on bootleg recordings. The Who also performed the song on their 1982 Farewell Tour, with John Entwistle on lead vocal, including a performance at Shea Stadium.
• Daniel Johnston covered "I Saw Her Standing There" on his album Continued Story/Hi How Are You?
• In 1988, Tiffany released "I Saw Him Standing There" as a single and as a track on her self-titled debut album.
• Santo & Johnny did a version (which features steel guitar) on an LP of Beatle songs.
• In 1977, The Tubes covered "I Saw Her Standing There" on their live CD What Do You Want From Live.
• Carmaig de Forest recorded an acoustic version of "I Saw Her Standing There" in his own kitchen in 1991. Halfway through the song, it turns into his own composition "Julie Among the Redwoods", but reverts back to "I Saw Her Standing There" in the end.
• Peter Grant recorded a Jazz version of the song on his self-titled album in 2005
• Allister released a cover version on the Japanese-only EP, Guilty Pleasures.

Young Blood comparison

The "Young Blood" song's Wikipedia article includes a comparison of "Young Blood" and "I Saw Her Standing There". The Beatles sometimes performed "Young Blood" in their Cavern Club repertoire^[8]

Bonaparte's Retreat Comparison

From 00:54 to 01:09 on "I Saw Her Standing There", it says Well, my heart went "boom,"/ When I crossed that room,/And I held her hand in mine.... This part has the same melody as Kay Starr's Bonaparte's Retreat. Where is goes All the world was bright/ When he held me on that night/And I heard him say/"Please don't you go away" Starr's song was recorded in 1950while the Beatles song was recorded in 1964[2], 14 years later.

References

•  • [ e] The Beatles Singles
Singles (UK - Parlophone, Apple Records)
1962: Love Me Do 1963: Please Please Me, From Me to You, She Loves You, I Want to Hold Your Hand 1964: Can't Buy Me Love, A Hard Day's Night, I Feel Fine 1965: Ticket to Ride, Help!, Day Tripper / We Can Work It Out 1966: Paperback Writer, Eleanor Rigby / Yellow Submarine 1967: Strawberry Fields Forever / Penny Lane, All You Need Is Love, Hello Goodbye 1968: Lady Madonna, Hey Jude 1969: Get Back / Don't Let Me Down, Ballad of John and Yoko, Something / Come Together 1970: Let It Be 1976: Yesterday, Back in the U.S.S.R. 1978: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band / A Day in the Life • 1982: The Beatles Movie Medley, Love Me Do (reissue) 1995: Baby It's You, Free as a Bird 1996: Real Love
B-sides
1962: P.S. I Love You 1963: Ask Me Why, Thank You Girl, I'll Get You, This Boy 1964: You Can't Do That, Things We Said Today, She's a Woman 1965: Yes It Is, I'm Down 1966: Rain 1967: Baby You're a Rich Man, I Am the Walrus 1968: The Inner Light, Revolution 1969: Old Brown Shoe 1970: You Know My Name (Look up the Number) 1976: I Should Have Known Better, Twist and Shout 1982: I'm Happy Just to Dance with You, P.S. I Love You (reissue) 1995: I'll Follow the Sun / Devil in Her Heart / Boys, Christmas Time (Is Here Again) 1996: Baby's in Black
Singles (U.S. - Capitol Records, Apple Records)
1963: I Want to Hold Your Hand 1964: Can't Buy Me Love, A Hard Day's Night, I'll Cry Instead, And I Love Her, Matchbox, I Feel Fine 1965: Eight Days a Week, Ticket to Ride, Help!, Yesterday, We Can Work It Out / Day Tripper 1966: Nowhere Man, Paperback Writer, Eleanor Rigby / Yellow Submarine 1967: Penny Lane / Strawberry Fields Forever, All You Need Is Love, Hello, Goodbye 1968: Lady Madonna, Hey Jude 1969: Get Back / Don't Let Me Down, Ballad of John and Yoko, Something / Come Together 1970: Let It Be, The Long and Winding Road 1976: Got to Get You into My Life 1978: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band / A Day in the Life 1982: The Beatles Movie Medley 1986: Twist and Shout 1995: Baby It's You, Free as a Bird 1996: Real Love
B-sides
1963: I Saw Her Standing There 1964: You Can't Do That, I Should Have Known Better, I'm Happy Just to Dance with You, If I Fell, Slow Down, She's a Woman 1965: I Don't Want to Spoil the Party, Yes It Is, I'm Down, Act Naturally 1966: What Goes On, Rain 1967: Baby You're a Rich Man, I Am the Walrus 1968: The Inner Light, Revolution 1969: Old Brown Shoe 1970: You Know My Name (Look up the Number), For You Blue 1976: Helter Skelter 1982: I'm Happy Just to Dance with You 1986: There's a Place 1995: I'll Follow the Sun / Devil in Her Heart / Boys, I Saw Her Standing There / This Boy / Christmas Time (Is Here Again) 1996: Baby's in Black / Yellow Submarine / Here, There and Everywhere

•  • [ e] The Beatles
Members	John Lennon Paul McCartney George Harrison Ringo Starr Pete Best Stuart Sutcliffe
Management	Allan Williams Brian Epstein Allen Klein Lee Eastman Neil Aspinall Mal Evans Alistair Taylor Apple Records
Production	George Martin Geoff Emerick Norman Smith Ken Scott Phil Spector Jeff Lynne Abbey Road Studios
Official studio albums	Please Please Me (1963) With The Beatles (1963) A Hard Day's Night (1964) Beatles for Sale (1964) Help! (1965) Rubber Soul (1965) Revolver (1966) Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) Magical Mystery Tour (U.S., 1967 / U.K., 1976) The Beatles (The White Album) (1968) Yellow Submarine (1969) Abbey Road (1969) Let It Be (1970)
Official post-breakup albums	Live at the BBC (1994) Anthology 1 (1995) Anthology 2 (1996) Anthology 3 (1996) Yellow Submarine Songtrack (1999) Let It Be… Naked (2003)
Official compilations	1962–1966 (1973) 1967–1970 (1973) Past Masters, Volume One (1988) Past Masters, Volume Two (1988) 1 (2000) Love (2006)
Filmography	A Hard Day's Night (1964) Help! (1965) Magical Mystery Tour (1967) Yellow Submarine (1968) Let It Be (1970)
Videography	The Compleat Beatles (1984) The Beatles Anthology (2003) (2003)
	Line-ups Bootlegs Discography Love (Cirque du Soleil) Lennon/McCartney Influence Beatle boots The Quarrymen The Beatles' breakup London Beatlemania Fifth Beatle Paul is dead The Beatles (TV series) British Invasion Apple Corps Northern Songs The Beatles Anthology Yoko Ono Linda McCartney Cynthia Lennon Billy Preston Tony Sheridan Chas Newby Andy White Jimmy Nicol Astrid Kirchherr Klaus Voormann