I Saw Her Standing There

"I Saw Her Standing There" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and is the opening track on the Beatles' debut album, Please Please Me, the United Kingdom by Parlophone on March 22, 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". While the A-side topped the US Billboard charts for seven weeks starting January 18, 1964, "I Saw Her Standing There" entered the Billboard Hot 100 on February 8, 1964, remaining there for 11 weeks, peaking at #14. The song placed on the Cashbox charts for only one week at #100 on the same day of its Billboard debut. In 2004, "I Saw Her Standing There" was ranked #139 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

About
"I Saw Her Standing There" was the second song recorded during the 585 minute session which produced the album, Please Please Me. With the working title "Seventeen," the song was recorded in nine takes with two takes of hand claps added in later. Although 9 takes were made, it was the first which was ultimately used (with added handclapps making it take 12). However, the "One-two-three-four" count-in was from take nine and edited onto the beginning. The full take nine was released on the "Free as a Bird" CD single and Anthology 1.

This is one of the many early songs John and Paul wrote together in the McCartney living room. Originally, the first lyric was "She was just seventeen / never been a beauty queen," but John rejected that line adding instead "you know what I mean." The lyrics were first written while Paul was driving back to his house in Allerton, Liverpool. The next day it was played to John who changed the line in the sentence above to what is also upabove.

An early rehearsal tape from the Cavern Club shows that this song was originally played at a slower tempo with a bluesy feel and featured John's harmonica.

Paul said the bass line to this song was lifted from Chuck Berry's "I'm Talkin' 'Bout You."

In America, "I Saw Her Standing There" was chosen as the B-side to their breakout single "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and reached #14 on the charts

The only time John took lead vocals on "I Saw Her Standing There" was when he joined Elton John on stage in November 1974 where it followed "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night" and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." As John said, this was a number "by an old estranged fiancé of mine named Paul."

Paul has included this song on his last 3 major tours. He also recorded a new version of "I Saw Her Standing There" for his Russian album, CHOBA B CCCP, but it remains an outtake.

Personnel

 * Paul McCartney – lead vocal, bass guitar, handclaps
 * John Lennon – background vocal, rhythm guitar, handclaps
 *   George Harrison – lead guitar, handclaps
 * Ringo Starr – drums, handclaps