Twist and Shout



"Twist and Shout" is a song sung by The Beatles, originally written by Phil Medley and Bert Russell. It was originally titled “Shake It Up, Baby” and recorded by the Top Notes and then covered by the Isley Brothers. It was covered by the Beatles with John Lennon on the lead vocals and originally released on their first album Please Please Me. The song was covered by the Mamas and Papas (in the style of a ballad) in 1967 on their album Deliver, and on a film soundtrack by Cliff Richard. It was also covered by the Tremeloes. Most recently Chaka Demus and Pliers (featuring Jack Radics and Taxi Gang) reached No. 1 on the UK charts with their version in January 1994. The Who performed it throughout their career, most notably on Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 and 1982’s Who’s Last.

The Top Notes' "Shake It Up, Baby"
In 1961, a year after Phil Spector became a staff producer at Atlantic Records, he was asked to produce a single by an up-and-coming vocal group, the Top Notes (sometimes named "Topnotes"): "Shake It Up, Babe." This was before Spector perfected his "Wall of Sound" technique, and the recording lacked all of the energy the group exhibited in its live performances. Songwriter Bert Russell felt Spector had ruined the song, and went out to show Spector how the song should be done.

The Beatles' version
The Beatles released the song on their first UK album, Please Please Me, the recording of which on February 11, 1963 was their first album session and is notable for 11 songs recorded in a mere 10 hours. "Twist and Shout", with John Lennon on lead vocals, was the last song recorded; producer George Martin knew Lennon's voice would suffer from the performance, so he left it until last, with only 15 minutes of scheduled recording time remaining.

Lennon was suffering from a cold, and was drinking milk and sucking on cough drops to sooth his throat. His coughing is audible on the album, as is the cold's effect on his voice. Even so, he produced a memorable vocal performance: a raucous, dynamic rocker. He later said his voice was the same for a long time afterward, and that "every time [he] swallowed, it felt like sandpaper".

A second take was attempted, but Lennon had nothing left and it was abandoned. George Martin said, "I did try a second take... but John's voice had gone."

The Beatles' cover was released on March 2, 1964 in the U.S. as a single, with "There's a Place" as its B-side, by Vee-Jay Records on the Tollie label. It reached No. 2 on April 4, 1964 during the week that the top five places on the chart were all Beatles singles. (In the Cashbox singles chart for the same week, "Twist and Shout" was No.1.) In the United States, "Twist and Shout" was the only million-selling Beatles single that was a cover record, and the only Beatles cover single to reach the Top 10 on a national record chart. The song failed to hit #1 because the Beatles had another song occupying the top spot, "Can't Buy Me Love".

In the UK, "Twist and Shout" was released by Parlophone on an EP with three other tracks, "Do You Want To Know A Secret", "A Taste of Honey", and "There's a Place" from the Please Please Me album. Both the EP and album reached No.1 (see Twist and Shout (EP)). In Canada, it became the title track to the second album of the Beatles material to be issued by Capitol Records of Canada, on February 3, 1964.

It is regarded as one of the finest examples of British rock and roll for its vocal performance. The song was used was a rousing closing number on Sunday Night at the Palladium in October 1963 and at The Royal Variety Show in November 1963, the former signalling the start of "Beatlemania". They performed it on one of their Ed Sullivan Show appearances in Feburary 1964.

The Beatles continued to play the song live until the end of their August 1965 tour of North America. Additionally, they recorded "Twist and Shout" on nine occasions for BBC television and radio broadcasts, the earliest of which was for the Talent Spot radio show on November 27, 1962.

1986 recharting
The Beatles' version of the song enjoyed a resurgance of popularity in 1986 after Matthew Broderick lip-synced to it in the film Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Coincidentally, The Rodney Dangerfield film Back to School (released two days after Ferris) also featured the song, this one sung by Dangerfield himself and patterned afhter the Beatles' arrangement. The use in the two films help propel the single up the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at No. 23 late that summer, giving the group their second chart single of the 1980s (the other being "The Beatles Movie Medley" in 1982). The song's seven-week run in the U.S. Top 40 in 1986, combined with its original 16-week run in 1964, makes Twist and Shout the longest-running Top 40 hit for the Beatles, at 23 weeks.

2010 UK chart entry
In November 2010, 47 years after its recording, the Beatles' version of "Twist and Shout" made a debut on the UK single charts. The highest charting Beatles track in the aftermath of their new availability on iTunes, it entered the charts at #48 in the first of a two week run.

Credits

 * John Lennon – lead vocals, rhythm semi-acoustic guitar
 * Paul McCartney – backing vocals, bass guitar
 * George Harrison – backing vocals, lead guitar
 * Ringo Starr – drums
 * George Martin - producer

Isley Brothers' version
When the Isley Brothers decided to record the song in 1962, Russell opted to produce, and thus demonstrate to Spector what he had intended to be the "sound" of the record. The resulting recording captured the verve of an Isley Brothers performance, and became the trio's first record to reach a Top 20 position in the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

The Isley Brothers' version, with Ronald Isley on lead vocals, was the first major hit recording of the song, peaking at No. 17 on the U.S. pop top 40 charts, and No. 2 on the US R&B charts. The song quickly became a frequently covered R&B tune in the early 1960s. According to Ronald, the song was supposed to be the B-side to the Burt Bacharach standard, "Make It Easy On Yourself", which had been a hit for Jerry Butler. When the Isleys recorded "Twist and Shout", the brothers did not think the song would do well, as they had not had a hit in the three years since "Shout" established them. To their surprise, the song became their first Top 40 hit on both the pop and R&B charts, and for a time established the group's reputation for producing fast-paced songs during their earlier career.

Personell

 * Ronald Isley: lead vocals
 * O'Kelly Isley, Jr.: Backing vocals
 * Rudolph Isley: Backing vocals
 * Bert Russell: production

Brian Poole and the Tremeloes' version
In 1962 the Decca label signed Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, a British group form Dagenham, Essex, in preference to the Beatles. Both groups auditioned on the same day, and it has become legend that the Beatles were rejected by the label. Ironically, Brian Poole and The Tremeloes had no chart success until the beat boom in British rock surfaced, following the success of the Beatles. This triggered the frenzied signing of most of the popular Liverpool rock groups of that period by the major record labels, and their distinctive "sound" became known as Merseybeat. Brian Poole and The Tremeloes imitated this style, and covered "Twist and Shout" four months after The Beatles had released their version, and acheived the number four position in the UK Single Chart.