Monday, May 3, 2010

The Missing Liner Notes: Please Please Me

* "I Saw Her Standing There" opens with the legendary count-off, "one, two, three, four!" Paul was actually just taking band roll-call to let George Martin know how many pizzas he should order for the session.

* The piano part that is heard on "Misery" was performed by George Martin, which prompted John to sarcastically remark, "what do you think you are, the Fifth Beatle or something?"

* The song "Anna (Go To Him)" was written about the Dostoevsky character Anna Karenina, and the original lyrics contained many unsavory Russian ethnic slurs.

* "Ask Me Why" was released as the B-side to "Please, Please Me", but only after undergoing several re-writes, which included "Ask Me When", "Ask Me Where", and the obliquely passive-aggressive "Ask Me One More Time, Go Ahead. No, Really, Ask Me"

* Ringo nearly didn't play on the recording of "PS I Love You", because he was uncomfortable with the way Paul would look at him when singing the line "I'll always be in love with you".

* The original lyrics of "Do You Want To Know A Secret" revealed the future burial place of Jimmy Hoffa, but this was deemed "too inflammatory" by George Martin.

* "A Taste Of Honey" was rejected by Disney as a theme song for the Winnie the Pooh television series.

* The story arc of "Twist And Shout" tells the tale of a hard-ball playing debt collector and his sometimes unorthodox methods of persuasion.

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