“Hallelujah, I Love Her So” is a Beatles’ cover song which appears on their 1995 album, “Anthology 1”.
In Detail
Album
Recorded: in the Spring of 1960
Genre: Rhythm and blues
Track Duration: 1:13
Songwriter: Ray Charles
Performers**
Paul McCartney: vocals, guitar
John Lennon: guitar
George Harrison: guitar
Stuart Sutcliffe: bass
Anthology 1 Album (1995)
** Since this song is from 1960, the line up doesn’t feature Ringo Starr.
Track Source
Hallelujah, I Love Her So
In 1956, Ray Charles both wrote and released the single, “Hallelujah, I Love Her So”. However, that single didn’t reach the charts. Later, many artists would come to record the song.
Eddie Cochran managed to take an adaption of the song into the British charts. His rock and roll version, together with the B-side, “Little Angel”, peaked at number 2 in February, 1960. George Harrison once described Eddie Cochran as, “a very good guitar player”. Harrison continued with the interview, “I was very impressed by, not only his songs, but by his cover numbers, like Ray Charles’ ‘Hallelujah, I Love Her So'”.
Beatles’ Recording
During 1960 (possibly in May), he and the other band members recorded a home demo tape which included “Hallelujah, I Love Her So”. This was at Paul McCartney’s home, 20 Forthlin Road, Liverpool. That version appears on The Beatles’ 1995 album, “Anthology 1”. Also on the album are two others from this home demo, “You’ll Be Mine” and an instrumental, “Cayenne“. Obviously all versions are mono and the quality is poor.
Not only is their official version of poor quality but it is also shorter than the bootleg version. This is because of an edit that misses out the second verse and a guitar solo.
Live Act
The Beatles, previously “The Quarrymen”, would sing this song as part of their live act between 1960 and 1962. The song, recorded in The Star-Club, Hamburg appears on the album, Live! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962. Although that version is slightly better quality, it’s still poor by modern-day standards.
After 1962, The Beatles largely forgot about “Hallelujah, I Love Her So”, but John Lennon did resurrect it briefly in 1969. This was during The Beatles’ “Get Back” sessions when, on the 22nd January, he performed a “loose” version of it.
Other Cover Versions
“Hallelujah, I Love Her So” was a popular song to cover, so much so that many big name artists recorded it. Here’s just a small selection of those that have, Brenda Lee, Connie Francis, Frank Sinatra, Gerry and the Pacemakers and The Animals
