“I Saw Her Standing There” is a Beatles’ song from their debut album in 1963, “Please Please Me”. However, it is such a popular song that it appears on other Beatles’ albums too.
In Detail
Albums
Recorded: 11th February, 1963
Studio: EMI Studios, London
Genre: Rock and roll
Track Duration: 2:55
Record Label: Parlophone
Songwriters: McCartney-Lennon
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Norman Smith
Performers
Paul McCartney: lead vocals, bass, handclaps
John Lennon: rhythm guitar, harmony vocals, handclaps
George Harrison: lead guitar, handclaps
Ringo Starr: drums, handclaps
Track Sources
Please Please Me
Live At The BBC
Anthology 1
On Air – Live At The BBC Volume 2
I Saw Her Standing There
By the time The Beatles released the Please Please Me album on the 22nd of March, 1963, they already had a couple of chart hits. One of those was the title track of the album, of course. However, while that was the last track on side one of the album, “I Saw Her Standing There” was the first track on their debut album.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon finished writing the song in late 1962 at McCartney’s house in Liverpool, which was the norm in those early days, of course.
“I wrote it with John in the front parlour of my house in 20 Forthlin Road, Allerton. We sagged off school and wrote it on guitars and a little bit on the piano that I had there.”
Paul McCartney
The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, Mark Lewisohn
The original title was simply “Seventeen” after McCartney had the idea while driving home from a Beatles’ concert in Southport, Lancashire.
Please Please Me Album (1963)
Live At The BBC Album (1994)
Anthology 1 Album (1995)
On Air – Live At The BBC Volume 2 Album (2013)
Be that as it may, come December and The Beatles were singing the song during December, 1962, in the Star Club, Hamburg, Germany.
Bootleg Recording
In late 1962, The Beatles also rehearsed the song at the Cavern Club in Liverpool. There appears to be no specific date for the recording but it’s obviously before they completed the arrangements for it. This is because the lyrics are not the same as the master track and the music is much slower. This version is available as a bootleg recording.
Recording Studio
The Beatles began to record “I Saw Her Standing There” on 11th February, 1963, in Studio Two of the EMI Studios, London, during a marathon session which would see almost all their debut album recorded on the same day. Indeed, they recorded 10 of the 14 album tracks on this day including this one under the working title of “Seventeen”.
The band recorded nine takes and the best of those was take one. However, Paul McCartney’s “One, Two, Three, Four” count-in from take nine was better than that on take one. So, the Abbey Road team added it to the front of take one. The whole of take nine is available now on their 1995 single, “Free As A Bird“.
The version on their 1995 album, “Anthology 1” features a recording from the 24th October, 1963, at The Karlaplansstudion, Stockholm, Sweden (live for The Beatles, Pop Group from Liverpool Visiting Stockholm).
The Beatles also recorded a few versions of the song for BBC Radio. On the 16th October, 1963, they recorded a version for the “Easy Beat” show airing on the 20th October. Meanwhile, on their 2013 album, “On Air – Live At The BBC Volume 2” is a version from the “Saturday Club” show from 5th October, 1963.
