Leave My Kitten Alone

"Leave My Kitten Alone"
Single by Little Willie John
B-side "Let Nobody Love You"
Released June 1959
Format 7"
Genre Soul
Length 2:32
Label King
Writer(s) Little Willie John, James McDougal, Titus Turner
Little Willie John singles chronology
"Made for Me"
(1959)		 "Leave My Kitten Alone"
(1959)		 "Let Them Talk"
(1959)
"Leave My Kitten Alone"
Song by The Beatles from the album Anthology 1
Released November 20, 1995 (UK)
November 21, 1995 (US)
Recorded August 14, 1964, EMI Studios, London
Genre Rock
Length 2:57
Label Apple Records
Writer Little Willie John, James 'Jay' McDougal, Titus Turner
Producer George Martin
Anthology 1 track listing
"Mr. Moonlight"
(Disc 2
track 21)		 "Leave My Kitten Alone"
(Disc 2
track 22)		 "No Reply"
(Disc 2
track 23)

"Leave My Kitten Alone" is a 1959 R&B hit, written by Little Willie John, James McDougal and Titus Turner, first recorded by Little Willie John, and covered in 1960 by Johnny Preston. The song is also the 22nd song on the second disc to The Beatles' Anthology 1.[1] The song follows the 24-bar blues format.

Contents

Little Willie John and Johnny Preston

The original version of the song, by Little Willie John, on King Records, reached # 13 on the Billboard R&B chart and # 60 on the pop chart on its first release in 1959. The cover version by Johnny Preston reached # 73 on the pop chart in early 1961, at which point the Little Willie John version was re-issued and again rose to the # 60 position.[2][3] Neither version reached the UK Singles Chart.

The Beatles

On August 14, 1964, during the recording sessions for Beatles for Sale, the Beatles recorded five takes of "Leave My Kitten Alone", adding overdubs to the last take.[1] The song was never mixed and was not included on Beatles for Sale.[4] Take 5 was marked as the best take (only takes 4 and 5 exist, 4 being a false start).

The song was remixed in 1982 by the late John Barrett in preparation for The Beatles at Abbey Road, a video presentation shown as part of a public tour of the Abbey Road Studios the following year.(RM '82). The song was again remixed in 1984 by Geoff Emerick in preparation for the unreleased Sessions project (RM/RS '84). In 1994 George Martin remixed the song yet again, this time for the Anthology project (RM/RS '94)

The song was planned as the promotional single for the unissued 1985 album Sessions, which like the later Anthology series was to include previously unreleased Beatles material.[5]

Personnel

Elvis Costello

""Leave My Kitten Alone""
Cover Song by Elvis Costello from the album Kojak Variety
Released May 9, 1995
Recorded March–May 1986
Genre Rock
Length 3:10
Label Warner Bros.
Rhino (August 3, 2004 Reissue)
Producer Kevin Killen and Elvis Costello
Kojak Variety track listing
I Threw It All Away
(Disc 1
track 4)		 ""Leave My Kitten Alone""
(Disc 1
track 5)		 Everybody's Crying Mercy
(Disc 1
track 6)

While finishing his album King of America, singer-songwriter Elvis Costello recorded demos for this and several other songs, such as "Blue Chair" and "American Without Tears."[6] During his 1986 work on Blood & Chocolate, Costello recorded a version of this song, though it was not used for that album. It would later appear on his Kojak Variety Album, a collection of 50s and 60s rock and roll standards.

Notes

  1. ^ a b (1994) Album notes for Anthology 2 by The Beatles, p. 43 [booklet]. London: Apple Records (34445).
  2. ^ Joel Whitburn, Top Pop Singles 1955-2002, Billboard, 2003, ISBN 0-89820-155-1, p. 362
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 228. 
  4. ^ Lewisohn, Mark (1988). The Beatles Recording Sessions. New York: Harmony Books. ISBN 0-517-57066-1. 
  5. ^ a b "Leave My Kitten Alone". The Beatles Bible. http://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/leave-my-kitten-alone/. Retrieved April 14, 2008. 
  6. ^ Costello, Elvis. Blood & Chocolate. Rhino Records R2 78355, 2002, liner notes, p. 6.