It's for You

"It's for You" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney of the Beatles for Cilla Black for whom it was a UK Top Ten hit in 1964. The song was mainly a McCartney composition.

Paul McCartney, who had been present at Abbey Road Studios when Cilla Black had recorded her breakthrough hit "Anyone Who Had a Heart", had written "It's for You" with John Lennon using "Anyone Who Had a Heart" as the model although Black herself has opined: "For my money, ['It's for You'] is nothing like the 'Anyone...' composition." On 3 June 1964 McCartney cut a demo of "It's for You" to give to Black and producer George Martin. Black recorded the song at Abbey Road Studios that 2 July with Martin producing the session and she would recall: "That was some session...John [Lennon] and Paul [McCartney] joined me and George Martin. We made one track and then everyone had a go at suggesting how they thought it should be recorded. George said it should be one way, John and Paul another and I just added my suggestions while they were thinking of what else they could do with the composition."^[1]

Having Black, well publicized as an associate of the Beatles, record a Lennon–McCartney tune did not result in the anticipated smash hit: "It's for You" followed Black's back-to-back #1 hits: "Anyone Who Had a Heart" and "You're My World", into the Top Ten but remained there for only two weeks - 29 August & 5 September 1964 - at #8 and #7.

In the US "It's for You" became Black's second single release in September 1964: although the precedent "You're My World" had reached the US Top 30, "It's for You" rose no higher on the Billboard Hot 100 than #79.

"It's for You" reached #17 in Australia.

Although Black recorded several Beatles' songs to be album cuts she only had one later single release of a Lennon–McCartney song: "Step Inside Love" #8 in 1968.

Recordings of "It's for You" as The Beatles may have performed it are available on the 1989 album by Bas Muys entitled Secret Songs: Lennon & McCartney^[2][3] and on the 1998 release It's Four You by the Australian tribute band The Beatnix.^[4][5]

Remakes

• Mina recorded an Italian rendering of "It's for You" — entitled "So che mi vuoi" — on her 1965 album, Studio Uno.
• Three Dog Night recorded a version of the song for their eponymous debut album in 1969. A performance of the song is also featured on the group's 1969 live album, Captured Live at the Forum.
• In 1971 Springwell, a five-man outfit from Allen Park MI, had a regional hit with "It's for You" which reached #60 on the Hot 100 in Billboard: the track, recorded at Eastern Sound Studio in Toronto, reached #21 in Canada.
• In 1979, Midwest-based Head East covered the song on their A&M Records double LP release of Head East Live!
• In 2009, Mr. Big covered "It's for You" during their 'Reunion tour'; it was released on their album, 'Back to Budokan'. In this performance, the lead singer left the stage, and the rest of the members sang the vocal parts.

Notes