Chains (Cookies song)
| "Chains" | |
|---|---|
| Single by The Cookies | |
| from the album Chains | |
| Released | November 1962 |
| Format | 7" single |
| Genre | |
| Songwriter(s) | Gerry Goffin/Carole King |
| "Chains" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by the Beatles | ||||
| from the album Please Please Me | ||||
| Released | March 22, 1963 | |||
| Recorded | February 11, 1963 | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll | |||
| Length | 2:23 | |||
| Label | Parlophone | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Gerry Goffin/Carole King | |||
| Producer(s) | George Martin | |||
| Please Please Me track listing | ||||
| ||||
"Chains" is a song composed by the husband-and-wife songwriting team Gerry Goffin and Carole King and originally recorded (but not released) by The Everly Brothers. In 1962 it was a hit for Little Eva’s backing singers, The Cookies (#17 U.S. Pop, #7 R&B),[1] and later covered by English rock group The Beatles.
The Beatles' version
The single by the Cookies was a popular cover song for Liverpool bands after its release in November 1962,[2] and was included briefly in the Beatles' live sets.[3] They recorded it on February 11, 1963 in four takes (the first having proven to be the best)[4] for inclusion on their British debut, Please Please Me.[5] Lennon played the introduction on harmonica.[4] Music critic Ian MacDonald criticized the Beatles' performance, writing that it was "slightly out-of-tune" and "lacked spontaneity."[3] George Harrison sings the lead vocal on the Beatles' version; and, as the fourth track from the group's first album, it represents the first time many fans heard Harrison singing lead on a commercially released song.
They played the song live on a number of BBC radio shows, including Side by Side, Here We Go and Pop Go the Beatles (though none of these performances were included on the 1994 compilation Live at the BBC, it was eventually released on the 2013 compilation On Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2).[2]
Personnel
Cookies' version
- Earl-Jean – lead vocals
- Margaret Ross – backing vocals
- Dorothy Jones – backing vocals
- Eva Boyd – backing vocals
Beatles' version
- George Harrison – lead vocals, lead guitar
- John Lennon – rhythm guitar, harmonica, harmony vocals
- Paul McCartney – bass, harmony vocals
- Ringo Starr – drums
Engineered by Norman Smith
Notes
References
- Harry, Bill (2000). The Beatles Encyclopedia: Revised and Updated. London: Virgin Publishing. ISBN 0-7535-0481-2.
- Lewisohn, Mark (1988). The Beatles Recording Sessions. New York: Harmony Books. ISBN 0-517-57066-1.
- MacDonald, Ian (2005). Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties (Second Revised ed.). London: Pimlico (Rand). ISBN 1-84413-828-3.