I Want to Hold Your Hand

November 29, 1963

I Want to Hold Your Hand ( German I want to hold your hand ) is a song by British rock band The Beatles; as authors are Lennon / McCartney stated. The piece was published on 29 November 1963 in the UK as the fifth single from the band and became one of the top-selling million-seller in recording history.

Genesis

In September 1963, the Beatles were given by their manager Brian Epstein, who was concerned about the lack of success of the Beatles in the U.S., pointing out a song specifically to write for the American market. To this end, took Paul McCartney and John Lennon during their holiday, the apartment of Richard and Margaret Asher, whose daughter was friends with McCartney at the time. The town was the site of the new writing two Beatles for a short time. The mother of the girlfriend has taught oboe in a music room in the basement. At the piano in the room, the song was composed. In September 1980, John Lennon told Playboy:

"We wrote a lot of stuff together, in personal interviews, face to face. Just like I Want to Hold Your Hand. I remember how we made the first chord of the song. We were in Jane Asher's house down in the basement and played piano at the same time. And we had, 'Oh you- uu / got that something ... ' and Paul struck the chord E minor, and I turned to him and said, 'This is it ' I said; ! Writing, Mach again ' In these times we were really used, so both played it the other in the nose. "

The described version of Lennon has been confirmed by Paul McCartney. He said:

" Eye to Eye is a really good description. Just as it was. , I Want to Hold Your Hand ' was a collaboration. It was our big number one; the one that finally let us pursue in America. "

The Abbey Road Studio 2 was posted on October 17, 1963 from 14:30 clock for the Beatles. Overall, originated from the song 17 takes ( Takes 16 and 17 were the only overdubbing ) from 19 clock. Were present in addition to the Beatles their producer George Martin, and the two engineers Norman Smith and Geoff Emerick. The recordings showed that the song was perfected before the recording session, because the first take hardly sounds different from the last. On that day, the first time the four-track technique was used, which previously was only for classical music at Abbey Road studios for use. The last two takes were importing the clapping and the overdubbing of John Lennon's lead vocal, carried out on 21 October 1963 at the control room of the studio 1 together with the final mix for mono and stereo master tapes where only George Martin and Norman Smith were present. The entire session is Paul McCartney in his musical leadership. On today's CDs you will hear a stereo mix that was taken on November 7, 1966 for the LP A Collection of Oldies ... but Goldies, which was published on 10 December 1966. For this purpose, recorded George Martin, Geoff Emerick and Mike Stone responsible.

Publication

Following the release in the UK on 29 November 1963 ( Parlophone # 5084 ) with the This Boy B-side Been to November 1963 received pre-orders of 950,000 copies, with Parlophone Records. By the end of January 1964 there were a total of 1.509 million pieces have been implemented. Beatles manager Brian Epstein was flown on November 5, 1963, a single in the luggage in the United States to present there Capitol Records Director Brown Meggs said. Capitol had already rejected four Beatles singles, but a publication could imagine this song. The original planned with an initial pressure of 200,000 release date January 13, 1964 had to be brought forward after radio stations already playing the title incessantly.

In the U.S. it will be released then on 26 December 1963 ( Capitol # 5112 ) to the I Saw Her Standing There B-side. It was here that the title to 10 January 1964, one million pieces, to 28 March 3.4 million, ultimately 4.9 million plates. Them the gold disc was presented early on 10 February 1964. End of 1964, almost five million units had gone over the counter in the U.S.. Thus, the plate triggered the British Invasion in the United States. With over eleven million copies sold worldwide of the title to this day is the second best-selling single in the UK and the fourth best-selling single of all time. On 9 and 16 February 1964, the Beatles in the nationally televised Ed Sullivan occurred during their first U.S. tour to show.

In the UK, the title reached the top of the charts on December 12, 1963 and remained there for five weeks in the USA the first place on 1 February 1964 and has held it for seven weeks. In Germany, the song occupied Rank One on 21 March 1964 which it held for five weeks.

In 2004 I Want to Hold Your Hand by the music magazine Rolling Stone was elected number 16 of the 500 best songs of all time.

On the album On Air - Live at the BBC Volume 2 was released 2013 version, which had recorded the band for the radio station BBC.

Music

The instrumentation of the held in G major piece consists of John Lennon's rhythm guitar, played on his Rickenbacker 325 electric guitar (1958 ), Paul McCartney's Bass Hofner 500/1 (1963 ), George Harrison's lead guitar on his Gretsch 6122 ( " Country Gentleman " ) Ringo Starr and Ludwig drums. Already at this recording a nearly perfect close-harmony singing can be seen at the George Martin only needed to change the odd notes. A music critic for the Times characterized the song as follows:

" The transitions from tonic to submediant, from C major to A minor, and - to a lesser extent - the mediant jump (So when I Want to Hold Your Hand ) are a characteristic of the songs of Lennon / McCartney. "

German version

For the sales of Beatles records in Germany, EMI / Parlophone subsidiary was Electrola, namely their daughter Odeon label, responsible. The production manager Günter Ilgner of Electrola Germany was convinced that the Beatles would only be successful in Germany, if there was also a German -language version. After great resistance from the Beatles and George Martin German texts were hastily by Heinz Hellmer and Camillo rims ( under the pseudonym of Jean Nicolas, under which he also wrote, inter alia German texts for Connie Francis and Caterina Valente ) written with Otto Demler hastily rehearsed and laid on January 29, 1964 Paris recording studio Pathé Marconi over the original music tracks. Already on February 4, 1964 published the recordings as Come on, give me your hand / She loves you ( Odeon # 22671 ) and reached a fifth and seventh place on the German charts. Ultimately, the original English version was more successful.