Shake A Hand

Song facts

From Wikipedia:

“Shake a Hand” is a 1953 single written by trumpeter and bandleader Joe Morris and originally performed by Faye Adams, whose version hit number one on the R&B chart for nine weeks. The song, which has a strong gospel feel throughout, depicts a reassuring new lover making promises. “Just give me a chance, I’ll take care of everything.“

Paul McCartney released a cover of “Shake a Hand” in his 1999 “Run Devil Run” album. From the liner notes of the album:

Paul was always a big Little Richard fan, he can be hard on The Beatles At The BBC letting rip on Lucille and Ooh! My Soul. “I have this image of being in Hamburg; there was one bar that had a pool table and a great jukebox. And that was the only place I ever heard Shake A Hand. Every time we went there, I put it on. I never had the record, but I know I wanted to do it. It always takes me back to that bar.”

From an interview with Laura Gross (promotional interview for “Run Devil Run” in 1999):

Paul McCartney: There was one jukebox in Hamburg, when we were working in Hamburg with the Beatles, that a few of the guys used to go to. This pool hall, I think it was, a pool table there. And there was one jukebox there, that had a couple of records there the other jukeboxes didn’t have. So you’d visit that jukebox. There was one where we never went, but it had Now Or Never by Elvis. So you had to visit. You couldn’t buy the records. You had to go to the jukebox and get the words. Sitting there and putting it on in, in a bar, you know. So there was this one and it had Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by the Platters, which was gorgeous, love that, but my favourite on that jukebox was Shake A Hand by Little Richard. And I never had the record, I haven’t to this day, I haven’t got the record. But I remembered it. And I just thought, I love that so much, I love to do that one. So we did it, and it’s kind of, it’s like a gospelly song. So I did that pretty much like Richard did it. He taught me everything I knew. Paul, you know I taught you everything. It’s true, it’s true, Richard.

Last updated on September 20, 2016

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