- Album This song officially appears on the With the Beatles (Mono) LP.
Related sessions
This song has been recorded during the following studio sessions
"Please Please Me" album session #1
Feb 11, 1963
Sep 12, 1963
Sep 30, 1963
Oct 23, 1963
Oct 29, 1963
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Song facts
From Wikipedia:
“Hold Me Tight” is a song by the Beatles from their 1963 album With the Beatles. It was first recorded during the Please Please Me album session, but not selected for inclusion and re-recorded for their second album.
History
“Hold Me Tight” was composed principally by Paul McCartney in 1961, and was part of the Beatles’ stage act until 1963. They attempted to record it for their début Please Please Me but the thirteen takes recorded were deemed unsatisfactory, and the tape was destroyed. Seven months later, they recorded a further nine takes, and the final version is an edit of the sixth and ninth takes from the second attempt, varispeeded up a semitone to F major.
Both McCartney and John Lennon, at one time or another, shared their distaste for the song, and in a 1980s interview with Mark Lewisohn, McCartney says, “I can’t remember much about that one. Certain songs were just ‘work’ songs, you haven’t got much memory of them. That’s one of them.” In Barry Miles’ Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now, the songwriter calls it “a failed attempt at a single which then became an acceptable album filler.” Lennon in 1980 said “That was Paul’s….It was a pretty poor song and I was never really interested in it.”
In their book The Beatles: An Illustrated Record, Roy Carr and Tony Tyler call it the album’s poorest track, saying it “fails because McCartney’s vision of the complete tune obviously sagged somewhat.” They also claim that McCartney’s singing was “out of tune“.
However, Ian MacDonald redeems it in his book Revolution in the Head, in which he writes: “Play it loud with the bass boosted, and you have an overwhelming motoric rocker strongly redolent of the band’s live sound.”
McCartney wrote a different song called “Hold Me Tight” for a medley included on the 1973 Wings album Red Rose Speedway. […]
From The Usenet Guide to Beatles Recording Variations:
- [a] mono 23 Oct 1963. edited.
UK: Parlophone PMC 1206 With the Beatles 1963.
CD: EMI CDP 7 46436 2 With the Beatles 1987.- [b] stereo 29 Oct 1963. edited.
UK: Parlophone PCS 3045 With the Beatles 1963.- [b1] stereo remixed from [b] 1963, by Capitol.
US: Capitol ST 2047 Meet the Beatles 1964.- [b2] mono made from [b] 1963, by Capitol.
US: Capitol T 2047 Meet the Beatles 1964.Lewisohn reports two takes are edited together, and from evidence of bootlegged tapes, the two are both complete takes of a 2d generation overdub onto the same earlier take. In stereo [b], “you you you” at the end has a harmony vocal missing in mono [a], so there was at least one difference in the editing.
Last updated on February 9, 2016
Lyrics
It feels so right now, hold me tight,
Tell me I'm the only one,
And then I might,
Never be the lonely one.
So hold me tight, to-night, to-night,
It's you, you you you, oh, oh, oh, oh.
Hold me tight,
Let me go on loving you,
To-night to-night,
Making love to only you,
So hold me tight, to-night, to-night,
It's you, you you you, oh, oh, oh, oh.
Don't know what it means to hold you tight,
Being here alone tonight with you,
It feels so right now.
Hold me tight,
Tell me I'm the only one,
And then I might,
Never be the lonely one,
So hold me tight, to-night, to-night,
It's you, you you you, oh, oh, oh, oh.
Don't know what it means to hold you tight,
Being here alone tonight with you,
It feels so right now.
Hold me tight,
Let me go on loving you,
To-night, to-night,
Making love to only you,
So hold me tight, to-night, to-night,
It's you, you you you, oh, oh, oh, oh.
You oh oh
Officially appears on
LP • Released in 1963
2:32 • Studio version • B • Stereo
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass, Handclaps, Vocals
- Ringo Starr :
- Drums, Handclaps
- John Lennon :
- Backing vocals, Handclaps, Rhythm guitar
- George Harrison :
- Backing vocals, Handclaps, Lead guitar
- George Martin :
- Producer
- Norman Smith :
- Recording engineer
- Session Recording:
- Sep 12, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- Sep 30, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 29, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road
LP • Released in 1963
2:32 • Studio version • A • Mono
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass, Handclaps, Vocals
- Ringo Starr :
- Drums, Handclaps
- John Lennon :
- Backing vocals, Handclaps, Rhythm guitar
- George Harrison :
- Backing vocals, Handclaps, Lead guitar
- George Martin :
- Producer
- Norman Smith :
- Recording engineer
- Session Recording:
- Sep 12, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- Sep 30, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 23, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Official album • Released in 1964
2:33 • Studio version • B2 • Mono • Mono made from [B] by Capitol
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass, Handclaps, Vocals
- Ringo Starr :
- Drums, Handclaps
- John Lennon :
- Backing vocals, Handclaps, Rhythm guitar
- George Harrison :
- Backing vocals, Handclaps, Lead guitar
- George Martin :
- Producer
- Norman Smith :
- Recording engineer
- Session Recording:
- Sep 12, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- Sep 30, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
- Session Recording:
- Oct 29, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road
Official album • Released in 1964
2:34 • Studio version • B1 • Stereo • Stereo remixed from [B] by Capitol
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass, Handclaps, Vocals
- Ringo Starr :
- Drums, Handclaps
- John Lennon :
- Backing vocals, Handclaps, Rhythm guitar
- George Harrison :
- Backing vocals, Handclaps, Lead guitar
- George Martin :
- Producer
- Norman Smith :
- Recording engineer
- Session Recording:
- Sep 12, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- Sep 30, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
- Session Recording:
- Oct 29, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road
Meet the Beatles! (2004 remaster)
Official album • Released in 2004
2:33 • Studio version • B2.2004 • Mono • 2004 remaster
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass, Handclaps, Vocals
- Ringo Starr :
- Drums, Handclaps
- John Lennon :
- Backing vocals, Handclaps, Rhythm guitar
- George Harrison :
- Backing vocals, Handclaps, Lead guitar
- George Martin :
- Producer
- Norman Smith :
- Recording engineer
- Ted Jensen :
- Remastering
- Session Recording:
- Sep 12, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- Sep 30, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
- Session Recording:
- Oct 29, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road
Meet the Beatles! (2004 remaster)
Official album • Released in 2004
2:34 • Studio version • B1.2004 • Stereo • 2004 remaster
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass, Handclaps, Vocals
- Ringo Starr :
- Drums, Handclaps
- John Lennon :
- Backing vocals, Handclaps, Rhythm guitar
- George Harrison :
- Backing vocals, Handclaps, Lead guitar
- George Martin :
- Producer
- Norman Smith :
- Recording engineer
- Ted Jensen :
- Remastering
- Session Recording:
- Sep 12, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- Sep 30, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
- Session Recording:
- Oct 29, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road
With the Beatles (Mono - 2009 remaster)
Official album • Released in 2009
2:32 • Studio version • A2009 • Mono • 2009 mono remaster
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass, Handclaps, Vocals
- Ringo Starr :
- Drums, Handclaps
- John Lennon :
- Backing vocals, Handclaps, Rhythm guitar
- George Harrison :
- Backing vocals, Handclaps, Lead guitar
- George Martin :
- Producer
- Norman Smith :
- Recording engineer
- Paul Hicks :
- Remastering
- Guy Massey :
- Remastering
- Steve Rooke :
- Remastering
- Allan Rouse :
- Project co-ordinator
- Session Recording:
- Sep 12, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- Sep 30, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 23, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
With the Beatles (Stereo - 2009 remaster)
Official album • Released in 2009
2:32 • Studio version • B2009 • Stereo • 2009 stereo remaster
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass, Handclaps, Vocals
- Ringo Starr :
- Drums, Handclaps
- John Lennon :
- Backing vocals, Handclaps, Rhythm guitar
- George Harrison :
- Backing vocals, Handclaps, Lead guitar
- George Martin :
- Producer
- Norman Smith :
- Recording engineer
- Guy Massey :
- Remastering
- Steve Rooke :
- Remastering
- Sam Okell :
- Remastering
- Allan Rouse :
- Project co-ordinator
- Session Recording:
- Sep 12, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- Sep 30, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 29, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road
Official album • Released in 2013
2:42 • Outtake • C • Take 21
- Session Recording:
- Sep 12, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Meet the Beatles! (2014 reissue)
Official album • Released in 2014
2:32 • Studio version • A2009 • Mono • 2009 mono remaster
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass, Handclaps, Vocals
- Ringo Starr :
- Drums, Handclaps
- John Lennon :
- Backing vocals, Handclaps, Rhythm guitar
- George Harrison :
- Backing vocals, Handclaps, Lead guitar
- George Martin :
- Producer
- Norman Smith :
- Recording engineer
- Paul Hicks :
- Remastering
- Guy Massey :
- Remastering
- Steve Rooke :
- Remastering
- Allan Rouse :
- Project co-ordinator
- Session Recording:
- Sep 12, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- Sep 30, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 23, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Bootlegs
Unsurpassed Masters Vol. 1 (1962-1963)
Unofficial album • Released in 1989
3:59 • Outtake • Take 22, 23, 24
- Session Recording:
- Sep 12, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Unsurpassed Masters Vol. 7 (1962-1969)
Unofficial album • Released in 1991
3:00 • Outtake • Take 25 & 26
- Session Recording:
- Sep 12, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
With The Beatles - Studio Sessions - Back To Basics
Unofficial album • Released in 2011
0:37 • Outtake • Stereo • Studio Chat and Warm-up
- Session Recording:
- Sep 12, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
With The Beatles - Studio Sessions - Back To Basics
Unofficial album • Released in 2011
0:27 • Outtake • Stereo • Take 20 remake
- Session Recording:
- Sep 12, 1963
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Live performances
Paul McCartney has never played this song in concert.
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