Shake A Hand

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.

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 the liner notes of “Run Devil Run“

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.

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

Lyrics

Officially appears on

Bootlegs

Live performances

“Shake A Hand” has been played in 1 concerts.

Latest concerts where “Shake A Hand” has been played

Going further

Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 2) 1990-2012

This new book by Luca Perasi traces Paul McCartney's post-Beatles output from 1990 to 2012 in the form of 250 song entries, filled with details about the recordings, stories behind the sessions and musical analysis. His pop albums, his forays into classical and avant-garde music, his penchant for covering old standards: a complete book to discover how these languages cross-pollinate and influence each other.The second volume in a series that has established itself as a unique guide to take the reader on a journey into the astonishing creativity of Paul McCartney.Read our exclusive interview with Luca Perasi

Buy on Amazon