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Released in 1963

There's A Place

Written by Lennon - McCartney

Last updated on May 21, 2021

Album This song officially appears on the Please Please Me (Mono) LP.

Timeline This song was officially released in 1963

Master album

Related sessions

This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:

From Wikipedia:

“There’s a Place” is a song co-written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and was first released as a track on the Beatles’ debut LP, Please Please Me. Lennon and McCartney share lead vocals, with George Harrison providing backing vocals.

Origins

The title was inspired by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim’s “Somewhere” from West Side Story, which contained the line: “There’s a place for us.” McCartney owned the album of the soundtrack at the time of writing “There’s a Place” and acknowledges its influence. The “place” in question was “the mind“, making its subject matter slightly more cerebral than Britain’s kissing and cuddling songs and America’s surf music from that period. Lennon is quoted as saying: “‘There’s a Place’ was my attempt at a sort of Motown, black thing. It says: ‘In my mind there’s no sorrow…’ It’s all in your mind.” Paul McCartney: “In our case the place was in the mind, rather than round the back of the stairs for a kiss and a cuddle. This was the difference with what we were writing: we were getting a bit more cerebral. We both sang it. I took the high harmony, John took the lower harmony or melody. This was a nice thing because we didn’t actually have to decide where the melody was till later when they boringly had to write it down for sheet music.” (Barry Miles. Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now).

Composed at McCartney’s Forthlin Road home, it was part of the group’s stage repertoire in 1963. With its major seventh harmonica intro (later reprised) and searing two-part vocal harmonies in fifths (Lennon low, McCartney high), it stands out as an early Beatles milestone track. The song was recorded on 11 February 1963 in 10 takes during the first of three sessions for Please Please Me. It was later overdubbed with a hamonica in 3 takes.

The song was officially credited to “McCartney–Lennon”, as were all other Lennon–McCartney compositions on the original UK release of Please Please Me.

From The Usenet Guide to Beatles Recording Variations:

[a] mono 25 Feb 1963.
UK: Parlophone PMC 1202 Please Please Me 1963.
US: Vee Jay VJLP 1062 Introducing 1963, Tollie 9001 single 1964.
CD: EMI CDP 7 46435 2 Please Please Me 1987.

[b] stereo 25 Feb 1963.
UK: Parlophone PCS 3042 Please Please Me 1963.
US: Vee Jay VJSR 1062 Introducing 1963.

[b1] stereo remixed from [b] ?1980, by Capitol.
US: Capitol SHAL-12060 Rarities 1980, Capitol B5624 single 1986.

The remix [b1] has the left, instrumental channel relatively louder.

Lyrics

There is a place

Where I can go

When I feel low

When I feel blue

And it's my mind

And there's no time when I'm alone

I think of you

And things you do

Go 'round my head

The things you said

Like "I love only you"

In my mind there's no sorrow

Don't you know that it's so

There'll be no sad tomorrow

Don't you know that it's so

There is a place

Where I can go

When I feel low

When I feel blue

And it's my mind

And there's no time when I'm alone

There's a place

Officially appears on

See all official recordings containing “There's A Place”

Bootlegs

See all bootlegs containing “There's A Place”

Live performances

“There's A Place” has been played in 3 concerts.

Latest concerts where “There's A Place” has been played

Going further

Paul McCartney writing

Talk more talk, chat more chat

Notice any inaccuracies on this page? Have additional insights or ideas for new content? Or just want to share your thoughts? We value your feedback! Please use the form below to get in touch with us.

Cornbread Haynes • 7 years ago

Wrong lyrics, mate -- those are for "In My Life!"

The PaulMcCartney Project • 7 years ago

Oops - this is now fixed; thank you very much to have spotted the issue, Cornbread !

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