Ain't She Sweet

Last updated
"Ain't She Sweet?"
Song by Gene Austin
B-side "What Do I Care What Somebody Said"
PublishedJanuary 17, 1927 (1927-01-17) by Ager, Yellen & Bornstein, Inc. [1] [2]
ReleasedMay 13, 1927
RecordedMarch 15, 1927
Studio Victor Studios, New York City
Genre Jazz, Pop Vocal
Label Victor 20568
Composer(s) Milton Ager
Lyricist(s) Jack Yellen
Gene Austin singles chronology
"Tonight You Belong to Me"
(1926)		"Ain't She Sweet?"
(1927)		"My Blue Heaven"
(1927)
Lillian Roth (1933)

"Ain't She Sweet" is a song composed by Milton Ager, with lyrics by Jack Yellen. It was published in 1927 by Ager, Yellen & Bornstein, Inc. [1] It became popular in the first half of the 20th century and typified the Roaring Twenties. Like "Happy Days Are Here Again" (1929), it became a Tin Pan Alley standard. Both Ager and Yellen were elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Contents

Milton Ager wrote "Ain't She Sweet" for his daughter Shana Ager, who in her adult life was known as the political commentator Shana Alexander. [3]

Recorded versions

"Ain't She Sweet" was also recorded by Fabian Forte, Hoosier Hot Shots, Ray Anthony, Nat King Cole, Tiny Hill, The Playboys, The Viscounts, and Frankie Lymon. The song was also covered in 1990 on the album Funk of Ages by Bernie Worrell and several former members of Parliament-Funkadelic.

Versions by the Beatles

"Ain't She Sweet"
Nobody's child.PNG
US picture sleeve
Single by the Beatles
B-side
Released29 May 1964 (1964-05-29) (UK)
  • 6 July 1964 (US)
Recorded22 or 24 June 1961 [nb 1]
Studio Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg [nb 2]
Genre Rock and roll
Length2:10
Label
Composer(s) Milton Ager
Lyricist(s) Jack Yellen
Producer(s) Bert Kaempfert
The Beatles UKsingles chronology
"Can't Buy Me Love"
(1964)		"Ain't She Sweet"
(1964)		"A Hard Day's Night"
(1964)
The Beatles USsingles chronology
"Sie liebt dich"
(1964)		"Ain't She Sweet"
(1964)		"A Hard Day's Night"
(1964)

The Beatles regularly performed the song live from 1957 to 1962. [6] [nb 3] According to Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn, "John [Lennon] may have known the song through his mother; he certainly knew it from Gene Vincent's 1956 recording on the LP Bluejean Bop! " [11] In The Beatles as Musicians, Walter Everett offers a similar assessment, writing simply that it was "based on Gene Vincent's record." [12] Musicologist and writer Ian MacDonald also agrees with this view. [13] Lewisohn further notes that, "John Lennon's vocal rendition was different from Vincent's, it would seem that he arranged his own unique version... He may have also been influenced by Duffy Power's 1959 version". [14] In the Beatles' Anthology book, McCartney recalls that "Songs like 'Till There Was You' and 'Ain't She Sweet' would be the late-night cabaret material. They showed that we weren't just another rock'n'roll group." [15] [nb 4]

Recording

On June 22 or 24, 1961, [nb 1] during their first professional recording session, the Beatles recorded a cover of "Ain't She Sweet". [12] [20] Recorded at the Friedrich-Ebert-Halle [nb 2] in Hamburg, Germany, produced by Bert Kaempfert and engineered by Karl Hinze, the session saw the Beatles backing Tony Sheridan. [19] George Harrison later recalled that the group misunderstood the purpose of the recording session and only learned upon arrival that they would be backing Sheridan. [24] Harrison further added, "It was a bit disappointing because we'd been hoping to get a record deal as ourselves." [25] "Ain't She Sweet" was one of two songs recorded without Sheridan [nb 5] with Lennon instead on lead vocal. [12] [19] In 1968, Lennon reflected, "We thought it would be easy: the Germans had such shitty records, ours was bound to be better." [27] MacDonald surmised that the Beatles decided to record a cover to save their stronger originals, such as McCartney's "Like Dreamers Do" and Lennon's "Hello Little Girl". [28]

In a 1975 radio interview, Lennon explained that Gene Vincent's cover was "very mellow and very high pitched, and I used to do it like that, but they said harder, harder—you know, Germans all want it a bit more like a march—so we ended up doing a harder version of it." [29] Lewisohn remarks that Lennon "gives it a good and powerful go, but there's a strange timbre to his voice, as if he was suffering from 'Hamburg throat' while also straining to deliver Kaempfert's brittle sound on a song that didn't suit it." [29] Everett describes Lennon's singing style as "very detached, slightly hiccuping" [12] and notes his use of a mordent for emphasis. [12] Lewisohn further evaluated that Pete Best's drumming "lacks imagination" [29] and McCartney's "bass is accomplished." [29] Harrison's guitar solo "judged even in its place and time... wasn't good." [29] Everett comments that, "as a whole, these recordings are hardly representative of the future Beatles." [12] MacDonald judges it similarly, writing, "...it ["Ain't She Sweet"] made little sense as a choice for the Beatles' first professional recording and fails to reward attention in hindsight." [13] In The Cambridge Companion to the Beatles, Howard Kramer writes that the session was "musically unspectacular" and "the Beatles' instrumental backing shows competence, but little more." [30]

Release

After the session, the Beatles expected that a single of "Ain't She Sweet" b/w "Beatle Bop" would be released in America, Germany and Britain in the weeks that followed. [31] It was not until October 23, 1961 that a single was released in West Germany exclusively, except it was instead "My Bonnie" b/w "The Saints", credited as "Tony Sheridan & The Beat Brothers". [32] [nb 6] The Liverpool music newspaper Mersey Beat reported that the Beatles were dissatisfied with "Ain't She Sweet" and "Cry For A Shadow" and so sold their rights back to Kaempfert's company, Bert Kaempfert Produktion (BKP). [34] Polydor's first worldwide release of "Ain't She Sweet" was on the February 1964 French EP, Les Beatles  [ fr ]. [35] Polydor released it in the U.K. as a single on May 29, 1964 b/w "If You Love Me, Baby", a mistitling of the Jimmy Reed song "Take Out Some Insurance". On July 6, 1964 ATCO Records released the track as a single in America b/w the Hank Snow song "Nobody's Child". [36] In August 1964, the song peaked at number 19 on the US Billboard Hot 100. [37] In Sweden, it reached number 4 on Sweden's Kvällstoppen Chart and also reached the top spot on the Tio i Topp chart. [38] [39] It was the highest-charting Beatles single with original drummer Pete Best.[ citation needed ] The Beatles were neither paid nor owed royalty payments for the release. [34] The track has been included on several releases, including Ain't She Sweet (1964), [36] [40] The Beatles' First (1964) [41] and In the Beginning (Circa 1960) (1970). [42] The Beatles included the recording on the 1995 compilation album Anthology 1 . [19] [43]

On 24 July 1969 during a recording session for "Sun King"/"Mean Mr. Mustard", Lennon began an impromptu jam of "Ain't She Sweet" along with the other Gene Vincent songs, "Who Slapped John?" and "Be-Bop-a-Lula". [44] Lewisohn remarked that this version was more in the style of Gene Vincent than the Beatles' original 1961 version. [45] The Beatles included this version of "Ain't She Sweet" on the 1996 compilation album Anthology 3 . [6] [45]

Personnel

According to Ian MacDonald: [19]

The Beatles

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (1964)Peak
position
Australia (Kent) [46] 16
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [47] 20
Denmark (Salgshitlisterne Top 20) [48] 7
Sweden (Kvällstoppen) [38] 4
Sweden ( Tio i Topp ) [39] 1
UK Singles (OCC) [49] 29
US Billboard Hot 100 [50] 19

Film appearances

TV appearances

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 Walter Everett dates the session as June 22–24 [12] and "Ain't She Sweet" in particular as the 24th. [17]
    Ian MacDonald dates the session as "June 22–23(?)" [18] and the song as the 22nd. [19]
    Mark Lewisohn dates the entire session as the 22nd, but offers the possibility of the 23rd. [20] He writes, "No document survives to detail the start/finish times, the order of work, number of required takes, and whether the session took place over one day or two—most likely it was one, and personal recollections refer to it that way, but some papers show it as two, June 22 and 23." [21] He also writes, "The recording of seven titles was easily achievable in one session so perhaps the second date was solely for editing, without Sheridan and the Beatles present." [22]
    Audio expert Richard Moore notes that some of the songs recorded have a different "stereo picture", suggesting an alternate set-up across sessions or replacement equipment being brought in to a session. [23]
  2. 1 2 Mark Lewisohn and Ian MacDonald both cite Friedrich-Ebert-Halle as the recording location. [19] [20] Walter Everett writes the recordings were split between Friedrich-Ebert-Halle on June 22–23 and the adjoining orchestral hall Studio Ralstedt on June 24. [12] He writes "Ain't She Sweet" was recorded on June 24. [17]
  3. ↑ In an early 1960 letter Paul McCartney wrote to get a booking, he mentions "Ain't She Sweet" as a staple of The Quarrymen's act, amongst other numbers. [7] They possibly played the song in a July 1960 show. [8] A setlist of songs written in one of Stuart Sutcliffe's 1960 art sketchbooks includes the song. [9] A setlist from August 1962 includes the song with Lennon on lead vocal. [10]
  4. ↑ McCartney further recalled, "The gigs went up in stature and though the pay went up only a little bit, it did go up. We were now playing better places. We would still do our rock act, though we wouldn't get decent money for any gig apart from cabaret. I could pull out 'Till There Was You' or 'A Taste of Honey'—the more cabaret things—and John would sing 'Over the Rainbow' and 'Ain't She Sweet'. These did have cred for us because they were on a Gene Vincent album and we didn't realise 'Rainbow' was a Judy Garland number; we thought it was Gene Vincent, so we were happy to do it." [16]
  5. ↑ The other being the instrumental "Cry for a Shadow", [12] originally titled "Beatle Bop". [26]
  6. ↑ McCartney later recalled: "They didn't like our name and said, 'Change to The Beat Brothers; this is more understandable for the German audience.'" [25] In his memoir, Pete Best claims the name was changed because "Beatles" was too close to a Hamburg slang term for male genitalia. [33]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Beatles</i> (album) 1968 studio album by the Beatles

The Beatles, also referred to colloquially as the White Album, is the ninth studio album and only double album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 22 November 1968. Featuring a plain white sleeve, the cover contains no graphics or text other than the band's name embossed. This was intended as a direct contrast to the vivid cover artwork of the band's previous LP, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967). The Beatles is recognised for its fragmentary style and diverse range of genres, including folk, country rock, British blues, ska, music hall, proto-metal and the avant-garde. It has since been viewed by some critics as a postmodern work, as well as one of the greatest albums of all time. The album was the band's first LP release on their then-recently founded Apple Records after previous albums were released on Parlophone in the United Kingdom and Capitol Records in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Me Do</span> 1962 single by the Beatles

"Love Me Do" is the debut single by the English rock band the Beatles, backed by "P.S. I Love You". When the single was originally released in the United Kingdom on 5 October 1962, it peaked at number 17. It was released in the United States in 1964 and topped the nation's song chart. Re-released in 1982 as part of EMI's Beatles 20th anniversary, it re-entered the UK charts and peaked at number 4. "Love Me Do" also topped the charts in Australia and New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">What Goes On (Beatles song)</span> 1965 single by the Beatles

"What Goes On" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, featured as the eighth track on their 1965 album Rubber Soul. The song was later released as the B-side of the US single "Nowhere Man", and then as the tenth track on the North America-only album Yesterday and Today. It is the only song by the band credited to Lennon–McCartney–Starkey and the only song on Rubber Soul that features Ringo Starr on lead vocals. The song reached number 81 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1966.

<i>My Bonnie</i> 1962 studio album / live album by Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers

My Bonnie is a 1962 album by English rock and roll singer-songwriter and musician Tony Sheridan. Sheridan, then playing in clubs in Hamburg with the Beatles, was discovered by producer Bert Kaempfert and subsequently signed with him to record for Polydor. Sheridan recorded several songs with the Beatles, of which only a single was released in 1961, the titular "My Bonnie" and B-side "The Saints", credited to Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers. While both songs are included here, the remaining tracks on this album were credited again to the Beat Brothers but recorded without the Beatles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drive My Car (song)</span> 1965 song by the Beatles

"Drive My Car" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written primarily by Paul McCartney, with lyrical contributions from John Lennon. It was first released on the band's 1965 album Rubber Soul as the opening track. The song later appeared in North America on the Yesterday and Today collection, again to open the record, as the track had been dropped from the American version of Rubber Soul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Never Give Me Your Money</span> 1969 song by the Beatles

"You Never Give Me Your Money" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It was written by Paul McCartney, and thematically documents the personal difficulties that were facing the band. The song is the first part of the medley on side two of their 1969 album Abbey Road and was recorded in stages between May and August that year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You're Going to Lose That Girl</span> 1965 song by the Beatles

"You're Going to Lose That Girl" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1965 album and film Help! Credited to the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership, the song was mostly written by John Lennon with contributions from Paul McCartney.

"Mr. Moonlight" is a song written by Roy Lee Johnson and recorded by Dr. Feelgood and the Interns in 1962. The song was covered by the Beatles on their 1964 albums Beatles for Sale and Beatles '65.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matchbox (song)</span> Original song written and composed by Carl Perkins

"Matchbox" is a song written and recorded by Carl Perkins and released in 1957. Blind Lemon Jefferson wrote and recorded a song entitled "Match Box Blues" in 1927, which is musically different but which contains some lyric phrases in common.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">She's a Woman</span> 1964 single by the Beatles

"She's a Woman" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was released on a non-album single in November 1964 as the B-side to "I Feel Fine", except in North America, where it also appeared on the album Beatles '65, released in December 1964. Though it was the B-side, it charted in the US, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number eight on the Cash Box Top 100. The song originated in McCartney's attempt to write a song in the style of Little Richard. The lyrics include the first reference to drugs in a Beatles song, with the line "turn(s) me on" referring to marijuana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">In Spite of All the Danger</span> 1995 song by the Quarrymen

"In Spite of All the Danger" is the first song recorded by the Quarrymen, then consisting of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, pianist John Lowe, and drummer Colin Hanton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cry for a Shadow</span> 1964 single by the Beatles

"Cry for a Shadow" is an instrumental rock piece recorded by the Beatles on 22 June 1961. They recorded the song at Friedrich-Ebert-Halle within the gymnasium, Hamburg, West Germany while they were performing as Tony Sheridan's backing band for a few tracks, under the moniker the Beat Brothers. It was written by George Harrison with John Lennon, as a pastiche of the Shadows' style. It is the only Beatles track to be credited to Lennon and Harrison alone.

<i>Aint She Sweet</i> (album) 1964 compilation album by The Beatles featuring Tony Sheridan and The Swallows

Ain't She Sweet was an American compilation album featuring four tracks recorded in Hamburg by The Beatles in 1961 and 1962. Cover versions of Beatles and British Invasion-era songs recorded by the Swallows complete the tracklist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kansas City (Leiber and Stoller song)</span> 1952 song by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller

"Kansas City" is a rhythm and blues song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller in 1952. First recorded by Little Willie Littlefield the same year, as "K. C. Loving", the song later became a chart-topping hit when it was recorded by Wilbert Harrison in 1959. "Kansas City" is one of Leiber and Stoller's "most recorded tunes, with more than three hundred versions", with several appearing in the R&B and pop record charts.

<i>The Beatles First</i> 1964 compilation album by the Beatles featuring Tony Sheridan

The Beatles' First! is a German compilation album of songs recorded in Hamburg in 1961 and 1962 by Tony Sheridan with the Beatles as his backing group. It was originally released in 1964 in Germany, then issued in 1967 in England, 1969 in Canada and finally in the United States in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christmas Time (Is Here Again)</span> 1967 song by the Beatles

"Christmas Time (Is Here Again)" is a Christmas song by the English rock band the Beatles, originally recorded for their fifth fan club Christmas record, Christmas Time Is Here Again! (1967). One of the few Beatles songs credited to all four members of the band, it consists of a blues based backing track as well as double-tracked vocals sung by them, George Martin and Victor Spinetti. The lyrics are mostly made up of the song's title refrain, repeated across nine verses.

"Hello Little Girl" is one of the first songs written by John Lennon, credited to the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership. Written in 1957, it was used as one of the songs at the Beatles unsuccessful Decca audition in 1962, included on the 1995 compilation album Anthology 1. A 1960 home demo recording has never been officially released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Take Out Some Insurance</span>

"Take Out Some Insurance" is a blues song released in 1959 by Jimmy Reed written by Charles Singleton and Waldenese Hall but originally credited to Jesse Stone. The copyright registration for the song lists its title as "Take Out Some Insurance on Me, Baby".. Tony Sheridan recorded it with different lyrics in 1961 with The Beatles as his backing band. Misidentified, it was released in Germany in 1964 as "If You Love Me, Baby " but subsequently as "Take Out Some Insurance on Me, Baby ", "Take Out Some Insurance on Me, Baby" or erroneously as "If You Love Me, Baby".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Komm, gib mir deine Hand / Sie liebt dich</span> 1964 single by the Beatles

"Komm, gib mir deine Hand" and "Sie liebt dich" are German-language versions of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You", respectively, by the English rock band the Beatles. Both John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote the original English songs, credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership, while Camillo Felgen wrote the translated German lyrics. Felgen is credited under several of his pen names. In places, his translations take major liberties with the original lyrics. Odeon Records released the German versions together as a non-album single in West Germany in March 1964. Swan Records released "Sie liebt dich", along with the original "She Loves You" B-side "I'll Get You", as a single in the United States in May 1964. Capitol included "Komm, gib mir deine Hand" as the closing track of the 1964 North American-only album Something New.

"Thinking of Linking" is one of the first songs written by English musician Paul McCartney. Inspired by a cinema advertisement for Link Furniture, McCartney composed the song in 1958. The lyric consists of only three lines, while the music is influenced by the sound of Buddy Holly and the Crickets, particularly the song "Peggy Sue Got Married".

References

  1. 1 2 Library of Congress. Copyright Office. (1927). Catalog of Copyright Entries, 1927 Music For the Year 1927 New Series Vol 22 Part 3. United States Copyright Office. U.S. Govt. Print. Off.
  2. ↑ "Milton Ager". Songwriters Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
  3. ↑ Songfacts. "'Ain't She Sweet' by The Beatles". Songfacts. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
  4. ↑ "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Frank Sinatra Discography". jazzdiscography.com. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  6. 1 2 MacDonald 2005, p. 48n1.
  7. ↑ Lewisohn 2013a, pp. 236–237.
  8. ↑ Lewisohn 2013b, p. 673.
  9. ↑ Lewisohn 2013b, p. 694.
  10. ↑ Lewisohn 2013b, p. 1276.
  11. ↑ Lewisohn 2013b, p. 553n.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Everett 2001, p. 95.
  13. 1 2 MacDonald 2005, p. 48.
  14. ↑ Lewisohn 1992, p. 365.
  15. ↑ The Beatles 2000, p. 68.
  16. ↑ The Beatles 2000, p. 67.
  17. 1 2 Everett 2001, p. 376n101.
  18. ↑ MacDonald 2005, p. 401.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 MacDonald 2005, p. 47.
  20. 1 2 3 Lewisohn 2013a, p. 446.
  21. ↑ Lewisohn 2013a, p. 447.
  22. ↑ Lewisohn 2013b, p. 1542n77.
  23. ↑ Gottfridsson (1997), quoted in Lewisohn (2013b), p. 1542n77
  24. ↑ MacDonald 2005, p. 47n1.
  25. 1 2 The Beatles 2000, p. 59.
  26. ↑ Lewisohn 2013a, p. 450.
  27. ↑ Davies (1968) , p. 107, quoted in Lewisohn (2013a) , p. 449, 844n53
  28. ↑ MacDonald 2005, pp. 47, 47n1.
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 Lewisohn 2013a, p. 449.
  30. ↑ Kramer 2009, p. 65.
  31. ↑ Lewisohn 2013a, p. 450, 844n55.
  32. ↑ Lewisohn 2013a, p. 493.
  33. ↑ Best & Doncaster 1985, p. 107, quoted in Ingham & Mitsui 1987, p. 273
  34. 1 2 Lewisohn 2013b, p. 916.
  35. ↑ Everett 2001, p. 100.
  36. 1 2 Everett 2001, p. 214.
  37. ↑ "The Beatles Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard . Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  38. 1 2 Hallberg, Eric (1993). Eric Hallberg presenterar Kvällstoppen i P 3: Sveriges radios topplista över veckans 20 mest sålda skivor 10. 7. 1962 - 19. 8. 1975. Drift Musik. p. 130. ISBN   9163021404.
  39. 1 2 Hallberg, Eric; Henningsson, Ulf (1998). Eric Hallberg, Ulf Henningsson presenterar Tio i topp med de utslagna på försök: 1961 - 74. Premium Publishing. p. 53. ISBN   919727125X.
  40. ↑ Ruhlmann, William. "Ain't She Sweet - The Beatles". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  41. ↑ Eder, Bruce. "The Beatles' First - The Beatles". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  42. ↑ Unterberger, Richie. "In the Beginning - Tony Sheridan & the Beat Brothers". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  43. ↑ Everett 2001, p. 376n101, 378n29.
  44. ↑ Lewisohn 1988, p. 182.
  45. 1 2 Lewisohn 2013a, p. 844n53.
  46. ↑ Kent, David (2009). Australian Chart Book: Australian Chart Chronicles (1940–2008). Turramurra: Australian Chart Book. p. 206. ISBN   9780646512037.
  47. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4713." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  48. ↑ "The Beatles - Salgshitlisterne Top 20". Danske Hitlister. Archived from the original on 2013-11-04. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
  49. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  50. ↑ "The Beatles Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  51. ↑ John King, Sheila Whitaker, Rosa Bosch. An Argentine Passion: Maria Luisa Bemberg and Her Films. 2000. p.129-130

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.