The Beatles - Anna (Go To Him) (2009 Mono Remaster)

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Released: March 22, 1963 (mono), April 26, 1963 (stereo)
Recorded: February 11, 1963
Genre: Soul
Length: 2:54
Label: Parlophone
Writer: Arthur Alexander
Producer: George Martin
John Lennon: lead vocal, acoustic rhythm guitar
Paul McCartney: backing vocal, bass
George Harrison: backing vocal, lead guitar
Ringo Starr: drums
Norman Smith: engineer
Personnel for studio album version per MacDonald

"Anna (Go to Him)" is a song written and originally performed by Arthur Alexander. His version was released as a single by Dot Records on September 17, 1962. A cover version was performed by The Beatles and included on their 1963 debut album Please Please Me.

BACKGROUND
According to Richie Unterberger, music critic for Allmusic:
"'Anna' was one of the great early soul ballads, even if its loping groove was closer to a midtempo than a slow ballad. Like several of Alexander's songs, it would come to be more famous in its cover version than through its original release. And it was actually a small hit when it first came out in 1962, getting to #68 in the pop charts and #10 in the R&B listings."
Despite the title, throughout the song the lyric is "go with him" rather than "go to him".
A 1991 episode of the US comedy Married...with Children entitled "Oldies but Young 'uns" was devoted to Al Bundy trying to remember the name of "Anna (Go to Him)". Only after hearing the song on the radio does he recall the chorus' lyrics as he spends the first half of the episode humming the chorus' melody "hmm hmm him". When Al hears the song playing on the record store Jukebox he finally recalls the songs name and calls it out. The Beatles version of the song plays over the episode's closing titles, instead of the show's regular theme except on the DVD release.

THE BEATLES VERSION
A personal favourite of John Lennon, it became part of the The Beatles' early repertoire and was consequently recorded by them for their 1963 debut album, Please Please Me. In the U.S., Vee Jay Records released it on Introducing... The Beatles (January 10, 1964) and Capitol Records re-released it on The Early Beatles (March 22, 1965). Vee Jay also released "Anna (Go to Him)" on the EP Souvenir of Their Visit: The Beatles in the U.S.
The Beatles recorded the song on 11 February 1963 in three takes; the master take was number 3. It was remixed on 25 February. George Harrison played the distinctive phrase on guitar; Floyd Cramer played it on piano for the original.
Unterberger praised The Beatles' version in his review, saying:
"Ringo Starr faithfully [replicates] the unusual drum rhythm and high-hat crunches. Lennon's vocal, however, added a tortured pain not present in Alexander's model, particularly when he wailed in his upper register at the conclusion of the bridges. The Beatles' backup harmony vocals, in addition, were superb, and more effective [than on Alexander's version]."
Music critic Ian MacDonald had a different view of Lennon's vocal, saying it sounded like "a passionate youth grappling with a man's song."
The Beatles recorded "Anna (Go to Him)" on 17 June 1963 for the BBC radio show Pop Go The Beatles. The show was broadcast on 25 June. They recorded it once again on 1 August 1963 for the show broadcast on 25 August.
As noted in many references including Mark Lewisohn's The Beatles Recording Sessions, Lennon had a bad cold which accounts for his very rough, almost strange tone he demonstrates on all his vocals during this historic session, including the last song, "Twist and Shout".

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[patric1127]

loved this since I 1st heard it in high school when it came out in the early 60's - George sings, right?

[TheOneBeatleManiac]

patric1127, it's John in the lead, Paul & George in back vocals.

[MISTALARES]

Why did the beatles get credit for singing songs of others?? Arthur Alexander sang this song Anna in 1962.

[TheOneBeatleManiac]

MISTALARES, They did a cover of the song. And the writer is the original Arthur Alexander, not Lennon-McCartney. Not all the songs on the album says Lennon-McCartney.

[liverpoolishgirl]

@MISTALARES Ridiculous... cover versions were the usual way songs were recorded and heard for the most part until Buddy Holly to some extent and then the Bs themselves, much later. So if someone could write but couldn't sing, their songs should be lost? Is that your point? Elvis didn't write/couldn't write... should we not listen to his music???

[TheOneBeatleManiac]

liverpoolishgirl, that's a good point. Thriller, it was not written by Michael Jackson.

[MrWolfboy138]

Hmm hmmm him

[Emerystreet]

It was magic when I heard the song as a schoolboy (but then weren't we all) and none of its brilliance has faded. Thank you for posting...you will never know how much this song once and will always mean to me.....Cheers.

[jenjones61587]

I had never heard of this song until I watched Married with Children.

[BobWhiteRewind]

Usually I don't like remakes as much as originals, but this is an exception. The Beatles really took this song and made it theirs. It's one of the Beatles' best. Nice job on the remaster too. Who says everything has to be in stereo?

[dtpchilli4life]

The hats and guitar seem to trail off in this "remastered" version.. It's cleaner, but sounds a little odd at parts.. Maybe it's just me.

[23leo17]

i could live off this song

[Mratking1]

I want all those mono version albums!!!

[liverpoolishgirl]

@TheOneBeatleManiac Singer/songwriter was far and away the exception until the Bs and remains so (probably wisely, too).