The Beatles

English rock band · formed 1960

The Beatles recorded ‘Twist and Shout’ on 11 February 1963 for Please Please Me, with John Lennon’s raw, throat-shredding vocal taken in a single late-session take. Their version is genuinely theirs and genuinely great; the only error is chronological. It is a cover of a cover — the Isley Brothers made it a hit in 1962, and The Top Notes recorded it first in 1961.

Who recorded it

Songs credited to The Beatles that are covers

Twist and Shout

Cover — originally recorded by The Top Notes

Did they really say it?

Thought The Beatles said something else?

Type a quote you think The Beatles said — we’ll tell you what we know, or point you to the best sources.