Today’s classic song that was a bigger hit as a cover version of the day is “Twist and Shout.” It was originally released by and a decent hit for the Isley Brothers, but became a monster smash when covered by the Beatles.
“Twist and Shout” was written by long-time songsmiths Phil Medley and Bert Berns. They were collectively or individually responsible for writing such hits as “A Million to One” for Jimmy Charles; “Piece of My Heart” for Erma Franklin and, later, Janis Joplin; “Here Comes the Night” for Van Morrison and his group Them; “Hang on Sloopy” for the McCoys; and “Cry to Me” and “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love” for Solomon Burke. Berns was also a successful producer and founder of both the BANG Records and Shout Records labels.
The first group to record “Twist and Shout” were the Top Notes, an R&B group, on February 23, 1961. That version, produced by the legendary Phil Spector for Atlantic Records, featured an uptempo Latin beat and failed to chart.
The second group to record “Twist and Shout” were the Isley Brothers—O’Kelly, Rudolph, and Ronald. They recorded their version early in 1962 for Wand Records. According to Berns, he made the following changes for the Isleys:
“[T]he real master trick of this rearrangement was a new bridge consisting solely of four ascending sung notes, the tempo becoming more emphatic and dramatic, ending in exultant sustained whooping before a ‘shake it up baby’ led the Isleys back into the verse.”
Those changes did the trick and the Isleys’ version, with brother Ron singing lead, hit #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on Billboard’s Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart. More important, it got shipped across the Atlantic (ocean, that is) and listened to by a group of lads from Liverpool.
The Beatles almost immediately worked up their own very faithful cover of the Isley Brothers version that they put into their live act. When it came time to record their first full-length LP (Please Please Me) on February 11, 1963, the lads made a point to put “Twist and Shout” on the setlist. It was the last song of twelve on the agenda, recorded after a long day of recording; they saved it ’til last because they knew it would shred John Lennon’s voice. John treated this one as a real rock ‘n’ roll shouter, even if he didn’t like his own recorded vocals:
“… I could sing better than that, but now it doesn’t bother me. You can hear that I’m just a frantic guy doing his best.”
That frantic guy and his mates Paul, George, and Ringo recorded “Twist and Shout” in a single take. They tried a second but gave it up because John’s voice was shot. Listening to the record, you can tell why; John truly gave it his all.
The Beatles’ version established the four lads as legitimate rock ‘n’ rollers. The single, released (in the U.S.) on March 2, 1964, on Vee-Jay Records (Parlophone in the U.K.), peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 on a week where the Beatles held down the top five slots on the chart; it was kept out of the number-one position by another one of their tunes, “Can’t Buy Me Love.”
Critics have called the Beatles’ cover of “Twist and Shout” “the most famous single take in rock history” and “arguably the most stunning rock and roll vocal and instrumental performance of all time.” It’s hard to disagree with either assessment.
“Twist and Shout” was a staple of the Beatles’ live act up to and including their final 1965 American tour. They performed it as part of their legendary debut performance on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 23, 1964, and the song has been featured in a number of different movies, including a memorable lip-sync performance by Matthew Broderick in 1986’s Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
It’s safe to say that more of us remember the Beatles’ version of “Twist and Shout” than the sort-of-original by the Isley Brothers. Which is your favorite?
