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This was The Beatles first single released in America, and getting it issued in The States was a struggle. The Beatles first recorded “Please Please Me” on September 11, 1962. That version was rejected for release. They re-recorded the song on November 26, 1962 and that version was first issued in England on the EMI-owned Parlophone label on January 12, 1963. After EMI's US affiliate, Capitol Records, rejected the song (and a lot of other early Beatles material), the small, Chicago-based Vee Jay label stepped in and released “Please Please Me” stateside on February 25, 1963 and again on January 30, 1964 and August 10,1964. The only release that charted was the second, when The Beatles finally made a name for themselves in America. (thanks to music historian Gary Theroux)

John Lennon, who was a big Roy Orbison fan, wrote this in the style of Orbison's overly-dramatic singing. Beatles producer George Martin suggested it would sound better sped up. In 2006, Martin told The Observer Music Monthly, "The songs the Beatles first gave me were crap. This was 1962 and they played a dreadful version of 'Please Please Me' as a Roy Orbison-style ballad. But I signed them because they made me feel good to be with them, and if they could convey that on a stage then everyone in the audience would feel good, too. So I took 'Love Me Do' and added some harmonica, but it wasn't financially rewarding even though Brian Epstein bought about 2,000 copies. Then we worked for ages on their new version of 'Please Please Me', and I said: 'Gentlemen, you're going to have your first number one'." (thanks, Edward Pearce - Ashford, Kent, England)

This was rumored to be about oral sex. The Beatles denied this, since they had a very clean image to maintain at the time. Lennon said of the song: "I was always intrigued by the double use of the word 'please'."

Although in the UK this was officially a #2 record, 3 of the 4 charts used at the time: Melody Maker, NME and Disc made it #1. Only the Record Retailer chart had it at #2.

The group's name was misspelled "Beattles" on the record label on the first American release.

Typical for the verse in "Please Please Me," and for many of Lennon's songs, are the long notes (legato) that are also used in hymns - even sounding a bit like Mendelssohn's Wedding March in A Midsummer Night's Dream.When Lennon was a little boy he used to go to church on Sunday. Afterwards he improvised his own counterpoints to the hymns.

The climbing in the melody "Come on, come on..." is similar to parts of two traditional Folk songs: "New's Evens Song" and "Come Fair One." (thanks to Johan Cavalli, who is a music historian in Stockholm, for above 2)

In the UK, this was re-released in 1983 to coincide with the 20th anniversary of it's initial release.

The Beatles performed this on their second Ed Sullivan Show appearance in 1964. Sullivan was not a fan of many Rock groups, but loved The Beatles and had them on his show whenever he could.

This was the second Beatles single released in England, the first being "Love Me Do." (thanks, Edward Pearce - Ashford, Kent, England)

An early version of this song with session drummer Andy White playing drums instead of Ringo can be found on Anthology 1. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

The Please Please Me album was The Beatles debut long player. When they recorded it at Abbey Studios in London, John Lennon was struggling with a streaming cold and all were tired after a tour supporting Helen Shapiro. However with the help and encouragement of producer George Martin within nine hours and 45 minutes they had recorded their groundbreaking LP.

The album was released to cash in on the success of this single in the UK. It took them about 12 hours to record, and was basically a re-creation of their live show, which was mostly cover songs. The album was released with the text "Please Please Me with Love Me Do and 12 other songs." (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

The Beatles performed this on Thank Your Lucky Stars on January 19, 1963. It was their first ever UK television appearance.

The British Prime Minister Gordon Brown revealed in an interview on the British TV program GMTV that this was the first record that he ever bought.

George Martin told Music Week magazine that the first time the Beatles played this to him, he wasn't very impressed. He recalled: "I listened to it and I said: 'Do you know that's too bloody boring for words? It's a dirge. At twice the speed it might sound reasonable.' They took me at my word. I was joking and they came back and played it to me sped up and put a harmonica on it, and it became their first big hit."

Comments:

I have been reading all the "Gossip" sent in about this song, and HONESTLY, Most of it is "CRAP", (you should get your `Facts Right`)Before you Write Down, what you`ve `Read` or What you`ve been told. Here are the `TRUE FACTS`. This Song `PLEASE PLEASE ME`, was more like a (Roy Orbison Ballad), When George Martin heard it, it sounded a Bit Dreary, for his liking, so he Asked them if they could UP-Tempo it, which was done to `Such Affect`,And The RESULT was Their "1st NUMBER ONE", (And may I point out),It Was "NOT BANNED",when first Released,in the UK, (as some guy said),So "PLEASE PLEASE" us ALL, By Getting your `FACTS RIGHT`, Before Commenting on a Song OR Group, and Leave ALL the `INNUENDO`,OUT Of It, Thanks.
- samuel, kilsyth, United Kingdom

I can see how this song could be about sex (even oral sex). He says "Please please me like I pleased you." He gave his girl and orgasm and she didn't return the favor. The "don't make me blue" line is obviously about blue balls. I don't usually go looking for prurient meanings in songs, but with this one, the sexual content is right there on the surface.
- Carrie, Roanoke, VA

best beatles song of all time, no doubt, that or love me do
- Syd Malone, Liverpool, United Kingdom

I was just listening to the mono "Beatles' Hits" Ep version of "Please Please Me". The vocals ,obviously, are from another take of the song. This is without John's flubbed lyric near the end. But there is is another fascinating quirk here. I noticed a rather sloppy edit near the end, like the tape was damaged during editing. I find little things like this make the recording more endearing. It was about the spirit of the song. It wasn't necessarily about perfection which can be the folly of the mainstream recording industry these days. I find the independent acts I support tend to have more of the spirit the Fabs had.
- Mark, vancouver, BC

I think this song was very RISKAY at the time it came out. So was I am the walrus and a day in the life. I am the walrus wasn't allowed to be played over the BBC in 1967.
- Dakota, Mansfield, OH

When this was released in the UK it was banned from airplay by the BBC and denounced by the Church for its suggestive lyrics. Everyone thought it was about sex. (Well perhaps there were a few exceptions)
- John, Liverpool, England

This was not "officially a #2 record". It got to number 1. The Beatles at the time considered it a number 1, as did their friends, family, fans and over 99% of the British public. All the radio stations announced it as number one. Every biography until the late 80s had it as number 1. Record Retailer meant nothing to most people at the time. The number 2 fallacy comes from Guinness chart books which have rewritten history, and even EMI fell for it by leaving it off the "1" album. In a competition, if all 6 judges but one named Miss X a winner, but that one judge went on to write a bestselling book of the event 20 years later detailing that Miss X had not won, and that became the common perception, it still wouldn't mean that Miss X had not won.
- Paul, London, England

I love the Beatles they are so coooooooooooooool.
- Zhane`, New York City, NY

I read somewhere that John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote this song because since all the other Beatles songs didn't sound poppy enough, the record label told them if they couldn't write a pop song, then they would have to release a single a studio songwriter had written for them (the Beatles were only interested in writing and releasing their own songs).
- Sam, Portsmouth, VA

This song broke the Beatles in the U.K and it was the first major hit song by a Merseybeat group beating Gerry and the Pacemakers by a couple of months and it was first number one album by a Merseybeat group. Sal,Bardonia. NY
- sal, bardonia , NY

When I saw Paul in 05 he sang a great version of this song!
- Julian, Anaheim, CA

It maybe about sex. "Oh please, please me like I pleased you" What is Lennon saying? I dont look for sex in every song but......
- john, Hartford, CT

After the second take, George Martin got on the studio intercom and said "Gentlemen, you have just recorded your first number one!" Well, he was close!
- Ken, Louisville, KY

At their first recording session (for "Love Me Do") John and Paul tried to convince George Martin to let them record this song, but Martin considered it too slow and bluesy. For their second session, John and Paul changed the arraignment to something more "pop". Martin liked it, but by speeding up the tempo, the song was barely a minute and a half long. He suggested repeating the first verse at the end to "pad" the song to 2 minutes.
- Ken, Louisville, KY

Can't it just be a rock n roll song about a guy wanting his girl to please him? Does it have to be about drugs, or oral sex etc. "please me sexually, or please me by going to the dance with me, or by being my steady.
- lee, clearwater, FL

no guyes it's really was a rumor about oral sex =D the EMI refused to realise album just because of text sexuality... it written in book =)
- Roman, Vilnius, Other

Yes Liliana, I hate it when people start getting just the wrong message from songs to make it sound like "drugs" or "sex", when its just love
- Jo-C, Lima, Peru

On my Please Please Me album: The writing credits on their songs go to McCartney/Lennon instead of the later established Lennon/McCartney....Twit+Shout is dead good.
- Mark, Barrow-in-Furness, England

Producer George Martin was not aware of the songwriting talents of Lennon/McCartney and had wanted them to record "How Do You Do It?" at this session. The Beatles lobbied to do their own "Please Please Me". As soon as he heard the first few bars, according to Martin, "I knew it was going to be number one." "How Do You Do It?" can be heard on the Anthology I album, but wasn't released by the Beatles. Instead it went to Gerry and the Pacemakers, and ironically, it was number one for them.
- Charlie, Cape Girardeau, MO

Yo billy, The Beatles are awsome buddy!
- mauricio, Hanford, CA

oh please, any love song can be said to be about "oral sex"
- Liliana, Huntley, IL

I can see how it was about oral sex
- Deana, Indianapolis, IN

He got the idea from a Frank Sinatra song-double words
- Steve, Willmar, MN

I have heard two versions of this song. On one version, you can plainly hear John blow the words in the last verse. Don't know why they ever released that version, but it sure makes them seem "more human" making mistakes on their recordings!
- Gene, Hammond, IN