I Wanna Be Your Man by The Beatles

Album: With The Beatles (1963)

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Songfacts®:

John Lennon and Paul McCartney were working on this when they ran into the Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham on September 10, 1963 in London. Oldham did some work promoting The Beatles earlier in 1963, and invited John and Paul to the Studio 51 jazz club where The Stones were rehearsing. They had been working on "I Wanna Be Your Man," and finished it at the rehearsal when they found out The Stones were looking for a song to use as their second UK single. They gave the song to The Stones but also recorded it themselves on their With The Beatles album. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were amazed at this display of songwriting prowess and soon began writing their own songs.
Ringo sang lead, as the song was developed for him. It was his showpiece song during their live performances from 1963-1966.
The Rolling Stones version was released first; it was issued on November 1, 1963. The Beatles version was included on their With The Beatles album, which came out on November 22, 1963.
This was not the only song recorded by both The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. "Money (That's What I Want)" was recorded by both groups as well. It appears on the album With the Beatles as well as the Stones' More Hot Rocks (Big Hits and Fazed Cookies). >>>
Suggestion credit:
Joel - Chicago, IL
Paul McCartney was the main author of this song, but it was finished up by both Lennon and McCartney during a jam session with The Rolling Stones. Lennon himself practically scoffed at the song, saying in an interview with David Sheff, "It was a throwaway. The only two versions of the song were Ringo and the Rolling Stones. That shows how much importance we put on it: We weren't going to give them anything great, right?"

While the "rivalry" between The Beatles and The Rolling Stones was played up at the time for publicity purposes, Keith Richards eventually denied that any such rivalry was present.
That's "The Fifth Beatle" George Martin on the Hammond organ. Martin dismissed the honorary title as "nonsense," but his contributions to the music world were nevertheless enough to get his UK status raised to that of "knight bachelor" in 1996.

Meanwhile, producer Andrew Loog Oldham lives on without knighthood. It was Oldham, by the way, who first came up with the Stones' early "anti-Beatles" image, as a rougher, edgier counterpart to the "adorable moptops" Beatles image.
The Beatles performed this song in their 1964 film A Hard Day's Night. The song was also used in a 2004 episode of the TV show Crossing Jordan in a version performed by Sam Phillips. She didn't change the gender and did a darker take on the song.

Comments: 23

Faith from Brooklyn, NyPure perfection at abot 1:30 when Paul (my love) & John scream and jump up/back all boss rocker style.
Megan from Stevenson, AlIf I was in the audience, I'd have to say I would probably act just the way the girls did in this video! lol Love these guys soooo much! BEST BAND EVERRR!!!
Catresse from Lawrenceville, GaI personally hate the audience! haha they shout toooooooo much! It's like they dont care about the music...but anyways this is such fun song. I love it.
Nick from Seattle, AlbaniaTHE BEATLES > the stones
Philippe from Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThis song is the Stones first top twenty hit in U.K.
Kayla from Nashville, TnI love this song. i love Ringo's voice too its so sexy!
Chuck from La, Cait must of really amazed mick and keith by the genius of the john/paul to write a song on a napkin and give it to them just like that. i must say that the stones version is incredible the way it blasts-off and keeps on rockin to the end........much more forcefull than the fab4's. and i believe the stones from that day on.. knew they would always live way way back in the shadows of the greatest band of all time.
Lucyinthesky from Philadelphia, PaOh and John and Paul wrote this song right in front of Keith Richards and Mick Jagger who were really amazed and impressed that they could just come up with a good song like this just like that! Keith Richards said something to them about this like how do you do it? And this inspired Keith Richards and Mick Jagger to start writing their own songs. And The Rolling Stones were good friends and fans of The Beatles,Mick Jagger was at 4 Beatles recording sessions and Keith Richards was at 2 of them with him! And in May 1967 when The Beatles were recording their song Baby You're A Richman,Mick Jagger came there and stod on the sidelines just to watch and listen to them recording it! His name is even on the tape box because he likely sang at the end verses of this song,and I can hear him at the end singing with them!
Jerry619 from San Diego, United Statesi agree the stones completely messed this song up this is such a great song on all levels and evrytime i listen to this song and the early style of the beatles reminds me of the strokes a lot
Ian from Lethbridge, CanadaThe Stones version is good, but The Beatles' version is better, and I think Ringo Starr is a better singer than Mick Jagger. (Yes, I copied my comment from the Stones version.)
Johnny from Los Angeles, CaIt's funny how people copy their comments from the Stones version (That's what I read first) to this.
Zach from Philly, Ksi know this was the beatles and they gave it to the stones as a favor, but i think the stones did it better
Stefanie from Rock Hill, ScThis song fits Ringo's voice quite well.
Luna from London, EnglandI love this song. I love Ringo's singing. And his dancing in A Hard Day's Night is so cute.
Neil from LondonIt was the Stones second single reaching number 9 in the UK. Their biggest hit at the time.
Neil,London,England
Tanya from Rotterdam, NetherlandsThis song illustrates so beautifully why the Stones are plain and The Beatles are brilliant. I'm sorry, but the Stones version is very boring. More tough? No: more boring. The Beatles version is one big fiÃ«sta. There's a strain through the whole song, that The Stones killed in their version. It worked in a song like Satisfaction, but not in a song like this.
Liliana from Huntley, Ili love ringo's dancing to this in a hard day's night...hey, it looked fun
Jc from Springfield, IlThis was NOT the first UK number one for the Stones. This song reached number 12 on the UK charts. "It's All Over Now" was the Stones' first UK number one song.
Joel from Chicago, IlA quote from Bill Wyman in 1982, "We kind of learned it pretty quickly 'cause there wasn't that much to learn. Then Brian got his slide out, his steel (guitar) out and dadaw... dadaw... and we said, Yeah, that's better, dirty it up a bit and bash it out, and we kind of completely turned the song around and made it much more tough, Stones- and Elmore James-like."
Adrian from Wilmington, DeOne of the best songs of the Beatles early period. A lot of them were just poppish songs about love, but this one just rocks out!
Don from Rapid City, SdThis song was the first #1 UK song for the Stones. (By the way, they didn't have a #1 in the US until "Satisfaction'.)
John from London, EnglandDidn't the Stones have a hit with a song called Come On before this? It may be that this was the first number one for the Stones?
John from London, EnglandIt may have been the only Beatles song recorded by the Beatles and the Stones but they both recorded versions of Money.

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