Footnotes

Provenance:
Purchased by the current vendor, as Lot 348, Sotheby's London, 31st August 1984, Rock & Roll Memorabilia 1956-1984. The catalogue stated that the lyric sheet was given to the then vendor by the Beatles during a recording at the Grand Hotel, Stoke on Trent, for a local hospital radio broadcast.

This is one of a crop of compositions credited to Lennon & McCartney which were given to other artists to record. It is extraordinary that, alongside the tracks that John and Paul wrote that the Beatles released in 1963, their output was such that they were also able to give away so many that became hits for others.

There are a number of known versions of this song:-

The Beatles:
A demo version was included as the last track on the 2013 release, 'The Beatles Bootleg Recordings 1963', a compilation album of studio outtakes and live broadcasts.

Billy J. Kramer and The Dakotas:
This version was recorded in Abbey Road's Studio 2, with George Martin as producer. Billy J. had a number of hits with Lennon & McCartney songs in 1963/64 - 'Do You Want To Know A Secret', 'From A Window', 'Bad To Me' and 'I'll Keep You Satisfied'. Included in the studio banter captured on this recording is John Lennon, who was in the studio control room, suggesting that Billy J. sing it in the style of Adam Faith. Billy J. produces a competent performance, but in the end the recording was not issued.

The Fourmost:
Like Billy J. Kramer and The Dakotas, the Fourmost were also part of Brian Epstein's stable of acts and their Parlophone recording debut was with another Lennon & McCartney composition,'Hello Little Girl'. Following the decision not to put out Billy J.'s version of 'I'm In Love', it was given to the Fourmost, who recorded it, again at Abbey Road and produced by George Martin. This version was released in November 1963 and was a UK Top 20 hit.

The New Breed:
This West Coast band released a cover version in 1965 as a B-side to their single 'Green-Eyed Woman'; their line-up included Timothy B. Schmit, later to find fame as a member of the Eagles.

John Lennon:
This is a recording of the song made by the composer, accompanying himself on piano. From the sound of the voice, it could have been made in the Dakota apartment in New York. John forgets the words in several places. It is the only known recording of John performing the song.

Kate Pierson:
The former B-52's singer released this in 2003 on an album called 'From A Window: Lost Songs of Lennon And McCartney'.

This is a near-complete draft, lacking the three-line intro as recorded by the Fourmost, in what is probably the best-known version of the song and the verses are in a different order. There are also a few small other differences to the Fourmost's recorded version, such as, in the middle eight, the substitution of John's 'feeling on top of the world' by 'sitting on top of the world'.

Available for the first time in thirty-five years, this manuscript can be seen as an important addition to the existing examples of John's handwritten compositions.