Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey (Lieber/Stoller/Penniman)
Quotes
“The little screamy voice, that’s something I just loved. I loved his records, you know, and I wanted to do that. So that gave me a, sort of, feature thing within The Beatles, ’cause John couldn’t do that. And I remember him saying to me, ‘How do you do that, how do you do that?’ I said, ‘I don’t know. I feel like it just comes out of the top of my head.’ And he was like, ‘Oh, wow!’ And then we had a session once where we were, the early days, and I’m about to do ‘Kansas City,’ so I’m on the mic…and I’m going ‘Ka…Kansas City, cough…,’ and I’m not making it, I’m not getting it at all. So John comes down and he says, ‘Remember, it comes out of the top of your head!’ I said, okay, “KANSAS CITY…’ And that’s the take you hear.” – Paul McCartney on WTF with Marc Maron
“Everyone’s attention then turned to the first full song of the day, a cover medley of “Kansas City” and “Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey.” From the way Paul was singing – nearly ripping his vocal cords apart – I was surprised that they had decided to do this song first, but after years of performing onstage, his voice was strong and could take the abuse. Notably, all the other Beatles – even Ringo, who hardly ever sang backing vocals – joined in on the chorus, doing the “hey hey hey” answering part. This medley was an established part of their live show at that point, and they really cut loose on it, playing with a confidence and a sheer, innocent joy that was positively infectious. I knew from that minute onward that it was going to be a great session. It was simply incredible to hear that much energy coming from the group so early in the day…They were locked in, right from the start, and that track is the definitive proof of what a great live band The Beatles were when they were in their prime.” – Geoff Emerick
BBC Performances
See THERE WILL BE A SHOW TONIGHT: The BBC Performances for complete information on BBC performances and recordings
- Pop Go The Beatles – recorded July 16, 1963, broadcast August 6, 1963 and released on Live At The BBC (1994)
- From Us To You – recorded May 1, 1964, broadcast May 18, 1964
- From Us To You – recorded July 17, 1964, broadcast August 3, 1964
- Saturday Club – recorded November 25, 1964, broadcast December 26, 1964 and released on On Air: Live At The BBC Volume 2 (2013)
Personnel
- Paul McCartney – lead vocals, bass
- John Lennon – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- George Harrison – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Ringo Starr – drums
- George Martin – piano
Release history
- Beatles For Sale (1964)
- Rock N’ Roll Music (1976)
- Live At The BBC (1994) [live at the BBC, July 1963]
- Anthology 1 (1995) [take 1]
- On Air: Live At The BBC Volume 2 (2013) [live at the BBC, November 1964]
- Anthology Highlights (2011) [take 2]
