She's a Woman

"She's a Woman"
Single by The Beatles
A-side	"I Feel Fine"
Released	23 November 1964 (US) 27 November 1964 (UK)
Format	7"
Recorded	8 October 1964, EMI Studios, London
Genre	Rock
Length	3:03
Label	Parlophone
Writer(s)	Lennon–McCartney
Producer	George Martin
The Beatles singles chronology
"A Hard Day's Night" (UK-1964) — "Matchbox" (US-1964) "I Feel Fine" / "She's a Woman" (1964) "If I Fell" (UK-1964) — "Eight Days a Week" (US-1965)

"She's a Woman" is a song by The Beatles. It was released as the B-side to "I Feel Fine" in 1964, their last single release that year. It reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 from frequent airplay.

Composition

The song, penned by Paul McCartney (though credited to Lennon–McCartney), was his attempt at imitating the vocal style of Little Richard. This is why the song is in such a high register, even for McCartney's tenor range. Some takes of the song (especially recordings of live concerts) feature an extended outro. John Lennon was quoted as saying, "We were so excited to say 'turn me on' --you know, about marijuana and all that... using it as an expression."

The structure of the song is fairly simple, with the melody carried mostly by McCartney's voice. His bass and a backing piano produce a countermelody, with Lennon's guitar playing chords on the backbeat. During the first verse, the piano also plays chords on the upbeats. George Harrison plays a bright guitar solo during the middle eight.

Releases

In the United States, the song was released on the Capitol album Beatles '65, and is presented in a duophonic mix featuring a layer of reverb added by executive Dave Dexter, Jr. A true stereo version of the song can be found on the Past Masters, Volume 1 CD. There is also another stereo version that sounds the same but with McCartney's count-in which appears on the CD EP box set. The song is heard being played on a tape recorder in the cavern scene in the movie Help!. In the UK, the first album release was on the 1978 compilation LP Rarities in mono in the box set The Beatles Collection and later released separately.

The Beatles started including the song in their live shows in 1965. It is characterized by the classic percussive "honk" of Lennon's Rickenbacker 325. One of the versions of the song can also be found on the Beatles' live albums, Live At the Hollywood Bowl and Live at the BBC, while a version from the first of two shows at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo in 1966 appears on Anthology 2.

Personnel

• Paul McCartney – vocal, bass, piano
• John Lennon – rhythm guitar
• George Harrison – lead guitar
• Ringo Starr – drums, chocalho
• George Martin – producer
• Norman Smith – engineer

Personnel per Ian MacDonald

MacDonald was not sure whether McCartney or Harrison played the lead guitar solo. He said that "on the basis of sound and style", it was probably McCartney.

Cover versions

Cover versions include Jeff Beck's instrumental jazz fusion version featuring a talk box from his 1975 album Blow by Blow, which achieved substantial album oriented rock radio airplay in the US. Also, a latin jazz version was recorded by Joe DeRenzo from his Core Beliefs album, and a version by ESC on their Beatles compilation Step Inside LOVE. Also, a pop-reggae reading by Scritti Politti featuring Shabba Ranks was recorded. José Feliciano also recorded a cover version of this song, and Chet Atkins an instrumental version. Other artists who have covered the song include The Churchills and Jess & James. The song was also covered by Chikezie during Season 7 (2008) of American Idol.

McCartney performed the song on Unplugged in 1991.

References

• "Beatles for Sale". The Beatles Interview Database. 1980. http://www.beatlesinterviews.org/dba04sale.html. Retrieved 27 September 2009. 
• MacDonald, Ian (2005). Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties (Second Revised ed.). London: Pimlico (Rand). ISBN 978-1-84413-828-9. 
• "Emma Louise Layla". Wu-Tang VS The Beatles. 2010. http://emmalouiselayla.blogspot.com/2010/01/wu-tang-vs-beatles.html. Retrieved 21 January 2010.