"There's a Place" is a song composed by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and was first released as a track on The Beatles' British debut LP, Please Please Me. Lennon and McCartney share lead vocals with George Harrison providing backing vocals.
[edit] Origins
The title was inspired by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's "Somewhere" from West Side Story, which contained the line: "somewhere there's a place for us". McCartney owned the album of the soundtrack at the time of writing "There's a Place" and acknowledges its influence. The "place" in question was "the mind", making its subject matter slightly more cerebral than Britain's kissing and cuddling songs and America's surf music from that period. Lennon is quoted as saying: "'There's a Place' was my attempt at a sort of Motown, black thing." It says the usual Lennon things: 'In my mind there's no sorrow...' It's all in your mind."
Composed at McCartney's Forthlin Road home, it was part of the group's stage repertoire in 1963. With its major seventh harmonica intro (later reprised) and searing two-part vocal harmonies in fifths (Lennon low, McCartney high), it stands out as an early Beatles milestone track. The song was recorded on 11 February 1963 in ten takes during the first of three sessions for Please Please Me.
The song was officially credited to "McCartney–Lennon", as were all other Lennon–McCartney compositions on the original UK release of Please Please Me.
[edit] Personnel
- Personnel per Ian MacDonald
[edit] Cover versions
[edit] Cultural legacy
It was used at the start of Daniel Farson's Associated-Rediffusion documentary "Beat City", a portrait of Liverpool which was shown at Christmas 1963.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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