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From album
Please Please Me
The Beatles · 1963 · Track 6
Details
ÁlbumPlease Please Me
Año1963
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The story behind
When you dive into *Ask Me Why*, you encounter a piece that, although released as the B-side of the single *Please Please Me*, reveals a depth that sets it apart. The song's structure, according to observers like Alan Pollack, features up to three distinct variations within its verses, which is uncommon. Additionally, the harmonies employ "parallel jazz-tinged sevenths," giving it a particular sound, and the ending feels like a live performance, with all the energy that implies. The musical style evokes the influence of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, a detail that is clearly perceived, and the initial guitar phrase echoes in the 1961 song *What's So Good About Goodbye* by that same group.
This piece was primarily written by John Lennon, although it was credited to the duo Lennon–McCartney, as was the case with other original compositions in the early releases of the debut album *Please Please Me*. McCartney himself commented that it was an original idea from John, and that they both worked on it together. It was already part of their live repertoire before signing their record contract. The first time they recorded it in an EMI studio, at Abbey Road, was on June 6, 1962, with Pete Best on drums. However, that session, conceived as a commercial test, did not result in material deemed suitable for release, and the original tapes are believed to have been destroyed. Curiously, two tracks from that day, *Besame Mucho* and *Love Me Do*, were recovered from acetates. The group also performed *Ask Me Why* for the BBC program *Teenager's Turn – Here We Go*, a broadcast that took place in Hulme, Manchester, nine days after that first studio session. Later, on November 26, 1962, they recorded it again along with *Please Please Me*, this time with Ringo Starr on drums. Producer George Martin oversaw these recordings, which culminated in the album *Please Please Me*, released on March 22, 1963, in the United Kingdom.