Title:	Hold Me Tight
Credits:	John Lennon - Paul  McCartney
Recorded:	12 September, 1963
Producer:	George Martin
Engineer:	Norman Smith
Location:	With The Beatles - track 9 Meet The Beatles - track 10

Musically it was influenced by the work of the Shirelles, the New Jersey vocal group who in 1961 had become the first all-girl group to make Number 1 spot in the American charts. The Beatles were consistent champions of girl groups and girl singers, citing acts such as the Chiffons, Mary Wells, the Ronettes, the Donays and the Crystals as influences on their close harmony vocals. Even before they arrived in London, they were including Shirelles songs in their act and on their debut album they included two of them - 'Baby It's You' and 'Boys'.

The Shirelles - Shirley Owens, Micki Harris, Doris Coley and Beverly Lee - had seven Top 20 hits in America and three in Britain but 1963 proved to be their year of chart glory. Ironically, they found themselves pushed aside by the British beat group invasion spearheaded by the Beatles.

'Hold Me Tight' was originally taped on 11 February 1963 for Please Please Me, they recorded 13 takes, though only two were complete versions. None of these takes was used for the "Please Please Me" LP and the tape has been lost.. This time around it was revived to bring the With The Beatles song total to 14, seven each side of the vinyl version, the preferred even figure for early 1960s British pop albums. Thus it was the final recording to be commenced, starting on 12 September.

On September 12, 1963 the Beatles recorded 10 takes this day numbered 20 - 29. Takes 22 and 23 were false starts of Hold Be Tight. The released version was an edit of takes 26 and 29. The mono mix was prepared September 30, the stereo on October 29. Takes 20 - 24 and takes 26 (with a false start) - 29 from this recording session have all found their way onto various bootlegs.

When this song was released on the US LP "Meet The Beatles" on January 20, 1964 a reprocessed stereo version was used. On February 26, 1987 the album, "With The Beatles" was released in both the US and the UK on the CD format. Originally, a new stereo mix was prepared for this release; however, George Martin later remixed the album in mono. The new mono mix is found on the CD release of the album "With The Beatles."

Download files via RapidShare
	Hold Me Tight - Takes 27-28
	Hold Me Tight - Take 29