UK single release: Ain’t She Sweet – 29 May 1964
Friday 29 May 1964 | Release
On Friday 29 May 1964, two of The Beatles’ Hamburg recordings were released as a single in the UK on the Polydor label (catalogue number NH 52317).
The Single
- A-side: Ain’t She Sweet — The Beatles only
- B-side: If You Love Me, Baby (a mistitled version of Take Out Some Insurance On Me, Baby) — Tony Sheridan on vocals
The Recording
The songs are believed to have been recorded on 24 June 1961 at Studio Rahlstedt, situated at Gebäude M1, Rahlau 128, Hamburg-Tonndorf. The sessions were produced by Bert Kaempfert, who had signed The Beatles to back Tony Sheridan on a series of recordings for Polydor.
Ain’t She Sweet was one of the few tracks from the Kaempfert sessions to feature The Beatles alone, without Sheridan. John Lennon took the lead vocal. The b-side, released under the misleading title If You Love Me, Baby, was in fact Take Out Some Insurance On Me, Baby, with Tony Sheridan on lead vocals.
By the time the single was released in May 1964, The Beatles were the biggest act in the world — Ain’t She Sweet was one of several early Hamburg recordings rushed out by Polydor to capitalise on Beatlemania. The recordings had originally been made simply to back Sheridan; their commercial value in 1964 was entirely a consequence of The Beatles’ subsequent fame.
Key Facts
- Release date: 29 May 1964 (UK)
- Label: Polydor (NH 52317)
- A-side: Ain’t She Sweet — The Beatles
- B-side: If You Love Me, Baby (aka Take Out Some Insurance On Me, Baby) — Tony Sheridan
- Recorded: 24 June 1961, Studio Rahlstedt, Hamburg-Tonndorf
- Producer: Bert Kaempfert
Frequently Asked Questions
What was on the Ain’t She Sweet single released on 29 May 1964?
The a-side was Ain’t She Sweet, featuring The Beatles alone with John Lennon on lead vocals. The b-side was If You Love Me, Baby — a mistitled version of Take Out Some Insurance On Me, Baby — with Tony Sheridan on vocals.
When and where were the Hamburg recordings made?
The songs are believed to have been recorded on 24 June 1961 at Studio Rahlstedt, Gebäude M1, Rahlau 128, Hamburg-Tonndorf, produced by Bert Kaempfert.
Why were The Beatles’ Hamburg recordings released in 1964?
Polydor released the recordings to capitalise on Beatlemania. The sessions had originally been made in 1961 simply to back Tony Sheridan; by 1964 they had significant commercial value due to The Beatles’ worldwide fame.
Did The Beatles authorise the release of Ain’t She Sweet?
No. The recordings were owned by Polydor and released without The Beatles’ involvement. The group and their management had no control over the Hamburg material, which was released by Polydor on multiple occasions throughout the 1960s.
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