Background and recording The
Beatles displayed an early interest in the music of
girl groups, covering songs by groups like
the Shirelles,
the Cookies and
the Donays. They added "Please Mr. Postman" to their live repertoire in December 1961, their third Tamla song after
the Miracles' "
Who's Lovin' You" and
Barrett Strong's "
Money (That's What I Want)". Since the original version hadn't made it into the British charts, few in the UK knew the song "Please Mr. Postman", allowing the Beatles to make it their own among all
Liverpool groups.
John Lennon sang lead vocal,
Paul McCartney and
George Harrison providing backing vocals, while all three added handclaps at their head level. In 2004, Billy Hatton of
the Four Jays recalled seeing one of the Beatles' first live performances of the song, saying it was "a
Wow moment. I was struck by how tight they were. As a semi-pro group, the Four Jays would take a month to start playing a new song really well." Without their knowing it at the time, the Beatles' 7 March 1962 performance of the song on
BBC Radio's
Here We Go was the first time any Tamla song was played over BBC radio. Beatles author
Mark Lewisohn reflects: "Without even realising it (and they'd have been thrilled to know), the Beatles broke the Detroit 'Motown sound' to the British listening public." In 1963, Beatles
manager Brian Epstein approached Gordy for the rights to record several Motown songs, including "Please Mr. Postman", "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" and "Money (That's What I Want)". Rather than the industry standard of two cents, Epstein only offered one and a half cents per record sold. Gordy initially refused, only relenting two minutes before the offer was set to expire. On 30 July 1963, the band recorded the song for their second UK album,
With the Beatles. Recorded in Studio Two of
EMI Recording Studios,
George Martin produced the session, supported by
balance engineer Norman Smith. The band recorded three takes in a similar style to their BBC performance, but found the results unsatisfactory. They altered the arrangement to sound closer to the Marvelettes' version, recording four more takes with a
stop-time intro, drum
breaks and a
coda, the final take seven deemed "best". Due to their different vocal range from the Marvelettes, the Beatles
modulate their version into
A major. Capitol also included the cover as the final track on the US-only four-song EP,
Four by the Beatles, released 11 May 1964. Writing about ''The Beatles' Second Album'', music critic
Robert Christgau considers the covers of "Please Mr. Postman" and "Money (That's What I Want)" as two of the Beatles' best ever recordings, "both surpassing the superb Motown originals". Music critic
Tim Riley calls the song's beat "tremendous", and that "like all great rock 'n' roll, it sounds perilously close to falling apart at any minute". He writes it is the "most reckless and completely irresistible playing" on the first side of
With the Beatles, and "the most flammable rock 'n' roll they've given us since "
She Loves You". Musicologist
Alan W. Pollack sees the opening shout of "Wait!" as anticipating as the opening shout of "Help!" in the Beatles' 1965
song of the same name. Writer Chris Ingham calls the song "a dense curtain of guitars and harmonies" supported by "a delicious, elastic groove". Writer Jonathan Gould writes that Lennon's strong vocal overpowers the weak lyric, while the band's backing "[explodes] off the record", ultimately "[epitomizing] all that is best about the Beatles' second album." He further writes that, among the covers on
With the Beatles, it is the only one that approaches the quality of "
Twist and Shout" from
Please Please Me. Writer
Ian MacDonald dismisses the cover as "[l]acking the loose-limbed playfulness of the original", with a "
wall of sound that quickly weights on the ear".
Personnel According to MacDonald, except where noted: •
John Lennon double-tracked vocal, rhythm guitar •
Paul McCartney backing vocal, bass •
George Harrison backing vocal, lead guitar •
Ringo Starr drums • uncredited (played by the Beatles) handclaps ==The Carpenters version==