Anna (Go to Him)

Anna (Go to Him) is the first cover to appear on their debut album, Please Please Me. It is track three. Written and recorded the previous year by Arthur Alexander, Anna was re-recorded by the Beatles in February of 1963 and twice more later in 1963 for the BBC special, "Pop Go the Beatles." John Lennon always considered it one of his favorites. The full title is officially, "Anna Go to Him," though the lyrics say "Go with Him." In the February 11, 1963 session at Abbey Road, the Beatles completed their recording in just three takes. The signature musical phrase in this song was played by George Harrison on guitar. Singing the lead vocal, John Lennon conveys the suffering of the song's protagonist, especially when he soars into his high falsettos at the ends of the two bridges. Lennon had a cold during the February 1963 recording sessions at Abbey Road, and that may account in part for the unusual timbre in his voice.