She's a Woman

She's a Woman was written by Paul McCartney, mainly, and recorded by the Beatles on October 8, 1964 in seven takes. It was released on November 23, 1964 (US; November 27 in the UK) as the b-side to the single, I Feel Fine. This record went to number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. In She's a Woman, Paul was trying to capture the vocal antics of Little Richard, whom he admired and imitated, within the confines of a conventional rock and roll / bluesy feel. In live performances the Beatles tacked on a long, somewhat improvised coda, which was not included on the recorded single. The lyrics include the phrase "turn me on," which at the time had not yet entered the pop lexicon, and which was a rather blatant reference to pot that the censors did not detect. The melody is maintained mainly by the solo vocal, and there is a counter melody offered up by the bass and the piano. Lennon plays a series of choppy chords with the drums, mainly on the backbeats. In the middle eight there is a bright guitar solo which, though credited usually to Harrison, might have been played by Paul, judging from the style.

She's a Woman is found on the album Beatles '65, and Past Masters, Volume One. Another version, recorded for the BBC's Top Gear program on November 17, 1964 (aired on November 26), appears on Live at the BBC, and there is a recording from Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo (June 30, 1966) on the Anthology 2 collection.