Download Instrumental    Who would have ever thought The Beatles would record this song – and so early in their career?  Well, actually, early in their career all they were doing was covering other peoples’ songs.  But this one was a far cry from their usual up-tempo rock’n’roll mania.  Guess they were getting in touch with their “feminine side” (can I say that?).

“Til There Was You” was written in 1957 for the Broadway musical The Music Man.  Paul McCartney loved show tunes (who knew?) and specifically wanted this one in their repertoire.  Paul was partial to Peggy Lee’s version of the tune, and if you listen carefully to each rendition you realize that Paul copied her vocal inflections almost exactly.  Even George Harrison’s guitar licks mimic Lee’s orchestral arrangement.  Quite an interesting choice for our boys from Liverpool way back when.

Their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show was on Feb 9th, 1964.  “Til There Was You” was the second of the five songs they performed that night.  Of course, the screaming fans pretty much drowned out everything they did, but this little love song managed to punch through all the chaos and show the versatility of this strange British band.  Paul wanted it in the set in order to appeal to the older American audience.  Didn’t work in my house.  All my parents saw was “the hair”.  Naturally, I wanted to don that Beatles hairstyle as well, but you can imagine how that went down.

So work this one up (using these backups if you like – I don’t mind) and insert it right smack dab in the middle of your wildest set.  They’ll love the contrast – you might even appeal to the older crowd.

Take a listen to Peggy Lee’s version that so influenced McCartney: