Written by: Warren-Dubin
Recorded: 1 January 1962
Producer: Mike Smith
Unreleased
Personnel
Paul McCartney: vocals, bass guitar
John Lennon: rhythm guitar
George Harrison: lead guitar
Pete Best: drums
The Beatles recorded a version of the 1937 song ‘September In The Rain’ during their ill-fated audition for Decca Records on 1 January 1962.
‘September In The Rain’ first appeared in the 1937 film Melody For Two, which featured music written by Harry Warren and lyrics by Al Dubin. Warren and Dubin had written the song for an earlier film, 1935’s Stars Over Broadway, but it was cut from the production.
The song quickly became a popular standard. It appeared often on the US radio show Your Hit Parade between 1935 and 1940, and charted several times by different artists.
One of the more famous readings was by pianist George Shearing, whose 1949 debut album September In The Rain became an international million-seller.
The Beatles – and Paul McCartney in particular – were familiar with show tunes and soundtrack songs, and often incorporated beat versions into their early repertoire. Although they performed ‘September In The Rain’ for Decca, their version remains unreleased in any official form.
Lyrics
One, two, to-bi-do-bi-do, hey!
The leaves of brown came tumbling down
Remember in september in the rain
The sun went out just like a light
Remember in september in the rain
To every word of love I heard you whisper
The raindrops seems to play a sweet refrain
Though spring is here, to me it’s still September
Oh that September in the rain
To every word of love I heard you whisper
The raindrops seem to play a sweet refrain
Though spring is here, to me it’s still September
Oh that September, yeah, in the rain
Yeah-ha, I said it’s, I said it’s September
In the rain
Yeah
Ah, September in the rain
I own an album with 12 of the Decca audition recordings called “The Silver Beatles” and this song is definitely on there. It’s the last song on side 2 following “Till There Was You”. I don’t think it was a bootleg but I could be wrong.
Congratulations on the great site anyway. I’ve spent way too much time on here in the last few days
It is a bootleg, though I don’t know which country it’s from. The Decca recordings have never been officially released, apart from five songs on Anthology 1. Glad you like the site.
I bet the Beatles were familiar with Dinah Washington’s 1961 hit version of this song (top 30 in the U.S. pop charts and top 10 in the R&B charts). Her version undoubtedly charted in the U.K.
The Decca audition needs to be officially released in its entirety. I’ve had the bootleg colored vinyl singles for years plus the Circuit Records bootleg LP (which is done so well that it appears to be legit to the untrained eye), but it’s not the same. It needs to be part of the official discography.
Frank Sinatra also did this song.
The Beatles sung the same words as him.
They probably got it from Dinah Washington’s 1961 version (which Brian Epstein wrote about in an article in Mersey Beat).