Written by: Lennon-McCartney
Recorded: 6 June, 26 November 1962
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Norman Smith
Released: 11 January 1963 (UK), 10 February 1964 (US)
Available on:
Please Please Me
On Air – Live At The BBC Volume 2
Personnel
John Lennon: vocals, rhythm guitar
Paul McCartney: backing vocals, bass
George Harrison: lead guitar, backing vocals
Ringo Starr: drums
‘Ask Me Why’ was first released as the b-side of The Beatles’ second single ‘Please Please Me’ in 1963. Later that year it appeared on the album of the same name.
The song was written in the spring of 1962. As Paul McCartney recounted in his authorised biography:
It was John’s original idea and we both sat down and wrote it together, just did a job on it. It was mostly John’s.
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
‘Ask Me Why’ was greatly influenced by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles – the guitar motif that introduces the song is derived from their 1961 song ‘What’s So Good About Goodbye’.
The song was included on The Beatles’ debut album Please Please Me, released on 11 January 1963.
In the US it was included on an early reissue of the Vee-Jay album Introducing The Beatles, which replaced ‘Love Me Do’ and ‘PS I Love You’ from the initial running order, replacing them with ‘Ask Me Why’ and ‘Please Please Me’. The reissue went on sale around 10 February 1964.
In the studio
The Beatles recorded an unknown number of takes of ‘Ask Me Why’ during their 6 June 1962 debut session at Abbey Road. Unfortunately EMI considered the songs to be of little consequence, and later destroyed the master tapes.
They remade the song on 26 November 1962, getting it right in six takes. Much of the day was spent perfecting the song ‘Please Please Me’; ‘Ask Me Why’ took comparatively little time to record.
BBC recordings
The Beatles recorded ‘Ask Me Why’ on five occasions for BBC radio. The first was on 11 June 1962, for the show Teenager’s Turn – Here We Go. It was broadcast on 15 June, along with the two other songs recorded for the show – ‘Besame Mucho’ and ‘A Picture Of You’.
The second BBC recording was made on 16 January 1963, for the renamed show Here We Go. The broadcast on 25 January featured three new Beatles recordings: ‘Chains’, ‘Please Please Me’, and ‘Ask Me Why’. A recording of ‘Three Cool Cats’ was unused.
On 22 January 1963 The Beatles recorded a third BBC version of ‘Ask Me Why’, sandwiched between new versions of ‘Please Please Me’ and ‘Some Other Guy’. The edition of The Talent Spot was broadcast a week later on 29 January.
The fourth BBC recording was made on 2 July 1963, for the fifth edition of Pop Go The Beatles. The band recorded nine songs between 6.30 and 9.30pm: ‘That’s All Right (Mama)’, ‘There’s A Place’, ‘Carol’, ‘Soldier Of Love’, ‘Lend Me Your Comb’, ‘Clarabella’, ‘Three Cool Cats’, ‘Sweet Little Sixteen’, and ‘Ask Me Why’. The last three songs were not included on the 16 July broadcast.
The Beatles recorded the final BBC rendition of ‘Ask Me Why’ on 3 September 1963, again for Pop Go The Beatles. It was first broadcast on 24 September 1963.
The episode also included an older recording of ‘She Loves You’, plus new versions of ‘Ask Me Why’, ‘Devil In Her Heart’, ‘I Saw Her Standing There’, ‘Sure To Fall (In Love With You)’, and ‘Twist And Shout’.
This final version of ‘Ask Me Why’ was included on the 2013 album On Air – Live At The BBC Volume 2.
Well, do you know of any place where we can hear the June 1962 version of ‘Ask Me Why’? Any old acetate living somewhere? I don’t recall reading about this before. Thanks.
I believe the tape was destroyed/erased by EMI before The Beatles became successful. The Beatles definitely recorded it though, according to the studio paperwork. See Mark Lewisohn’s Chronicle or Sessions books for more info.
To these ears, the version that appears as the B-side of Please Please Me IS the June 1962 version featuring Pete Best. The drumming sounds EXACTLY like Pete Best.
You’re wrong – Ringo was well and truly The Beatles’ drummer by the time that the final version was recorded and there’s no way that Pete would’ve been capable of playing an inventive drum part like that.
It’s sad that the original was destroyed, but there is a BBC version out there that was recorded less than two weeks after that original June 1962 session. It’s pretty similar to the single release, except that here, George hits the tremolo a bit more. I really like this version – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbUoSKC5xjk
George is also singing backing vocals. Listen to it for example at 0:18 where you can hear two voices (George’s is the lower one) behind John’s lead vocal.
Thanks for that – I’ve updated the page now.
The Beatles also had a later song called “Tell me Why”. Ask then tell, just brilliant.
Who is playing lead? The guitar sounds like John’s Capri.
Lead sounds like George’s style. Too jazzy for John.
John plays acoustic guitar, and George his Gretsch electric.
I’m pretty sure that George plays his Gibson acoustic aswell
Correct – John and George are both playing their Gibson J-160E’s.
There’s also a live version of this on the Star-Club tapes from December 1962.
Listening to the 2009 track tonight I heard two rhythm guitars, one in each channel. One must have been overdubbed.
What you are hearing is the same guitar: John’s Gibson Acoustic-Electric. On the left channel is the sound of the guitar plugged to an amplifier, while on the right channel the sound of the plectrum strumming across the strings leaked into John’s vocal microphone. It’s a nice, if unintended, stereo effect.
Good ears!
As John often used to say when a new song was needed: “How do we go from here”, Ask Me Why begins where P.S. I Love You ends. The ending of P.S. I Love You is the beginning of Ask Me Why. To me the feel of the song reminds me of German popmusic of that time. It is one of my favorites.
I hear two rhythm guitars and a lead. I hear an electric rhythm and an acoustic rhythm. Both John perhaps?
Another horror. I love youuuuuuuuuu whoohoowhoohoo. Yuck. The original version of the One after 909 should have made the cut.
I agree that One After 909 would have been a good fit here. However, not at the expense of Ask Me Why. My vote would go to A Taste Of Honey, it’s so awfully out of place it isn’t funny. Ask Me Why is one of the best songs on this album
I used to sing this to my wife: “I’ll say I love you/And I’m always thinking of you.”
You have no heart, tin man. It wasn’t aimed at you, it is a man singing to a woman. If you’ve never been head over heels in love, you’ll never understand.
Woo this.
one of my favorites, a jazzy and fairly complex pop song, well done Beatles! Really David? Wow, must not be a musician…
Although I was around for the start of Beatlemania in the US, I never heard this song until much later because the original Please Please Me/Ask Me Why single didn’t sell, and the version of the PPM single that finally did sell had From Me to You as its B side. It wasn’t on Vee Jay’s “Introducing the Beatles” either, which I owned (although it was on Capitol’s near-equivalent “The Early Beatles”). I don’t think I ever even heard AMW until I bought the 2009 box set and finally had a copy of the British Please Please Me CD.
Paul tries a walking bass line in the middle 8 of this one, and in middle 8 of “A Taste of Honey” as well. I don’t find it very effective in either of these songs, but man he sure uses the same idea to great effect later on “All My Loving” and “Eight Days a Week”.
I have always loved this song. One of the first Beatles songs I learned how to play.
John’s usage of his falsetto range is awesome. As with most of his songs, he controls the emotion and intensity of his voice so well.
You can certainly hear how the Beatles evolved from this song. The guitar rhythm, harmony phrases, and stop and go breaks which were expanded upon and perfected on later songs.
I also love how the last resolving chord is played!
Typical Lennon with three long wonderful notes “…ask me why…”. Wonderful is even the start of the middle part with a +chord, just before “…I can´t believe…”
That augmented chord that leads into the bridge could very well have been inspired by Bacharach’s “Make It Easy On Yourself” which had been a hit for Jerry Butler earlier in 1962.
I would like to say that I have completely changed my opinion of this song. I find these days when I think of a Beatles song, it just pops into my head. To answer a previous critic, I am a muso.
That’s the reason I looked it up in Beatles Bible….it keeps popping into my head and I couldn’t remember the title, I kept looking up I Love you and Tell me Why!!
Lennon’s vocal control grabs you and keeps you. Brilliant. There are so many subtleties in this song that I consider this a true masterpiece in every way. I must have listened to this one song thousands of times. Their harmonies literally add three more perfect instruments to the band.
here is a live version recorded in Germany as well…..was it The Star Club?
Can’t believe no one has picked up on the lyrics on this song. Its not a love song its a cry for help. Lennon , even at this stage feels trapped in a relationship. ‘I can’t conceive, anymore misery’. but ‘Ask me why and I’ll say I love you and I’m always thinking of you’ He lies.
No. He’s found “true love” and he can’t believe he finally found it. With it, he can’t conceive of being unhappy any longer.
You have to listen to ALL the words.
Obviously Pete Best can’t be the drummer on the flip side of Please Please Me as he was fired before Love Me Do!
What a beautiful song.
Yeah, he was young. Love is LOVE. Beautiful. I can’t conceive it happened to me. I can’t conceive of any more any more misery. Ah Wilderness (Eugene O’Neill).
John singing of misery again, nice melody and the background vocals here are really good.
It’s a beautiful piece of music. The only thing that stops it being a true Beatles masterpiece are the lyrics to the opening verse. They don’t hit home, don’t work quite so well with the complex structure of the song. The lyrics to 2nd verse work much better. You can tell it’s early days as John is perfecting his lyric style. But what a piece of history. It’s a beautiful listen.
How about “The Charlie Hodgson Tape” version?
So hard to choose. of course. Maybe, just maybe, my second favorite early song. One is I Saw Her Standing There, duh.
I’ve always loved this early song. John’s vocals are beautiful.
Love the way John’s voice cracks at 0:31 (“…makes me cry”); sounds so vulnerable.