The Beatles recorded two versions of The Drifters’ 1960 hit ‘Save The Last Dance For Me’ during the Get Back/Let It Be sessions in January 1969.
The song was written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman. The Drifters’ version topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks, shortly after its lead singer, Ben E King, had left the group. It was also a number one in New Zealand and South Africa, and a number two hit in the UK.
The Beatles first played ‘Save The Last Dance For Me’ on 22 January 1969, alongside a version of Fats Domino’s ‘I’m Ready’ (sometimes known as ‘Rocker’).
A medley of the two songs was selected by Glyn Johns for the second, third, and fourth iterations of the Get Back album, all of which were rejected by The Beatles. It was, however, released in October 2021 as part of the super deluxe 50th anniversary reissue of Let It Be.
The Beatles also played a version of ‘Save The Last Dance For Me’ on 27 January 1969, day 18 of the sessions.
