July 14-15, 1966
Recording "Got To Get You Into My Life"
For Cliff Bennett And The Rebel Rousers
Last updated on November 11, 2023
July 14-15, 1966
For Cliff Bennett And The Rebel Rousers
Last updated on November 11, 2023
Recording studio: EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Previous session Jun 22, 1966 • Mixing session for "Revolver"
EP Jul 08, 1966 • "Nowhere Man" by The Beatles released in the UK
Article Jul 12, 1966 • The Beatles win three Ivor Novello awards
Session July 14-15, 1966 • Recording "Got To Get You Into My Life"
Article Jul 23, 1966 • Paul McCartney sees the movie "The War Game"
Article Jul 29, 1966 • John Lennon's "We're more popular than Jesus" quote is published in the US
Next session Early October 1966 • Recording "Mellow Yellow"
AlbumSome of the songs worked on during this session were first released on the "Got To Get You Into My Life / Baby Each Day" 7" Single
Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers were a British band managed by Brian Epstein. They were one of the opening acts for The Beatles on their 1966 German tour. During the tour, Paul McCartney proposed to Cliff Bennett that he record “Got to Get You into My Life,” a track from the upcoming Beatles album “Revolver“.
In mid-July, Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers went to Abbey Road Studios to record the song, with Paul producing. Their version of “Got to Get You into My Life” was released in the UK on August 5, 1966, the same day as “Revolver“.
Bennett’s version reached number 6 on the UK Singles Chart and is notable for its upbeat tempo and Motown-inspired sound.
Paul McCartney actually produced the disc for me. I’ve never had such encouragement during a session — he showed incredible interest in the disc.
Ciff Bennett – From New Musical Express – August 26, 1966
A version of [Got To Get You Into My Life] was done by Cliff Bennett and The Rebel Rousers. The way it normally happened was that we’d write a song and record it with The Beatles, and then decide whether or not it was going to be a single. If we then wrote something that we thought was an even better song, that would become the single, and this other song would then maybe make it onto the B-side. Or, if not, it would become an album track. And then sometimes people would say, ‘Hey, you got any songs, man?’ Their producer and manager might say, ‘This is a good Beatles song, and they’re not putting it out. You should do this as a single.’
Cliff Bennett was someone we knew. We’d met him a few years before in Hamburg. We admired him; he admired us. He was one of the first people to notice a song, called ‘If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody’, that Freddie and the Dreamers covered, and he said, ‘Wow, that’s the first rock and roll song I’ve ever heard in 3/4 time.’ He was very astute to notice something like that. He was a good singer, and he became a friend, and he wanted to do a cover of ‘Got to Get You Into My Life’, so I produced it for him.
It’s interesting to work with another artist recording one of my songs, as it makes me ask questions about how it should sound. Should his be exactly the same as ours, or should things be changed around a bit? Some songs have more breathing room than others, and the question comes up about whether to improvise in a song like this. If your aim in doing a concert is to please people, it’s probably best to leave the song alone. Somebody might say, ‘We should do it faster’ or ‘We should do it slower,’ and there were one or two times when that really worked.
Paul McCartney – From “The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present“, 2021
PAUL McCARTNEY produced hit disc for happy CLIFF BENNETT
CLIFF BENNETT, that well-known Cockney about Uxbridge, has made a welcome return to the NME Chart, courtesy of Lennon and McCartney’s “Got To Get You Into My Life,” after an absence lasting ten months and five singles.
“Paul McCartney actually produced the disc for me,” Cliff revealed to me. “I’ve never had such encouragement during a session — he showed incredible interest in the disc.”
I found Cliff down at RSG last Friday, seated at a table in the canteen with such personages as Andrew Loog Oldham, resplendent in bright orange, zippered shirt which vied with his sunburnt face, but worn with nonchalance which suited him more than the violent pink blouse worn by Who-star Pete Townshend opposite.
Manfred Mann’s road manager Billy held forth with lurid tales of the Carrousel Club in Copenhagen, where personal manager, Bernard Lee, they had just played, and Cliff’s listened tolerantly by his side.
Cliff proceeded with his story of how he came to obtain a much-coveted Beatles composition. Some weeks ago he had been playing with the Beatles on their German tour and during the Essen concert, he wandered into the group’s dressing room and banteringly asked about the number John and Paul had promised to write for him three years ago. “Now it just so happens…” smiled Paul and played him an acoustic guitar version of one of the tracks for their new LP without another word. At the end, Paul said: “Like it?“
“Love it!” replied Cliff. So a demo disc was immediately dispatched from EMI, London, to Germany for him to get the full benefits of “Got To Get You Into My Life.” When Cliff came to do the disc at EMI’s St. Johns Wood studios about four weeks ago he was knocked out to find Paul there to assist.
“He just spun about the studios mixing rhythm tracks, adding brass and doing things with limiters that neither you or I would understand,” raid Cliff enthusiastically.
Unfortunately, Paul had to leave the studio before Cliff put the vocal on and next morning there was a phone call from “McBeatle,” who had just heard the finished product.
“You can do better than that,” Paul declared firmly. “Be at the studios at ten o’clock.“
Obediently, Cliff trotted down to the studios to find McCartney waiting for him in his bedroom slippers.
“He played the number for me on the piano and showed me how to bend the notes,” explained Cliff. “Then I did the vocal with Paul in the control box conducting me by waving his arms about like mad. I was absolutely knocked out. He must have been the most expensive arranger-MD In the business.” […]
From New Musical Express – August 26, 1966
… The “uncopyable” tag certainly doesn’t seem to be correct because Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Housers recorded “Got To Get You Into My Life” on July 14lh and 15th. The Fourmost are also reported to be working on one of the numbers for their next single…
From Beat Instrumental – August 1966
Recording
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