Misery

(Lennon/McCartney)

Quick Facts

Composer	John and Paul
Lead Vocal	John and Paul
Recorded	Feb 1963
Length	1:48
Key	C
Noted Takes	16
Producer	George Martin
Engineer	Norman Smith

Originally released on

Please Please Me (LP)

The Beatles (No. 1) (EP)

Parlophone — PMC 1202 / PCS 3042

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Story

“Misery” is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1963 debut album Please Please Me. It was co-written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. According to Lennon, “It was kind of a John song more than a Paul song, but it was written together.” McCartney was to say: “I don’t think either one of us dominated on that one, it was just a hacking job.” [Wikipedia]

Misery is a song by The Beatles, written by Lennon–McCartney and led on vocal by John Lennon & Paul McCartney. Originally offered to Helen Shapiro who turned it down; George Martin overdubs piano. Within the catalogue, its heartbreak thread connects it to Anna (Go to Him); its early thread connects it to There’s a Place. Misery, with its bluesy minor-key framework and John Lennon’s lead vocal, was among the earliest professional compositions written specifically for another artist—intended as an audition piece for a female vocalist on George Martin’s label.¹

The session work falls within the band’s Beatlemania (1962–1964) period, first recorded 11 February 1963 during the Please Please Me album marathon at EMI Studios, Abbey Road. George Martin produced; Norman Smith engineered. The song was captured in eleven takes on the marathon day, with five additional superimposition takes recorded on 20 February when George Martin overdubbed his piano part. Mono and stereo mixing from take 16 took place on 25 February 1963.¹

What’s distinctive

At 1:48 it is one of the shortest songs in the Beatles canon. Written by Lennon–McCartney for Helen Shapiro, it is one of the earliest examples of the partnership writing specifically for another artist. The only song on the Please Please Me LP to use half-speed overdubbing, with George Martin’s piano replacing a guitar part George Harrison could not play smoothly. Take count: 16 (highest numbered take across two sessions, per Lewisohn).

Recording

‘Misery’ was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney for Helen Shapiro to record. She turned it down. Kenny Lynch, who toured with the Beatles, eventually covered the song.¹
The song was first taped on 11 February 1963, one of ten new tracks completed during the celebrated Please Please Me album marathon — “585 more productive minutes” across three sessions in a single day. John and Paul shared lead vocal. The backing was recorded at 30 ips rather than the studio’s standard 15 ips, specifically to facilitate a later piano superimposition.^1,2
Eleven takes were recorded on the marathon day (takes 1–11). George Harrison was having difficulty smoothly playing the descending guitar figure that follows the line “I’ll remember all the little things we’ve done”; George Martin eventually asked him to refrain from playing it altogether.²
All initial takes of ‘Misery’ were recorded simultaneously to both Twin-Track and Delta-Mono, the standard practice for songs considered near-finished. This strongly suggests that, had Harrison been able to play the descending part cleanly, the song would have been considered complete without any overdub and Martin would not have added the piano.²
Nine days later, on 20 February, George Martin returned to Studio One without the Beatles present to overdub piano onto ‘Misery’ (superimposition takes 12–16). Stuart Eltham — Martin’s regular balance engineer on non-pop sessions — handled the desk; a very young Geoff Emerick was the tape operator, his first appearance on a Beatles session.^1,2
The piano overdub exploited the 30 ips recording speed: the Twin-Track tape was played back at 15 ips (half speed), halving the song’s tempo and dropping it an octave. Martin performed the descending line at half-speed and an octave lower on piano. When the tape was returned to 30 ips for mixing, the piano sounded at correct pitch and double speed, producing a distinctive timbre that could not have been achieved at normal recording speed.²
The piano was also sent to the echo chamber during the overdub, and the chamber signal was simultaneously recorded to tape. At 30 ips playback, this echo returned twice as fast and an octave higher than a conventionally recorded chamber sound, further contributing to the unique piano character heard on the finished record.²
Mono and stereo masters were mixed on 25 February 1963, from take 16, in the Studio One control room. The Beatles were again not present. Norman Smith engineered, with A.B. Lincoln as second engineer.¹

Equipment

Studio	EMI Studios, Abbey Road — Studio Two (11 Feb recording); Studio One (20 Feb overdub, 25 Feb mixing)
Tape machine	Twin-Track 1/4″ EMI BTR3 (tracking); 1/4″ EMI BTR2 (mono mixdown); 1/4″ EMI BTR3 (stereo mixdown)
Console	REDD.37
Microphones	Neumann U47, U48, KM-54; AKG D19 (bass drum); STC 4038 (overheads); STC 4033-A (bass)
Outboard / effects	EMI RS124 compressor, EMI RS114 limiter, RS127 Presence Box, echo chamber

Recording Timeline

11 February 1963 (Mon) — recording takes 1–11, Studio Two, Abbey Road — 2.30–6.00pm (afternoon session of the Please Please Me album marathon). P: George Martin. E: Norman Smith. 2E: Richard Langham. ‘Misery’ was one of ten new songs recorded across three sessions in a single day. Lennon and McCartney shared lead vocal. The backing was recorded at 30 ips (the studio’s normal tape speed was 15 ips) to allow easier piano superimposition at a later date. George Harrison struggled with the descending guitar figure and was eventually asked by Martin to refrain from playing it. All initial takes were recorded simultaneously to Twin-Track and Delta-Mono.^1,2
20 February 1963 (Wed) — superimposition takes 12–16, Studio One, Abbey Road — 10.30am–1.00pm. P: George Martin. E: Stuart Eltham. 2E: Geoff Emerick. The Beatles were not present. Martin overdubbed piano onto the vocal track, performing the descending line at half-speed (15 ips playback of the 30 ips tape) and an octave lower; the piano was sent to the echo chamber, and the chamber signal was simultaneously recorded to tape. At this same session Martin also added celeste and then piano to ‘Baby It’s You’ (the piano was never used).^1,2
25 February 1963 (Mon) — mono and stereo mixing, Studio One control room, Abbey Road — Morning session 10.00am–1.00pm: mono mix from take 16 + stereo mix from take 16. Afternoon session 2.30–5.45pm: further mono mix from take 16 + stereo mix from take 16. P: George Martin. E: Norman Smith. 2E: A.B. Lincoln. The Beatles were not present. When the 30 ips tape was played back for mixing, the piano and its echo returned to correct pitch and double speed; the mixdown machine ran at the standard 15 ips so the final mix could be banded with the other LP masters.^1,2

‘Misery’ was for Helen Shapiro, and she turned it down. [Makes mock pain noise.] It may not have been that successful for her because it’s a rather downbeat song, “world’s treating me bad, misery”.— Paul McCartney¹

Studio Notes

‘Misery’ is the only song on the Please Please Me LP to use half-speed overdubbing. The technique — recording at 30 ips and overdubbing at 15 ips — would become more common on later Beatles sessions, but in 1963 it was employed on this one track alone.²
The 30 ips recording speed doubled the tape consumption but gave Martin a clean mechanism for adding the problematic descending line without recalling the band. Because the group had performance engagements every day for nearly three weeks after the marathon session, there was no opportunity for Harrison to return and attempt the guitar part again.²
During recording, Norman Smith captured the instruments on one track of the Twin-Track machine and the vocals on the other. Session tapes reveal that reverb from the echo chamber was recorded in stereo across both tracks — not solely on the vocal track — a practice that varied from song to song across the LP sessions.²
The simultaneous Twin-Track and Delta-Mono recording of the initial takes indicates Martin and Smith were still following the 1962–63 practice of attempting a usable mono master live to tape alongside the Twin-Track safety net. Delta-Mono recording was discontinued after the 13 March 1963 session for ‘Thank You Girl’, once the team recognised Twin-Track remixing as their preferred method.²
Stuart Eltham, who engineered the 20 February overdub session, was George Martin’s regular balance engineer on non-pop recordings. The tape operator that day was Geoff Emerick — his first documented appearance on a Beatles session. Emerick would go on to become the group’s primary balance engineer from Revolver onwards.^1,2

Releases

Mono mix, 25 February 1963 — from take 16. Mixed by Norman Smith (P: George Martin, 2E: A.B. Lincoln) in the Studio One control room. Two mono mixing passes documented (morning + afternoon sessions). Used on the mono LP.¹
Stereo mix, 25 February 1963 — from take 16. Same session. The stereo LP’s characteristic hard left/right channel separation — rhythm on one side, vocals on the other — is a consequence of Twin-Track recording and the REDD.37 mixer’s fixed channel architecture, which had no panning controls for the designated tape-track inputs.^1,2
Please Please Me (LP), 22 March 1963 — Parlophone PMC 1202 (mono) / PCS 3042 (stereo). Side A, track 2.¹
The Beatles (No. 1) (EP), 1 November 1963 — Parlophone GEP 8883.¹
1987 CD reissue — Please Please Me (CDP 7 46435 2, mono compact disc). Official Apple/EMI metadata.¹
2009 stereo remaster — Please Please Me (remastered stereo CD). Official Apple Corps reissue.
2009 mono remaster — The Beatles in Mono box set (Please Please Me disc). Official Apple Corps reissue.
2014 mono vinyl reissue — Please Please Me (mono vinyl LP). Official Apple Corps reissue.

Sources

The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, Mark Lewisohn (Harmony Books, 1988) — pp. 8, 24, 28, 200.
Recording the Beatles, Kevin Ryan & Brian Kehew (Curvebender Publishing, 2006) — pp. 362, 368, 369.

Frequently asked

Who wrote Misery?

“Misery” was written by Lennon–McCartney. Both John Lennon and Paul McCartney shared lead vocal.¹

Who sings lead on Misery?

The lead vocal on “Misery” is shared by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.¹

When was Misery recorded?

“Misery” was first recorded on 11 February 1963 during the Please Please Me album marathon (takes 1–11). George Martin’s piano overdub was added on 20 February (takes 12–16). Mono and stereo mixing took place on 25 February.¹

How many takes did Misery require?

Lewisohn’s session log documents up to take 16 across two sessions: takes 1–11 (11 February, with the band) and superimposition takes 12–16 (20 February, George Martin piano overdub without the Beatles present).¹