"Twist and Shout" is a 1961 song written by

Phil Medley Philip Medley (April 9, 1916 – October 3, 1997) was an American songwriter, notable for his composition "Twist and Shout", which he wrote along with Bert Russell. The song was made famous by both The Isley Brothers and The Beatles. Medley also ...

and

Bert Berns Bertrand Russell Berns (November 8, 1929 – December 30, 1967), also known as Bert Russell and (occasionally) Russell Byrd, was an American songwriter and record producer of the 1960s. His songwriting credits include " Twist and Shout", " Piec ...

(later credited as "Bert Russell"). It was originally recorded by

the Top Notes The Top Notes was a R&B vocal group, centered around the singers Derek Martin and Howard Guyton. They released a number of singles in the early 1960s, amongst which was the first recording of "Twist and Shout", which was a hit when recorded by th ...

, but it did not become a hit in the record charts until it was reworked by

the Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decade ...

in 1962. The song has been covered by several artists, including

the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

, Salt-N-Pepa, and

Chaka Demus & Pliers Chaka Demus & Pliers are a Jamaican reggae duo made up of deejay Chaka Demus (born John Taylor) and singer Pliers (born Everton Bonner), known for their hits " Tease Me" and " Murder She Wrote". As a duo, they enjoyed more commercial success w ...

, who experienced chart success with their versions.

Original version

The Top Notes The Top Notes was a R&B vocal group, centered around the singers Derek Martin and Howard Guyton. They released a number of singles in the early 1960s, amongst which was the first recording of "Twist and Shout", which was a hit when recorded by th ...

, an American R&B vocal group, recorded "Twist and Shout" at the

Atlantic Studios Atlantic Studios was the recording studio of Atlantic Records. Although this recording studio was located at 1841 Broadway (at the corner of 60th Street), in New York City, Atlantic Recording Studios was initially located at 234 West 56th Street fr ...

on February 23, 1961. The session was arranged by

Teddy Randazzo Alessandro Carmelo "Teddy" Randazzo (May 13, 1935 – November 21, 2003) was an American pop songwriter, singer, arranger and producer, who composed hit songs such as " Goin' Out of My Head", "It's Gonna Take a Miracle", " Pretty Blue Eyes", ...

and produced by

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

.The Top Notes' Howard "Howie" Guyton provided the lead vocals, with accompaniment by saxophonist

King Curtis Curtis Ousley (born Curtis Montgomery; February 7, 1934 – August 13, 1971), known professionally as King Curtis, was an American saxophonist who played rhythm and blues, jazz, and rock and roll. A bandleader, band member, and session musician ...

, guitarist

John Pizzarelli John Paul Pizzarelli Jr. (born April 6, 1960, in Paterson, New Jersey) is an American jazz guitarist and vocalist. He has recorded over twenty solo albums and has appeared on more than forty albums by other recording artists, including Paul McCa ...

, drummer

Panama Francis David Albert "Panama" Francis (December 21, 1918 – November 13, 2001) was an American swing jazz drummer who played on numerous hit recordings in the 1950s. Early life Francis was born in Miami, Florida, on December 21, 1918. His father was ...

, and backing vocalists

the Cookies ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

. In a song review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

Richie Unterberger Richie Unterberger (born January 19, 1962) is an American author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing. Life and writing Unterberger attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he wrote for the university newspaper '' ...

described the Top Notes recording as "a Latin-tinged raveup with a drab generic R&B melody" that he felt was "not very good". Bert Berns, the song's co-writer, was dissatisfied with the recording and Spector's production. It failed to chart.

The Isley Brothers version

When

decided to record the song in 1962, Berns (who also used the name Bert Russell) assumed the role of producer. According to Unterberger, the new arrangement infused the tune with more "gospel-fired soul passion": "Twist and Shout" became the group's first single to reach the Top 20 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart.

Personnel

*Lead vocals by

Ronald Isley Ronald Isley (; born May 21, 1941) is an American recording artist, songwriter, record producer, and occasional actor. Isley is the lead singer and founding member of the family music group The Isley Brothers. Early life Born in 1941 to Sally ...

*Background vocals by

Rudolph Isley Rudolph Bernard Isley (born April 1, 1939 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American singer-songwriter and is one of the founding members of The Isley Brothers. Life and career Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Rudy began singing in church at a youn ...

and

O'Kelly Isley Jr. O'Kelly "Kelly" Isley Jr. (December 25, 1937 – March 31, 1986) was an American singer and one of the founding members of the family group the Isley Brothers. Biography The eldest of the Isley Brothers, Kelly started singing with his brothe ...

Charts

The Beatles version

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

' rendition of "Twist and Shout" was released on their first UK album ''

Please Please Me ''Please Please Me'' is the debut studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Produced by George Martin, it was released on EMI's Parlophone label on 22 March 1963 in the United Kingdom, following the success of the band's first two s ...

'', based on the Isley Brothers' version.

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

provided the lead vocals and initially felt ashamed of his performance in the song "because I could sing better than that, but now it doesn't bother me. You can hear that I'm just a frantic guy doing his best." A second take was attempted, but Lennon had nothing left, and it was abandoned. The Beatles' version of "Twist and Shout" has been called "the most famous single take in rock history." Mark Lewisohn calls it "arguably the most stunning rock and roll vocal and instrumental performance of all time." The song was released as a single in the US on March 2, 1964, with "

There's a Place "There's a Place" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their debut album, '' Please Please Me'', released in March 1963. It was written primarily by John Lennon and credited to McCartney–Lennon. In the United States, the so ...

" as its B-side. It was released by Chicago-based

Vee-Jay Records Vee-Jay Records is an American record label founded in the 1950s, located in Chicago and specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. The label was founded in Gary, Indiana in 1953 by Vivian Carter and James C. Bracken, a ...

on the Tollie label and reached 2 on April 4, during the week that the top five places on the chart were all Beatles singles. It was the only million-selling Beatles single in the U.S. that was a cover song, and the only Beatles cover single to reach the top 10 on a national record chart. The song failed to hit No. 1 because the group's own follow-up single "

Can't Buy Me Love "Can't Buy Me Love" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released in March 1964 as the A-side of their sixth single. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The song was included ...

" held the spot. In the UK, "Twist and Shout" was released by Parlophone on an eponymous EP with "

Do You Want to Know a Secret "Do You Want to Know a Secret" is a song by English rock band the Beatles from their 1963 album '' Please Please Me'', sung by George Harrison. In the United States, it was the first top ten song to feature Harrison as a lead singer, reaching N ...

", " A Taste of Honey", and "

" from the ''Please Please Me'' (1963) album. Both the EP and album reached No. 1. In Canada, it became the title track to the second album of Beatles material to be issued by Capitol Records of Canada on February 3, 1964. The song was used as the Beatles' closing number on ''Sunday Night at the London Palladium'' in October 1963 and at ''The Royal Variety Show'' in November 1963; the ''Royal Variety'' performance was included on the ''

Anthology 1 ''Anthology 1'' is a compilation album by the Beatles, released on 20 November 1995 by Apple Records as part of ''The Beatles Anthology'' series. It features rarities, outtakes and live performances from the period 1958–64, including song ...

'' compilation album in 1995. The Beatles performed the song on their ''

Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the '' CBS Sunday Night ...

'' appearance in February 1964, and they continued to play it live until the end of their 1965 American tour. Additionally, they recorded "Twist and Shout" on nine occasions for BBC television and radio broadcasts, the earliest of which was for the ''Talent Spot'' radio show on November 27, 1962. In 1986,

Matthew Broderick Matthew Broderick (born March 21, 1962) is an American actor. His roles include the Golden Globe-nominated portrayal of the title character in '' Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' (1986), the voice of adult Simba in Disney's ''The Lion King'' (1994) ...

lip-sync Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , the same as the word ''sink'', short for lip synchronization) is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements with sung or spoken vocals. Audio for lip syncing is generated th ...

ed to the Beatles' version of it in the film ''

Ferris Bueller's Day Off ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' is a 1986 American teen comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by John Hughes and co-produced by Tom Jacobson. The film stars Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, and Alan Ruck with supporting roles by Jennifer ...

''. Coincidentally, the Rodney Dangerfield film ''

Back to School ''Back to School'' is a 1986 American comedy film starring Rodney Dangerfield, Keith Gordon, Sally Kellerman, Burt Young, Terry Farrell, William Zabka, Ned Beatty, Sam Kinison, Paxton Whitehead and Robert Downey Jr. It was directed by Alan Met ...

'' (released two days after ''Ferris'') also featured the song, this one sung by Dangerfield himself and patterned after the Beatles' arrangement. The use in the two films helped propel the single up the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, where it peaked at No. 23 at the issue date September 27, 1986, giving the group their second chart single of the 1980s (the other being " The Beatles Movie Medley" in 1982). In November 2010, 47 years after its recording, the Beatles' version of "Twist and Shout" made a debut on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. One of a number of Beatles tracks re-entering the chart in the aftermath of their new availability on iTunes, it peaked at No. 48.

Charts

Certifications

Brian Poole and the Tremeloes version

In 1962, Decca Records signed

Brian Poole and the Tremeloes The Tremeloes are an English beat group founded in 1958 in Dagenham, England. They initially found success in the British Invasion era with lead singer Brian Poole, scoring a UK chart-topper in 1963 with "Do You Love Me". After Poole's departure ...

, a British group from Dagenham, East London, in preference to the Beatles. Both groups had auditioned on the same day, and it has become legend that the Beatles were rejected by the label. Ironically, Brian Poole and the Tremeloes had no chart success until the

beat boom Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music genre that developed, particularly in and around Liverpool, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from American rock and roll, rhythm and blues, skiffle ...

in British rock had surfaced, following the success of the Beatles. This triggered the frenzied signing of most of the popular Liverpool rock groups of that period by the major record labels, and their distinctive "sound" became known as Merseybeat. Brian Poole and the Tremeloes imitated this style, and covered "Twist and Shout" four months after the Beatles had released their version, and achieved the No. 4 position in the

. However, according to Brian Poole, "we were doing 'Twist and Shout' on stage before we knew anybody else doing it and we felt we could have a hit with it. Unfortunately, we had it in the can for about a year before Decca decided to release it as a single".

Charts

Salt-N-Pepa version

American hip hop trio Salt-N-Pepa recorded a cover version on their 1988 album ''

A Salt with a Deadly Pepa ''A Salt with a Deadly Pepa'' is the second studio album by American hip hop group Salt-N-Pepa, released on August 2, 1988, by London Records and Next Plateau Records. The album reached number 38 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and number eight on the ...

''. It was released as a single and was met with success, reaching the top five in Spain, the Netherlands and the UK, where it reached No. 4, as well as the top 40 in Ireland, Belgium and Germany.

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Chaka Demus & Pliers version

Jamaican reggae duo

, collaborating with Jack Radics and Taxi Gang, recorded "Twist and Shout" for their fourth album, '' Tease Me'' (1993). It was released as single on December 6, 1993, and topped the

for two weeks in January 1994. It was also a top-10 hit in Ireland (No. 9),

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

(No. 7), the Netherlands (No. 6), Denmark (No. 4), and New Zealand (No. 2).

Critical reception

Rick Anderson from

felt the song is "a fun novelty". Larry Flick from '' Billboard'' wrote, "Who'da thunk this Beatles evergreen would become viable fodder for a

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

reconstruction? It has, and it works far better than you might imagine." He added, "With assistance from Jack Radis and Taxi Gang, Chaka Demus & Pliers playfully skip around a fast and jaunty island groove, darting in and out of familiar lyrics with bits of chatter and toasting. Visionary programmers will find this will flow over playlists like a fresh, cool breeze." Troy J. Augusto from '' Cash Box'' declared it as an "infectious cut", that "add peppy new island life to this classic made famous, of course, by The Beatles." In a review for the '' Gavin Report'', Dave Sholin commented, "Summertime—time to hit the beach and party! And what better for the occasion than this upbeat production that puts a new twist on the

Isley Brothers Isley is an English surname. The name can also be used as an anglicized variant for the German surnames Eisele and Eisler. Notable people with the surname include: *The Isley Brothers, American musical group **Ernie Isley (born 1952), American mus ...

' original and Beatles' cover?" Alan Jones from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' deemed it a "fine regga re-reading", that "contains all the usual Chaka Demus & Pliers hallmarks, with sweetly cooed verses alternating with rapped passages. Just right for the party season." James Hamilton from the '' RM'' Dance Update described it as a "' La Bamba' based raver's reggae inflected but surprisingly conventional

Sly & Robbie Sly and Robbie were a prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production duo, associated primarily with the reggae and dub genres. Drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare teamed up in the mid-1970s after establishing themselves separ ...

revival, a party season smash". Leesa Daniels from '' Smash Hits'' gave "Twist and Shout" three out of five, writing, "''The'' tune at Christmas parties this year. Chaka and Pliers and a few mates have made a mega mover of a groover."

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Notes

References

{{Authority control 1961 songs 1962 singles 1964 singles 1986 singles 1993 singles Song recordings produced by George Martin Cashbox number-one singles UK Singles Chart number-one singles Music Week number-one dance singles Number-one singles in Finland Number-one singles in New Zealand Songs written by Bert Berns Songs written by Phil Medley The Beatles songs Chaka Demus & Pliers songs The Isley Brothers songs The Kingsmen songs The Mamas and the Papas songs Salt-N-Pepa songs The Tremeloes songs Song recordings produced by Sly & Robbie Capitol Records singles Tollie Records singles Atlantic Records singles MCA Records singles Mango Records singles Twist (dance) Songs about dancing Wand Records singles Music published by MPL Music Publishing Song recordings produced by Mike Smith (British record producer)

Original version

The Isley Brothers version

Personnel

Charts

The Beatles version

Charts

Certifications

Brian Poole and the Tremeloes version

Charts

Salt-N-Pepa version

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Chaka Demus & Pliers version

Critical reception

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

See also

Notes

References