"Anna (Go to Him)", or simply "Anna", is a song written and originally recorded by

Arthur Alexander Arthur Alexander (May 10, 1940 – June 9, 1993) was an American country soul songwriter and singer. Jason Ankeny, music critic for AllMusic, said Alexander was a "country-soul pioneer" and that, though largely unknown, "his music is the stuff ...

. His version was released as a single by

Dot Records Dot Records was an American record label founded by Randy Wood (record producer), Randy Wood and Gene Nobles that was active between 1950 and 1978. The original headquarters of Dot Records were in Gallatin, Tennessee. In 1956, the company moved ...

on September 17, 1962. A cover version was performed by

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

and included on their 1963 debut 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 sin ...

''. A Spanish-language cover version was performed by Grupo Pegasso and included on their 1996 album ''Amor Vendido, Vol. 4'', followed by an English version in 2019.

Background and lyrics

Alexander based the song's lyrics on the early days of his relationship with his girlfriend (and later wife) Ann, and how her former boyfriend, who hailed from a wealthy family, attempted to win her back. Alexander's biographer, Richard Younger, notes that, "Though it was surely Arthur who had been unfaithful in his marriage vows, in the song he puts himself in the role of the abandoned lover." According to Younger, Alexander stated that, though his wife had indeed not been unfaithful to him, he believed that she had begun to regret not taking back her former boyfriend, who had since "moved on". Alexander's marriage to Ann would ultimately end in divorce. Despite the song's title, throughout the song the lyric is "go ''with'' him" rather than "go ''to'' him". Regarding the additional syllable added to Ann's name in the song, Alexander said, "it just fit better than Ann."

Release and reception

According to

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 '' ...

, music critic 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 databas ...

: Critic

Dave Marsh Dave Marsh (born March 1, 1950) is an American music critic, and radio talk show host. He was an early editor of ''Creem'' magazine, has written for various publications such as ''Newsday'', ''The Village Voice'', and ''Rolling Stone (magazine), ...

rates Alexander's "Anna (Go to Him)" as one of the top 1001 singles of all time. He praises the "gently swinging

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular recu ...

," the tough,

syncopated In music, syncopation is a variety of rhythms played together to make a piece of music, making part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat. More simply, syncopation is "a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm": a "place ...

drumming, and Alexander's vocal, particularly at the beginning of the

refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in poetry — the "chorus" of a song. Poetic fixed forms that feature refrains include the vi ...

, suggesting that

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 developme ...

member

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 ...

may have learned to sing ballads like "

In My Life "In My Life" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It appeared on their 1965 album '' Rubber Soul''. Its lyrics were written primarily by John Lennon, credited to Lennon–McCartney. George Martin contributed the piano solo bridge. ...

" by listening to Alexander's performance. The song plays a prominent role in the '' Married...with Children'' episode "Oldies But Young 'Uns". In the episode, the song becomes an

earworm An earworm, sometimes referred to as a brainworm, sticky music, stuck song syndrome, or, most commonly after earworms, Involuntary Musical Imagery (INMI), is a catchy and/or memorable piece of music or saying that continuously occupies a person ...

for

Al Bundy Al Bundy is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American television series '' Married... with Children''. Played by Ed O'Neill, Bundy is a misanthropic, working-class father of two who is portrayed as a somewhat tragicomedic figur ...

, who desperately wants to know the title.

The Beatles' version

A personal favorite of John Lennon, it became part of the Beatles' early repertoire and was consequently recorded by them for their 1963 debut album, ''

''. In the U.S.,

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 h ...

released it on '' Introducing... The Beatles'' (January 10, 1964) and

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

re-released it on ''

The Early Beatles ''The Early Beatles'' is the Beatles' sixth album released on Capitol Records, and their eighth album overall for the American market. All of the tracks on this album had previously been issued on the early 1964 Vee-Jay Records release '' Intro ...

'' (March 22, 1965). Vee Jay also released "Anna (Go to Him)" on the EP '' Souvenir of Their Visit: The Beatles'' in the US.

Recording

The band recorded the song on February 11, 1963, in three

take A take is a single continuous recorded performance. The term is used in film and music to denote and track the stages of production. Film In cinematography, a take refers to each filmed "version" of a particular shot or "setup". Takes of each s ...

s; Take 3 was the master. It was remixed on February 25.

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

played the distinctive phrase on guitar;

Floyd Cramer Floyd Cramer (October 27, 1933 – December 31, 1997) was an American pianist who became famous for his use of melodic "half step" attacks. He was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His signature ...

played it on piano for the original. They recorded "Anna (Go to Him)" on June 17, 1963, for the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

Background and lyrics

Release and reception

The Beatles' version

Recording

Reception

Personnel

References

Bibliography