“Leave My Kitten Alone” is a Beatles cover of a 1959 American R&B single first recorded by Little Willie John. The Beatles cut their version at EMI Studios on 14 August 1964 with John Lennon on lead vocal, but they left it unreleased at the time.
The performance finally surfaced officially in 1995 on Anthology 1 (Take 5), and it is one of the most full-throttle outtakes in the catalogue: sharp guitars, a hard backbeat, and Lennon singing like he is trying to win a club room rather than polish an album track.
Key Facts
- Commercial Release: 20 November 1995 (UK), 21 November 1995 (US) – on Anthology 1
- Recorded: 14 August 1964
- Studio: EMI Studios (Studio Two), London
- Genre: Rock and roll / R&B (24-bar blues format)
- Track Duration: 2:57
- Label (1995 release): Apple Records
- Songwriters: Little Willie John, James ‘Jay’ McDougal, Titus Turner
- Producer: George Martin
- Engineer: Norman Smith
Performers And Instruments
- John Lennon: lead vocal
- Paul McCartney: bass guitar, piano
- George Harrison: lead guitar
- Ringo Starr: drums, tambourine
Where To Find “Leave My Kitten Alone”
At the moment, the only official Beatles release with this recording is:
- Anthology 1 (Take 5)
The Song Before The Beatles Got Hold Of It
“Leave My Kitten Alone” started life as a Little Willie John record in 1959, sitting in that overlap between late-50s R&B and early rock and roll. The Beatles later grabbed it the way they grabbed a lot of their best covers: speed it up, rough it up, and make it hit like a stage number.
It also fits a clear Beatles pattern: Lennon takes the vocal, the band drives the groove hard, and the lyric becomes less “smooth R&B complaint” and more “Liverpool club warning”.
Why This Outtake Is A Big Deal
This is not an unfinished sketch. The Beatles recorded five takes, marked Take 5 as the best, and added overdubs. What makes its rejection interesting is that the performance had real force, yet it was still left off Beatles For Sale and never mixed for release during the band’s active years.
When it finally came out on Anthology 1, it landed as one of the set’s hardest punches: a full-band performance with Lennon in attack mode and the group sounding like they are playing to the back wall of the room.
Recording Notes
The Beatles recorded “Leave My Kitten Alone” at EMI Studios on 14 August 1964 during the sessions for Beatles For Sale. The work was done fast, late in the day, and with the kind of “get it down” urgency you hear across a lot of their 1964 recording schedule.
If you are listening for what makes it feel so intense, it is the combination of a blunt, driving rhythm and a vocal that never relaxes. Even by Beatles cover standards, this one is played like a challenge.
The 1980s Mix And The Bootleg Trail
Long before Anthology made it official, the track had a reputation among collectors because it was mixed in the mid-1980s for a shelved outtakes project often referred to as Sessions. That mix circulated unofficially, which is why many fans heard “Leave My Kitten Alone” as a bootleg years before 1995.
Anthology 1 finally put a sanctioned release in the catalogue and made the recording easy to find without chasing second-hand copies or unofficial sources.
Take A Listen
Listen to the track, then post your take in the Beatles Fan Club Forum.
Prefer not to accept optional cookies? Open this video on YouTube.
Sources And References
- The Beatles – Official song facts and Anthology placement.
- The Beatles – Anthology 1 release date.
- The Paul McCartney Project – Session and mix history.
- Wikipedia – Cancelled Sessions project background.
BeatlesFan.Club operates independently and does not affiliate with The Beatles, Apple Corps, or any official rights holders.
