Take Out Some Insurance On Me, Baby: Introduction
“Take Out Some Insurance On Me, Baby” was a single release for Tony Sheridan and The Beat Brothers in 1961. Of course, The Beat Brothers was a pseudonym for The Beatles. Recorded in 1961, the recording resurfaced after The Beatles became famous. Then, in 1964, it became available on singles and an album.
In Detail
- Release Date: May 29, 1964
- Recorded: June 24, 1961
- Studio/Location: Studio Rahlstedt, Hamburg, Germany
- Format: 7-inch single (B-Side) (A-side being “Ain’t She Sweet” (UK), also B-side to “Sweet Georgia Brown” (US).
- Genre: Rock, blues
- Track Duration: 2:52
- Record Label: Polydor Records, NH 52-317 (UK)
- Songwriters: Charles Singleton and Waldenese Hall
- Producer: Bert Kaempfert
- Engineer: Karl Hinze
Performers And Instruments**
- Tony Sheridan: vocals
- John Lennon: rhythm guitar
- Paul McCartney: bass guitar
- George Harrison: lead guitar
- Pete Best: drums
**Ringo Starr was not part of the Beatles in 1961, of course.
Where To Find “Take Out Some Insurance On Me, Baby”
The following records exist, so you can still buy the song.
Take Out Some Insurance On Me, Baby: Background
The song was a single*** for Jimmy Reed in 1959 in the US, but it never made the American charts. However, while in Hamburg, Germany, in 1961, The Beatles were covering old songs such as this. Of course, in those days, The Beatles were just scraping out a living and didn’t have their trademark name yet.
*** For this single, credits went to Jesse Stone, but on The Beatles’ UK single, credits went to Charles Singleton and Waldenese Hall.
The song title also has many variants, too. For example, “If You Love Me, Baby (Take Out Some Insurance on Me, Baby)” and “Take Out Some Insurance on Me, Baby (If You Love Me, Baby).”
Recording Studio
In short, the band began recording “Take Out Some Insurance On Me, Baby” on June 24, 1961, at the Studio Rahlstedt, Hamburg, Germany. This was also the last of three days of recording with producer Bert Kaempfert.
In Germany, the song was on “The Beatles’ First” album, which also had other recordings from their Hamburg days. However, after The Beatles became famous, it came out on a single in the UK, with the A-side being “Ain’t She Sweet.” The release date in the UK was May 29, 1964, and it got to number 29 in the charts. The image is of the German single.
In America, the authorities thought the line towards the end of the song, “Oooh, some goddamn insurance on me, baby,” was inappropriate for radio. So, the Atco label, which released it, edited that language out.
Take A Listen
Finally, you can hear this song and give us your thoughts about it. Although the vocals are by Tony Sheridan, you can view it as a Beatles song because they were musicians, after all. It demonstrates that we all have to start somewhere!