That Means A Lot: Introduction

“That Means A Lot” is a Beatles’ song that was for their film soundtrack album, Help! However, the band didn’t like the sound as the track was developing. As a result, there was no official release of the song until 1996.

In Detail

Release Date: March 18, 1996 (UK), March 19, 1996 (US)
Recorded: February 20, 1965
Genre: Rock
Track Duration: 2:26
Record Label: Apple
Songwriters: Lennon-McCartney
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Norman Smith

Performers And Instruments

Paul McCartney: vocal, bass guitar and piano
John Lennon: backing vocal, acoustic guitar, also the maracas
George Harrison: backing vocals, lead guitar and maracas
Ringo Starr: drums

Where To Find “That Means A Lot”

You can still buy this song because it is on the following album:

Anthology 2 (1996)

That Means A Lot: Background

Paul McCartney wrote the song for The Beatles. However, the band found it difficult to perform at the time. In view of this, they offered it to American singer PJ Proby. He then took it to number 30 in the UK charts, albeit with a slower version of the song. This was one of many songs that The Beatles “gave away” to other artists.

The prolific songwriters also had a little to say about the song in their interviews:

“The song is a ballad which Paul and I wrote for the film but we found we just couldn’t sing it. In fact, we made a hash of it, so we thought we’d better give it to someone who could do it well.”
John Lennon
New Musical Express from 1965

“Normally, I’d try and bury these songs and not put them out but there was so much pressure from people, they’d say, ‘Have you got anything?’ I’d say, ‘I have, but you really don’t want to see them.’ They’d say, ‘I do! Believe me, I think I can make a good job of it, and your name on it would be a big plus.’

So PJ Proby, a friend of ours that we met during the Jack Good television show that we did, Round The Beatles, wanted to do it, so I gave it to him. He had a minor hit with it.”
Paul McCartney
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles

Recording Studio

The version of the song that we hear on the Anthology 2 album comes from a recording session on February 20, 1965. This was in Studio 2 of the EMI Studios in London during the 12.00 p.m.–5.15 p.m. recording session. Indeed, there was just one single take necessary for the rhythm track. Obviously, after the overdubbing session, they were not happy with the result.

Just to point out that after their disappointment, they recorded the song again (takes 20–25). However, they scrapped the song at this stage because they just couldn’t manage it. But none of those recordings are commercially available.

Music critic Ian MacDonald describes the song as “a botch, rightly excluded from the Help! album.” He also says it is “an attempt to rewrite Lennon’s Ticket to Ride… to which take 1 of ‘That Means a Lot’ bears a blatant resemblance“. He further claims that the song “reveals the Beatles in the unfamiliar roles of blunderers in the dark.“

Take A Listen

So, we may as well listen to the song to see what it is like. Once you listen to it, please consider writing your thoughts below or use our Beatles Forum (the link tab is at the top of any page).