You Know What To Do: Introduction
Although The Beatles recorded “You Know What To Do” in 1964, we had to wait until 1995 for its release. Indeed, this was one of George Harrison’s first songs with The Beatles. Be that as it may, his demo of this song appears on “Anthology 1.” Incidentally, George Harrison’s first song was “Don’t Bother Me,” of course.
In Detail
- Release Date: November 20, 1995
- Recorded: June 3, 1964
- Studio: EMI Studios, London
- Track Duration: 1:59
- Record Label: Apple
- Songwriter: George Harrison
- Producer: George Martin
- Engineer: Norman Smith
Performers And Instruments
- George Harrison: lead vocal, rhythm guitar
- John Lennon: tambourine
- Paul McCartney: bass guitar
Where To Find “You Know What To Do”
So, if you need to buy this song, it is available on the Anthology 1 album. Click on the image to see what other songs it contains.
You Know What To Do: Background
After being misfiled in the early 1960s, they only discovered this recording still existed by accident in 1993. It was on a demo tape along with a song that Paul McCartney wrote for Cilla Black, “It’s For You” and “No Reply.”
The performers that day obviously excluded Ringo Starr. This is because he was suffering from tonsillitis and pharyngitis. The band was having a photographic session on June 3, 1964, when Ringo fell ill.
In fact, the band was due to record a fourteenth song for the album, “A Hard Day’s Night.” However, the band was due to start a tour of six countries the next day. So, they scrapped the 14th song and brought in session drummer Jimmie Nicol for rehearsals.
Indeed, Jimmie impressed the band with the six-song rehearsal, which took one hour to complete. Therefore, the tour would see Jimmie pack his bags and join The Beatles’ world tour.
George Harrison’s Songs
As we see above, George’s first Beatles’ song was “Don’t Bother Me” from September 1963. We had to wait until February 1965 for George Harrison’s next contribution, “I Need You.”
George Martin explained why there was no recent contribution from George Harrison when asked in 1964: [he] “got discouraged some time ago when none of us liked something that he had written.” Obviously, Martin was referring to “You Know What to Do.”
That may have knocked Harrison off course for a while, but the best was yet to come from the talented guitarist.
Take A Listen
Let us give this song another spin, and then you can leave your thoughts below about this song.
