Written by: Lennon-McCartney
Recorded: 8 October 1964
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Norman Smith
Released: 27 November 1964 (UK), 23 November 1964 (US)
Paul McCartney: vocals, bass, piano
John Lennon: rhythm guitar
George Harrison: lead guitar
Ringo Starr: drums, chocalho
Available on:
Past Masters
Live At The BBC
Anthology 2
Written primarily by Paul McCartney, the bluesy She's A Woman was first released as the b-side of the I Feel Fine single.
I have a recollection of walking round St John's Wood with that in my mind so I might have written it at home and finished it up on the way to the studio, finally polished it in the studio, maybe just taken John aside for a second and checked with him, 'What d'you think?' 'Like it.' 'Good. Let's do it!'
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
Played on the off-beat, Lennon's choppy guitar chords drive the song, although McCartney's roaming bass and soulful vocals make it a strong team effort. George Harrison did not perform on the rhythm track, but overdubbed his lead guitar part in the evening of 8 October 1964.
John did a very good thing: instead of playing through it and putting like a watercolour wash over it all with his guitar he just stabbed on the off-beats. Ringo would play the snare and John did it with the guitar, which was good, it left a lot of space for the rest of the stuff.
She's A Woman was perhaps the first Beatles song to contain a drugs reference. The Beatles had been introduced to cannabis by Bob Dylan on 28 August 1964. "Turn me on when I get lonely" was supposedly Lennon's line; he later said he was pleased it wasn't picked up by the censors.
That's Paul with some contribution from me on lines, probably. We put in the words 'turns me on'. We were so excited to say 'turn me on' – you know, about marijuana and all that, using it as an expression.
All We Are Saying, David Sheff
The Beatles also performed the song live for the BBC's Top Gear radio programme. It was recorded on 17 November at London's Playhouse Theatre and first broadcast on the 26th.
The recording later appeared on the Live At The BBC album. Prior to the performance, Lennon told host Brian Matthew how they'd had "about one verse and had to finish it rather quickly" in the studio.
Another version, recorded at the Nippon Budokan Hall, Tokyo on 30 June 1966, appeared on Anthology 2. Their show had been recorded by Japanese broadcaster NTV.
In the studio
She's A Woman was recorded in seven takes on 8 October 1964, in a session lasting from 3.30-5.30pm. The sixth take was the best, and became the basis for further overdubs.
These were added during a second session, from 7-10pm. McCartney overdubbed piano and vocals, Harrison added lead guitar, and Starr recorded the sound of a chocalho, a cylindrical metal shaker.
Although many writers (even Ian MacDonald) suggest this song as influencing the Texas Rock sound of that era, even saying that Sir Douglas Quintet was instructed to mimic this song on their hit “She’s About A Mover”, they need to listen to the 1964 single “Sugar Bee” by Sir Douglas that was released prior to the Beatles recording session for “She’s A Woman”. The introduction to this song appears to have inspired the Beatles, not the other way around!
Sir Douglas Quintet’s version of Sugar Bee was a flop but there were several versions of Sugar Bee prior to 1964.
The original 1960 Cleveland Crochet recording of Sugar Bee is apparently the only version of Sugar Bee that charted in the Billboard Top 100.
Huey P. Meaux was the producer of Sir Doug and Meaux studied the Beatles drum beats which reminded him of Cajun beats.
Put On Your High Heel Sneakers was another hit song in 1964 that featured the same off beat.
W. Everett says Harrison didn´t play on the basic track, but overdub his double-tracked solo (2001: 266).
Yeah, I’ve always been sure it was George, as well. That solo’s built upon the kind of rockabilly lick that George was particularly fond of around 1964-65. (Compare with “I’m a Loser” or “What Goes On”, to name two.) Also, why would Paul try to tackle bass, piano AND lead guitar all by himself while leaving George unoccupied?
You’re both right – there was a second session on 8 October in which Harrison played lead guitar. I’ve amended the article.
Perhaps my most loathed of the Beatles’ original compositions, if only for the half-a**ed lyrics. “My love don’t give me presents/I know she’s no peasant” Really? Seriously? Every time I here those lines I can’t believe Paul went into the studio and recorded them. Or that no one tried to stop him.
I really like Paul’s piano on this though.
That one line comes close to ruining it, yeah
you gotta wonder how that lined stayed – it’s bad.
Sounds like your guns less happy that you lead on….
piano or electric piano ?
Rare for the Beatles, but She’s A Woman is a hack job, poorly recorded and with the exception of George’s shimmering rockabilly solo – poorly played.
Assumming it’s Lennon with the off-beat chord stabs, he misses a key change at least once and his barring is quite poor in places.
The lack of any backing vocals is another pointer that Paul aside, the Beatles weren’t really interested in this song.
Lennon’s I Feel Fine, the single’s true a-side almost puts She’s A Woman to shame.
I wouldn’t disagree that ‘I Feel Fine’ is the major achievement, but at the same time I have a feeling that most single A-sides outrank their respective B-sides with much more than this one does with ‘She’s A Woman’.
Of course, sometimes the B-side is the major achievement, but this particular case probably isn’t one of them.
I strongly disagree, I think things can be over analyzed and that song keeps my feet moving and I think once again Paul’s bass lines and singing are extremely enjoyable. As always, I can find the beauty and magic in every Beatles song I have ever heard!
Forget the lyrics – Its all about the vibe of the song. To me this was ground-breaking stuff in 1964 and a departure from the normal (albeit great) Beatles formula. The vocal displayed a bluesy side of Paul that we hadn’t heard before and it is so good it doesn’t need backing vocals. Not sure if I like the choppy guitar from John but love his bridge and the excellent guitar solo – I can hear two guitars – from George and or Paul?. ‘I feel fine’ is still one of my Beatles favourites but you can’t compare the two as they are so different. Give me Bluesy Paul any day over the melancholy ‘Yesterday’ which I never really warmed to.
Correction to my comment above – there was some bluesy Paul in ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ (and maybe some others) which was my favourite song at the time as a 8 year old and I still love it at 60.
Yes love the vibe and Paul just rocking it ! Wow really fantastic . I don’t get that people are trying to rip it apart ,
NOTHING is perfect and we all have things that resonate with us .
Paul’s voice on this and Johns off beat are amazing really super cool.
I love how Paul can really belt it out .
To me ‘I Feel Fine’ is just another plain pop-song, while ‘She’s a Woman’ is a great rocker number
Why such loathing toward this two lines? It’s an ironic opening, especially coming from a man to a woman? It’s kinda the same statement as Can’t Buy Me Love. You don’t give me anything but love!!! Now, is that fair? Tongue in cheek.
My daughter loves this song. Me not so much; presents/peasant was always tough for me to take.
But this and “I Feel Fine” are two valid stabs at a return to R&B after the wonderful pop of Beatlemania. And then onward…
The American releases of both songs has a ridiculous amount of reverb on them. It was eye-opening then to hear the original cleaner mixes.
Growing up with “Beatles ’65”, I was used to hearing this & “I Feel Fine” just awash in echo for years. When I heard the first CD remasters in the late ’80’s, they sounded so bare to me. Now, after hearing them properly for so long, the old Capitol versions sound really odd, although I’ll occasionally pull them out for old time’s sake. There’s something really cool about playing this old Capitol single on my 1960 Seeburg jukebox.
U need to remove Paul as being on lead guitar. Its George. Paul was on bass and piano
I always liked the song. It’s scruffy in parts and that’s probably how they heard it – although there’s something about the shift from the verse to the chorus that sounds really exciting. As for those lyrics, I don’t think the songwriters were terribly self-conscious at that particular moment. Maybe it was the weed. Plus we have no idea, but John might have liked that nonsense and encouraged Paul to leave it in. It’s only as bad as “the movement you need is on your shoulder” and in the context of those songs quite a bit less so. And the lyric “She’s a woman who understands” always resonated and piqued my interest even as a prepubescent boy – hmm, there are women who understand and women who don’t? My grasp of what they may or may not understand was formative and vague (still vague at times) but I got that whatever it was was important.
John Lennon misses hitting a chord.
Always loved this one ever since I was about 9 or 10. When I was a kid I always confused by the line “I know that she’s no peasant”. It always seemed kind of profound to me. Even now I love the words, though I realize they are not very sophisticated.
Pauls screamers are among my favorite type of songs they do. Too bad they made so few after 1965.
Granted, the first lines are a bit hacky, but they actually do mean something. She has money to spend, but doesn’t buy him presents because she knows that’s not what is important to him. It’s about love, trust and being faithful. Certainly, those lines aren’t any worse than things like “love you till the cows come home” or “I look at the floor and I know it needs sweeping”.
Plus, the sound and drive of the song is so different from anything else they had done. The jarring chords by Lennon really drive it, and it’s really fun to play.
Great site. Been lurking for a year.
I loved the song when I first heard it. The off-beat Lennon chords add to it and I still enjoy listening to it today. With the Beatles, when you bought their records, you often enjoyed the B side as much as the A side.
Basically a Paul McCartney song which I love. Great vocals by McCartney and as earlier contributor said John Lennon’s off beat chords add to it. A great B side.
I love this song much more now than when I was a kid; I thought it was a throwaway number then, Now I can’t get it out of my head some days. Think about it, there’s really a lot going on here: Even though the boy feels “she the one who understands…she’s the woman who oves her man.” Still, he’s frustrated that “my love don’t give me presents! I know that she’s no peasant! (Why no presents?!) Angst, insecurity? Rage? The Beatles kept you thinking- the boys loved leaving it for us to figure out and we love them for it.
I think he’s not frustrated, but is amazed by his woman (maybe, pun intended). His woman doesn’t have to buy presents to be wanted, because she is no peasant, a crude person. She knows that love is all important and he loves her for that.
Come to think of it, that line ties nicely in with the A-side, I Feel Fine. In that song his woman is telling all the world that her baby buys her things, you know….
I read in the anthology I believe that Paul wrote this about weed! How clever lol
Wasn’t that Got To Get You Into My Life ?
Have not heard this song for a while but always liked it along with I Feel Fine. I always thought John wrote and sang it. How wrong can you be. Very interesting site. Thanks for all your research Joe and any one else.
The Hollywood Bowl performance of “She’s A Woman” is the definitive version. Whereas the studio version is rather stiff, the live rendition is full of energy. And Paul’s vocals are amazing, especially at the end of the song.
The scream by Paul in the Bowl performance is epic.
This song was so much better live! I love George’s fills on the verse, they should have done it like that on the single instead of the piano imo. NME 65 might be the best she’s a woman but hollywood bowl is close
I love the sound of this record. The licks and energy. It’s a great record in all ways but one: the strained lyrics. One of the very few Beatles’ songs that felt mailed in lyrically. Could’ve should’ve would’ve been an all-time great.
It’s been said Lennon missed a chord- to me, that is SOOO cool. His insistent chops of rhythm
drive the song, never missing, except for that one ‘hole’ in the sound. Its almost like a little
challenge to find the place (kind of like the old US cartoon game of ‘where’s Waldo’ or for you
Brits, ‘where’s Wally?’).
Pardon my obsessing, but we Beatle fans tend to do this.
I just don’t get the negativity for some- its a driving, melodic fun rock song, well performed, sonically interesting (no drums for verses) piece of music. And how cool is it how your sense
of rhythm is thrown off by starting the song with only the guitar backbeat, and then having the rest of the instruments come in. (ok the ‘peasant’ rhyme IS unfortunate).
agree 100% ! ! !
that missing chord is something I focus on, sometimes missing out on how great a track this song is. (yeah, I know, the ‘peasant’ line strains a little).
ABSOLUTELY!
Paul rocks it and Johns accent on the beat is so cool .
yes slightly hmm on the word peasant but in the grand scheme of things and a million lyrics it’s ok to startle us and have us scratching our heads
I heard this song first on the Rarities-LP. The thing I remember it from nowadays is the jazzrock version Jeff Beck made of it on his album “Blow by blow”. Another sign that this song is cherished as a little jewel amongst other musicians.
Between 1:20 and 1:22 Paul sings “My love don’t give me peasants”. (That’s what I hear, anyway)
Yes it does come from that period (his “Help” songs “Another Girl” and “The Night Before” I would include in that category) that probably weren’t Paul’s most inspired moments. I still love it though!
“The Night Before” is in my opinion one of the better songs on ‘Help’ that, in my old age, I have come to enjoy more and more with repeated listening. It really seems to capture the mood of that era. But you are right about “Another Girl” as it seems to be a poor lead-up to “You’re going to lose that Girl”. Aside from some other questionable tracks on “Help” I am still puzzled by the inclusion of “Dizzy Miss Lizzy” cover with its annoyingly repetitive guitar riff.
,She,s a woman, is one of the most iconic songs of the 60’s, not that easy to replicate either from a musicians point of view, to get every pulse and note in the right order takes skill on this one and I,ve been studying every tablature for Bass produced for this track. Most people miss the obvious and comb through it incorrectly, but this is an over looked work of genius, I hope one day to have it properly off pat particularly the key change etc. The sound of this recording is indeed one of a kind and deserved the ‘A’ side, but with commercial audiences, a pointless explanation here. Regarding the lyrics which upset people with their simplistic terms i.e. ‘I know that she’s no peasant’ was a very common Liverpudlian saying back then which basically meant that the girl was not a complete philistine or unaccustomed to knowledge, this slang alone was one of the many traits that made the Beatles who they were, unique in everything they recorded.
I’ve loved the song since I first heard it as a kid. I’m surprised no one mentioned its appearance in the movie Help!.
The song is heard being played on a tape recorder underground during the Salisbury Plain scene in the movie.
Fifty years later and I just learned the song isn’t on the Help! Album but was a single. I recorded the audio to the movie using my black and white TV, a microphone, and my compact cassette tape recorder. I listened many times. Of course, now I have the DVD.
I don’t agree with any of the criticisms. I think it’s among their best songs.
Never one of my favorites. Not much for melody, and the lyrics border on silly. Lennon’s guitar is the best part (the dicipline not to over-strum!), but thats not enough to carry it.
Did George not really play on the rhythm track? If so, poor George, but killer rhythm guitar by John. His rhythm guitar takes the spotlight on this, at least from the instrumental standpoint. If George didn’t participate on the rhythm track, it must have been the beginning of the period when Paul started to tell George what to play and what not to play on certain songs. It must have been very difficult for George to have to deal with that, but then again, it was also good that Paul knew how to stick to his guns so his songs were recorded the way he wanted them to be. Too bad they couldn’t find a happy medium. At least George was able to do a little bit more on this song than on “Hey Jude.” By the way, I’m not trying to knock Paul. He knew how remarkable a guitarist George was, otherwise he wouldn’t have let him play at all on his many songs of that period. They all had their imperfections.
I think it is just an awesome, catchy tune with GREAT vocals by Paul. I don’t get all the analyzing . . . just enjoy!!!
I agree,great vibe just listen!
I always dug this one. Paul sings it thru the roof and John lays the solid foundation. Wonderful stuff. Beatle magic.
Back in the 60s in Manila, I’m just a 4 or 5 year old kid when I learned to play or spin 45 singles on a phonograph turntable.
We have this She’s A Woman/I Feel Fine single together with
Can’t Buy Me Love/You Can’t Do That,
Day Tripper/ We Can Work It Out 45s & play on rotation all day listening to it with my sisters. We enjoyed & got so familiarized with Paul’s screaming voice.