It will be a little different today as this song was never a studio song. The Beatles never recorded this song for an album or single. Much later it was released in 1994 on Live At The BBC of them obviously doing it live.
They played this song regularly at the Cavern and Hamburg. The only known film footage of them playing in the Cavern is of them playing this song. It had been filmed on August 22, 1962 for Granada Television but the footage was grainy and they didn’t broadcast it until the Beatles hit big.
This is just a few days after Ringo became a Beatle. They had just got rid of Pete Best and you can hear at the very first of the Cavern footage a Pete Best fan saying “We Want Pete.” The footage is grainy but great. This was at the start of their rise. Love Me Do would be released two months later.
The Beatles loved to cover B sides and they had a knack for picking the right ones. I do wish they would have recorded this one in the studio but I don’t know if it would have captured the excitement of the live Cavern or BBC version. The song was written by Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, and Richie Barrett. Barrett released the song in 1962.
George Harrison: Brian (Manager Brian Epstein) had had a policy at NEMS of buying at least one copy of every record that was released. If it sold, he’d order another one, or five or whatever. Consequently he had records that weren’t hits in Britain, weren’t even hits in America. Before going to a gig we’d meet in the record store, after it had shut, and we’d search the racks like ferrets to see what new ones were there. That’s where we found artists like Arthur Alexander and Ritchie Barrett – ‘Some Other Guy’ was a great song.”
John Lennon: I’d like to make a record like ‘Some Other Guy’. I haven’t done one that satisfies me as much as that satisfies me.
The original, the BBC version, and the Cavern Version (it also shows a little of the original One after 909)…love Ringo’s drums on this.
Some Other Guy
Some other guy, now
Is taking my love away from me, oh now
Some other guy, now
Is taking away my sweet desire, oh now
Some other guy, now
Just threw water, hold my hand, oh now
I’m the lonely one, as lonely as I can feel, all right
Some other guy
Is tippin’ up behind me like a yellow dog, oh now
Some other guy, now
Has taken my love just like I’m gone, oh now
Some other guy, now
Has taken my love away from me, oh now
I’m the lonely one, as lonely as I can feel, all right
Oh oh oh oh
Some other guy
Is making me very, very mad, oh now
Some other guy, now
Is breaking my padlock off my pad, oh now
Some other guy, now
Took the first girl I’ve ever had, oh now
I’m the lonely one, as lonely as I can feel, all right now
Oh oh oh oh
I’m talking to you, right now
I like that last line, “I’m talking to you, right now” and it probably would have fit in Taxi Driver said by Robert De Niro.
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Yea it would have went with the other things he said.
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I had to look that one up – love the old footage from the Cavern. The really look like a high school band! 🙂
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They were raw in that and really rocked.
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Since I mentioned the term high school band, I should have added they certainly didn’t sound like one. They just looked so young. Well, they were in their early ’20s. It’s kind of mind-boggling to realize they were about to become superstars!
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Oh I know that Christian! They did look like they were in high school.
It’s historical…you have Ringo who was a new Beatle and angry Pete Best fans scattered about. I read where Pete was actually on the stairs and left when this started.
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Can imagine yourself in Pete’s shoes? He just was kicked out before The Beatles became the most famous band in the world. That being said, I’m glad they brought in Ringo – it really would have been a different band without him!
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After hearing what i’ve heard of his drumming…it was the right choice…not only musically but he just didn’t fit them personaility wise.
Saying that…I am happy they gave him a bunch of money for Anthology…enough were he could live comfortably the rest of his life. He did deserve that after playing with them and helping them get where they were.
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That’s true!
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Why did they get rid of Pete Best?
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His inability to drum something other than straight rock and roll…and he didn’t fit in…he would not hang out with them and change is hair etc…start at the 55 second mark of this video and listen…I think you will see.
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wow – good job, finding an unknown Beatles song (more or less)! I thought I knew it, from title, but I was thinking of something else- not entirely sure what!
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It’s a rocking one…being a Beatle fan I saw the early clips and loved this song. I like the rawness they had…if they would have done a studio cut of this…it wouldn’t have been so raw.
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done in the studio, it might have fit in with others from around then.
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Max you made my day with that live at the Cavern Club video! You can feel in the air with the expressions of the audience. Something that made their brains churn in a most pleasant way. I like the original “Some Other Guy” by Richard Barrett also. Got me up out of my chair and dancing.
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Well if it did that to you it still works! If they only knew what was in front of them at the time…4-5 years later…they would be doing I Am The Walrus…just incredible. You can feel the magic in the air.
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This is one song I don’t have and didn’t know. When I saw the title, I started thinking “what album is this one off” and i couldn’t place it. Glad to know I wasn’t crazy. I need the BBC stuff.
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It’s one I wished they would have recorded for an album in a studio.
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Maybe they did and it has never been released. Maybe for their 75th Anniversary more music will be found…LOL!!
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LOL I wish!
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Don’t we all!!
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I’ve heard the original by Barrett before, and think it’s better than the one by the Beatles. That said, had they recorded a good studio version, theirs may have ultimately been better.
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The original is growing on me and I like it…I heard the Beatles first with that rough take at the Cavern.
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The first and last person to ever say “We want Pete.”
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Amen…I heard enough of him on Anthology 1 on Love Me Do…whew…I’ve played with garage drummers better than him.
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