“Twist and Shout” (37) is a 1961 song written by Phil Medley and Bert Berns (later credited as “Bert Russell”). It was originally recorded by the Top Notes, an American R&B vocal group, at the Atlantic Studios in February 1961. The session was arranged by Teddy Randazzo and produced by Phil Spector. The Top Notes’ Howard “Howie” Guyton provided the lead vocals, with accompaniment by saxophonist King Curtis, guitarist Joohn Pizzarelli, drummer Panama Francis, and backing vocalists the Cookies.
When the Isley Brothers decided to record the song in 1962, Berns (who also used the name Bert Russell) assumed the role of producer. According to Unterberger, the new arrangement infused the tune with more “gospel-fired soul passion”: The real master trick of this rearrangement was a new bridge consisting solely of four ascending sung notes, the tempo becoming more emphatic and dramatic, ending in exultant sustained whooping before a “shake it on baby” led the Isleys back into the verse. “Twist and Shout” became the group’s first single to reach the Top 20 on the Billboard singles chart.
The Beatles rendition of “Twist and Shout” was released on their first UK album Please Please Me, based on the Isley Brothers’ version. John Lennon provided the lead vocals and initially felt ashamed of his performance in the song “because I could sing better than that, but now it doesn’t bother me. You can hear that I’m just a frantic guy doing his best.” A second take was attempted, but Lennon had nothing left, and it was abandoned. The Beatles’ version of “Twist and Shout” has been called “the most famous single take in rock history.”
It was the only million-selling Beatles single in the U.S. that was a cover song, and the only Beatles cover single to reach the Top 10 on a national record chart. In the UK, “Twist and Shout” was released by Parlophone on an EP with “Do You Want to Konw a Secret”, “A Taste of Honey”, and “There’s a Place” from the Please Please Me (1963) album. Both the EP and album reached No. 1.
American hip hop trio Salt-N-Pepa recorded a cover version on their 1988 album A Salt with a Deadly Pepa. It was released as a single and was met with success, reaching the top five in Spain, the Netherlands and the UK, where it reached No. 4, as well as the top 40 in Ireland, Belgium and Germany.
Jamaican reggae duo Chaka Demus & Pliers, collaborating with Jack Radics and Taxi Gang, recorded “Twist and Shout” for their fourth album, Tease Me (1993). It was released as single on December 6, 1993, and topped the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in January 1994. It was also a top-10 hit in Ireland (No. 9), Flanders (No. 7), the Netherlands (No. 6), Denmark (No. 4), and New Zealand (No. 2).