John Lennon Was Incredibly Ill When The Beatles Recorded One of Their Biggest Hits: “John’s Voice Was Almost Completely Gone”

In 1963, The Beatles released “Twist And Shout”, a song that would become one of their biggest hits. Written by Phil Medley and Bert Russell, “Twist And Shout” is on both Introducing…The Beatles, their first record in the United States, and Please Please Me, The Beatles’ debut record released in the United Kingdom. 

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Before The Beatles recorded “Twist And Shout”, it was first released by R&B group, The Top Notes in 1961. One year later,  The Isley Brothers released “Twist And Shout”, a version that inspired The Beatles to put their own spin on the song. Unfortunately, singer John Lennon was ill when they recorded “Twist And Shout”, making it a challenge for him in the studio.

Lennon was already suffering from a cold when The Beatles went in to record “Twist And Shout”. Struggling with a sore throat, The Beatles were at the end of a 12-hour studio session when they decided to record “Twist And Shout”.

“Someone suggested they do ‘Twist and Shout’ with John taking the lead vocal,” studio engineer Norman Smith recalls. “But by this time, all their throats were sore; it was 12 hours since we had started working. John’s, in particular, was almost completely gone so we really had to get it right the first time. The Beatles on the studio floor and us in the control room. 

“John sucked a couple more Zubes,” he adds,” referring to a type of throat lozenges, “had a bit of a gargle with milk and away we went.”

What Happened After The Beatles Recorded “Twist And Shout”

By the end of the recording session, Lennon was reportedly so sick that he sang without his shirt on. The Beatles did two takes of “Twist And Shout”, using the first one.

“Twist And Shout” became a No. 1 hit for The Beatles. But the song, although a massive hit for the group, wasn’t as big as some of their other hits. The Beatles dominated 16 consecutive weeks in the No. 1 spot on the charts in 1964. They spent eight weeks in the top spot with “I Want To Hold Your Hand”, followed by two weeks with “She Loves You”, one week of “Twist And Shout”, and five weeks with “Can’t Buy Me Love”.

Later in 1964, The Beatles returned to the top spot for one week, with “Love Me Do”, followed by three weeks with their “A Hard Day’s Night” single. At the end of 1964, The Beatles spent one week at No. 1, with “I Feel Fine”.

Still, “Twist And Shout” remains one of their most beloved hits. In 1986, it returned to the Top 25, after the song was used in the film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

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