Roll Over Beethoven (Beatles cover)

"Roll Over Beethoven" is a cover version of the 1956 Chuck Berry song of the same name by the English rock band the Beatles. The song was a favourite of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison even before they chose "the Beatles" as their name, and they continued to perform it right into their American tours of 1964. Their version of "Roll Over Beethoven" was recorded on July 30, 1963 at Abbey Road Studios, for their second British LP, With the Beatles, and features Harrison on vocals and guitar. The song has been described as an "homage cover".

In the United States, it was released on April 10, 1964, as the opening track of The Beatles' Second Album, and on May 11, 1964, as the opening track of the second Capitol EP, Four by the Beatles. It was released by Capitol in Canada with "Please Mister Postman" as the B-side, reaching number 2 on the CHUM Charts. This release reached number 68 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number 30 on the Cash Box Singles chart. In Sweden, it peaked at number 11 on the Kvällstoppen Chart. In Australia, it peaked at number one, with Hold Me Tight as the B-side, as did it in Denmark. In Canada, the song peaked at No. 2, on January 26, 1964.

In 1994, the Beatles released a live version of "Roll Over Beethoven" on Live at the BBC. This version had been recorded on February 28, 1964, and broadcast on March 30, 1964, as part of a BBC series starring the Beatles called From Us to You. This version of "Roll Over Beethoven" was used in the film Superman III, directed by Richard Lester, who also directed the Beatles' first two films, A Hard Day's Night and Help!. In 1995, a live version from an October 1963 performance at the Karlaplansstudion in Stockholm was released on Anthology 1.

Personnel

 * George Harrison – double-tracked vocals, lead guitar, handclaps
 * John Lennon – rhythm guitar, handclaps
 * Paul McCartney – bass, handclaps
 * Ringo Starr – drums, handclaps