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"Twist and Shout" is a song written by Phil Medley and Bert Russell. It was originally titled "Shake It Up, Baby" and recorded by the Top Notes and then covered by The Isley Brothers. It was covered by The Beatles with John Lennon on the lead vocals and originally released on their first album Please Please Me. The song was covered by The Mamas & the Papas (in the style of a ballad) in 1967 on their album Deliver, and on a film soundtrack by Cliff Richard. It was also covered by The Tremeloes. Most recently Chaka Demus and Pliers (featuring Jack Radics and Taxi Gang) reached No. 1 on the UK charts with their version in January 1994. The Who performed it throughout their career, most notably on Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 and 1982's Who's Last.

The Top Notes' "Shake It Up, Baby"[link]

In 1961, a year after Phil Spector became a staff producer at Atlantic records, he was asked to produce a single by an up-and-coming vocal group, the Top Notes (sometimes named "Topnotes"): "Shake It Up, Babe." This was before Spector perfected his "Wall of Sound" technique, and the recording lacked all of the energy the group exhibited in its live performances. Songwriter Bert Russell felt Spector had ruined the song, and went out to show Spector how the song should be done.^[1]

Isley Brothers' version[link]

When the Isley Brothers decided to record the song in 1962, Russell opted to produce, and thus demonstrate to Spector what he had intended to be the "sound" of the record.^[1] The resulting recording captured the verve of an Isley Brothers performance, and became the trio's first record to reach a Top 20 position in the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

The Isley Brothers' version, with Ronald Isley on lead vocals, was the first major hit recording of the song, peaking at No. 17 on the U.S. pop top 40 charts, and No. 2 on the US R&B charts. The song quickly became a frequently covered R&B tune in the early 1960s. According to Ronald, the song was supposed to be the b-side to the Burt Bacharach standard, "Make It Easy On Yourself", which had been a hit for Jerry Butler. When the Isleys recorded "Twist and Shout", the brothers did not think the song would do well, as they had not had a hit in the three years since "Shout" established them. To their surprise, the song became their first Top 40 hit on both the pop and R&B charts, and for a time established the group's reputation for producing fast-paced songs during their earlier career.

Personnel[link]

• Ronald Isley – lead vocals
• O'Kelly Isley, Jr. – backing vocals
• Rudolph Isley – backing vocals
• Bert Russell – production

The Beatles' version[link]

The Beatles released the song on their first UK album, Please Please Me, the recording of which on February 11, 1963 was their first album session and is notable for 11 songs recorded in a mere 10 hours. "Twist and Shout", with John Lennon on lead vocals, was the last song recorded; producer George Martin knew Lennon's voice would suffer from the performance, so he left it until last, with only 15 minutes of scheduled recording time remaining.

Lennon was suffering from a cold, and was drinking milk and sucking on cough drops to soothe his throat. His coughing is audible on the album, as is the cold's effect on his voice. Even so, he produced a memorable vocal performance: a raucous, dynamic rocker. He later said his voice was not the same for a long time afterward, and that "every time [he] swallowed, it felt like sandpaper".^[2]

A second take was attempted, but Lennon had nothing left and it was abandoned.^[3] George Martin said, "I did try a second take ... but John's voice had gone."^[4]

The Beatles' cover was released on March 2, 1964 in the U.S. as a single, with "There's a Place" as its B-side,^[5] by Vee-Jay Records on the Tollie label. It reached No. 2 on April 4, 1964, during the week that the top five places on the chart were all Beatles singles. (In the Cashbox singles chart for the same week, "Twist and Shout" was No. 1.) In the United States, "Twist and Shout" was the only million-selling Beatles single that was a cover record, and the only Beatles cover single to reach the Top 10 on a national record chart. The song failed to hit #1 because the Beatles had another song occupying the top spot, "Can't Buy Me Love".

In the UK, "Twist and Shout" was released by Parlophone on an EP with three other tracks, "Do You Want to Know a Secret", "A Taste of Honey", and "There's a Place", from the Please Please Me album. Both the EP and album reached No. 1 (see Twist and Shout (EP)). In Canada, it became the title track to the second album of Beatles material to be issued by Capitol Records of Canada, on February 3, 1964.

It is regarded as one of the finest examples of British rock and roll for its vocal performance.^[6] The song was used as a rousing closing number on Sunday Night at the London Palladium in October 1963 and at The Royal Variety Show in November 1963, the former signalling the start of "Beatlemania". They performed it on one of their Ed Sullivan Show appearances in February 1964.

The Beatles continued to play the song live until the end of their August 1965 tour of North America. Additionally, they recorded "Twist and Shout" on nine occasions for BBC television and radio broadcasts, the earliest of which was for the Talent Spot radio show on November 27, 1962.

1986 recharting[link]

The Beatles' version of the song enjoyed a resurgence of popularity in 1986 after Matthew Broderick lip-synced to it in the film Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Coincidentally, the Rodney Dangerfield film Back to School (released two days after Ferris) also featured the song, this one sung by Dangerfield himself and patterned after the Beatles' arrangement. The use in the two films help propel the single up the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at No. 23 late that summer, giving the group their second chart single of the 1980s (the other being "The Beatles Movie Medley" in 1982). The song's seven-week run in the U.S. Top 40 in 1986, combined with its original 16-week run in 1964, makes Twist And Shout the longest-running Top 40 hit for the Beatles, at 23 weeks.

2010 UK chart entry[link]

In November 2010, 47 years after its recording, the Beatles' version of "Twist and Shout" made a debut on the UK singles charts. The highest charting Beatles track in the aftermath of their new availability on iTunes, it entered the charts at #48 in the first of a two week run.

Personnel[link]

• John Lennon – lead vocals, rhythm semi-acoustic guitar
• Paul McCartney – bass guitar, backing vocals
• George Harrison – lead guitar, backing vocals
• Ringo Starr – drums

Brian Poole and the Tremeloes' version[link]

In 1962 the Decca label signed Brian Poole and The Tremeloes, a British group from Dagenham, Essex, in preference to The Beatles. Both groups auditioned on the same day, and it has become legend that The Beatles were rejected by the label. Ironically, Brian Poole and The Tremeloes had no chart success until the beat boom in British rock surfaced, following the success of The Beatles. This triggered the frenzied signing of most of the popular Liverpool rock groups of that period by the major record labels, and their distinctive "sound" became known as Merseybeat. Brian Poole and The Tremeloes imitated this style, and covered "Twist and Shout" four months after The Beatles had released their version, and achieved the number four position in the UK Singles Chart.^[7]

Other cover versions[link]

• In 1962, Booker T. & the M.G.s included an instrumental version on their album, Green Onions.
• In 1962, The Majors covered the song on the album Meet the Majors.
• In 1963, The Searchers covered the song on the album Meet the Searchers.
• In 1964, The Iguanas covered the song on the album Jumpin' with the Iguanas.
• In 1964, Alvin and the Chipmunks covered the song on their album The Chipmunks Sing The Beatles Hits.
• In 1964, Johnny Rivers covered the song in a medley with "La Bamba" on the album At the Whisky à Go Go.
• In 1964, Jack Nitzsche and his orchestra included "Twist and Shout" on their release of Beatles instrumentals, Dance to the Hits of The Beatles on Reprise Records. It is now available on CD.
• In 1965, The Shangri-Las covered the song on the B-side to "Give Him a Great Big Kiss", reaching No. 18 in the US charts.
• In 1966, Mae West covered the song on her album Way Out West.
• In 1967, The Mamas & the Papas covered the song on the album The Mamas and the Papas Deliver.
• In 1969, Chuck Berry covered the song on his tour, recorded for his album Toronto Rock 'N' Roll Revival 1969 Vol. II.
• In 1981, David Lindley covered the song on his album El Rayo-X.
• In 1982, The Blockheads minus Chaz Jankel recorded a Funk version of the song after their break with Ian Dury.
• In 1988, Salt-n-Pepa recorded a cover version on their album A Salt with a Deadly Pepa. It was released as a single in the UK, and reached No. 4.
• In 1988, Crvena Jabuka recorded a cover version on their album Sanjati in Serbo-Croatian with the title "Twist And Shout (Sviđa Mi Se Ova Stvar)".
• In 1993, Chaka Demus & Pliers recorded a reggae version featuring Jack Radics, which went to No. 1 on the UK charts in 1994.
• In 1997, Celine Dion sang a version during her Falling into You Tour.^[8]
• In 2001, 'N Sync performed the song for their PopOdyssey Tour.
• In 2001, Electric Light Orchestra spin-off group The Orchestra recorded a 6:36 version on their album No Rewind, starting with slow, picked chords before picking up the famous riff.
• In 2002, Svartur Dödur recorded a version on their album Absurdum ad Infinitatem.
• In 2002, Dee Dee Ramone and Youth Gone Mad recorded a version on their album Youth Gone Mad featuring Dee Dee Ramone.
• In 2003, Westlife performed the song on their Greatest Hits Tour.
• In 2006, Diplo unofficially remixed the Beatles' version.
• In 2008, Bon Jovi covered the song on their Lost Highway Tour and in their concert in Central Park.
• In 2008, Plan B also did a version of the song in their first live performance.
• In 2008, The View did a version of the song in their last live performance of the year in Dundee.
• In 2009, Olly Murs performed the song for "Songs from Films Week" on the sixth series of The X Factor.
• In 2010, Michael Bublé covered the song on his Crazy Love Tour.
• Del Shannon covered the song and can be found on The Del Shannon Definitive Collection Disc 2.
• The Who covered the song live during their career, with Roger Daltrey singing lead vocals at the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970, and on their 1982 Farewell Tour,^[9] with John Entwistle singing lead. The 1982 version can be heard on the live album Who's Last.
• Bruce Springsteen has frequently played "Twist and Shout" live (including the Magic Tour in 2008), usually as an encore, and the song is readily available on bootlegs. Springsteen used it as an encore on December 8, 1980 in Philadelphia after hearing of the assassination of John Lennon.
• The song was covered as a part of the Backbeat soundtrack by a supergroup consisting of Dave Grohl, Dave Pirner, Thurston Moore, Mike Mills, Greg Dulli and Don Fleming (of Gumball).
• The Troggs recorded a "Louie Louie/Hang on Sloopy/Twist & Shout" medley.
• Alejandra Guzmán recorded a Spanish language version with the same melody called "Muévanse Todos" that itself is based in Vianey Valdés version released in the 1960s.
• The Punkles did a punk cover on their first album.
• Mookie Morris performed the song in the semi-finals of the sixth season of Canadian Idol.
• Tom Jones covered the song on his album Tom Jones Sings the Beatles.

Appearances in the media[link]

This section appears to contradict itself about what version was shown in Benjamin Button. Please see the talk page for more information. (August 2011)

• An instrumental version of the song appears in the video game Mikie.
• In the film Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) engages an entire parade and downtown Chicago in song and dance to "Twist and Shout". It uses the Beatles version, but Paul McCartney was upset that horns were arranged over the track.
• In the film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the version of the Beatles playing it live with Jimmie Nicol is played during the scene where Benjamin and Daisy move into their apartment then shows it on their TV.
• In the film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Benjamin and Daisy watch the Beatles' performance of the song on The Ed Sullivan Show.
• In an episode of Full House, Jesse persuades Michelle's class to sing "Twist and Shout" rather than "The Wheels on the Bus".^{[citation needed]}
• In an episode of A Different World, Whitley sings "Twist and Shout" on top of a bar when she and Kim decide to go out during their Thanksgiving break.
• In the series premiere of Round the Twist, all four members of the Twist family sing the song in the car en route to their new home
• The Beatles' version is used in the game Karaoke Revolution Volume 3.
• On Strictly Come Dancing the song was danced to by John Sergeant and Kristina Rhianoff.
• The Beatles' version is used in a commercial for WSBE, PBS KIDS.
• It is also sung by Coventry City, Preston North End, West Ham United and Barnet fans, and played before games.
• It is performed by Dale Gonyea with J.R. & the Z-Man in a scene from the film Tuff Turf.^[10]
• In the TV movie The Jacksons: An American Dream, The Jackson 5 is shown performing the song at a the Apollo Theatre.
• It is the opening track in the Career mode of The Beatles: Rock Band.
• In the film Back to School, Thornton Melon (Rodney Dangerfield) leads a barroom full of raucous partiers with Oingo Boingo as the backup band.
• In an episode of ER, Carter calls a radio show to request them to play "Twist and Shout" for Susan. Then he, Susan and Carol proceed to dance to the song in the middle of the emergency room, with various other employees dancing along.

See also[link]

• Twist and Shout (EP)

Notes[link]

James Hudson Taylor
Missionary to China
Born	(1832-05-21)21 May 1832 Barnsley, Yorkshire, England
Died	3 June 1905(1905-06-03) (aged 73) Changsha, Hunan, China
Education	Royal College of Surgeons
Title	MRCS FRGS
Spouse	Maria Jane Taylor (née Dyer); Jennie Taylor (née Faulding)
Parents	James Taylor Amelia Hudson

This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters.

Hudson & Maria Taylor in 1865

James Hudson Taylor (Chinese: 戴德生) (21 May 1832 – 3 June 1905), was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China, and founder of the China Inland Mission (CIM) (now OMF International). Taylor spent 51 years in China. The society that he began was responsible for bringing over 800 missionaries to the country who began 125 schools^[1] and directly resulted in 18,000 Christian conversions, as well as the establishment of more than 300 stations of work with more than 500 local helpers in all eighteen provinces.^[2]

Taylor was known for his sensitivity to Chinese culture and zeal for evangelism. He adopted wearing native Chinese clothing even though this was rare among missionaries of that time. Under his leadership, the CIM was singularly non-denominational in practice and accepted members from all Protestant groups, including individuals from the working class and single women as well as multinational recruits. Primarily because of the CIM's campaign against the Opium trade, Taylor has been referred to as one of the most significant Europeans to visit China in the 19th Century.^[3] Historian Ruth Tucker summarises the theme of his life:

No other missionary in the nineteen centuries since the Apostle Paul has had a wider vision and has carried out a more systematised plan of evangelising a broad geographical area than Hudson Taylor. ^[4]

Taylor was able to preach in several varieties of Chinese, including Mandarin, Chaozhou, and the Wu dialects of Shanghai and Ningbo. The last of these he knew well enough to help prepare a colloquial edition of the New Testament written in it.^[5]

Youth and early work[link]

Hudson Taylor at age 21

Hudson Taylor worked at Dr. Hardey's, and lodged for a time at his brother's home Mr Richard Hardey, 16 Kingston Square, Hull (top) and then moved and lived in the near poverty of Drainside

Taylor was born in Barnsley, Yorkshire, England, on 21 May 1832 the son of a chemist (pharmacist) and Methodist lay preacher James Taylor and his wife, Amelia (Hudson), but as a young man he moved away from the Christian beliefs of his parents. At seventeen, after reading an evangelistic tract pamphlet entitled "Poor Richard",^[6] he professed faith in Christ, and in December 1849, he committed himself to going to China as a missionary.^{[citation needed]} At this time he came into contact with Dr Edward Cronin of Kensington—one of the members of the first missionary party of the Plymouth Brethren to Baghdad. It is believed that Taylor learned his faith mission principles from his contact with the Brethren.^{[citation needed]}

Taylor was able to borrow a copy of China: Its State and Prospects by Walter Henry Medhurst, which he quickly read. About this time, he began studying the languages of Mandarin, Greek, Hebrew, and Latin.

In 1851, he moved to a poor neighbourhood in Kingston upon Hull to be a medical assistant with Dr. Robert Hardey, and began preparing himself for a life of faith and service, devoting himself to the poor and exercising faith that God would provide for his needs. He practiced distributing gospel tracts and open-air preaching among the poor.^{[citation needed]} He was baptised by Andrew John Jukes of the Plymouth Brethren in the Hull Brethren Assembly in 1852, and convinced his sister Amelia to also take adult baptism.^[7]

In 1852 he began studying medicine at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, London, as preparation for working in China. The great interest awakened in England about China through the civil war, which was then erroneously supposed to be a mass movement toward Christianity, together with the glowing but exaggerated reports made by Karl Gützlaff concerning China's accessibility, led to the founding of the Chinese Evangelisation Society, to the service of which Hudson Taylor offered himself as their first missionary.

First visit to China[link]

Hudson Taylor traveled by boat around the canals and waterways of China, preaching and distributing Bibles

Taylor left England on 19 September 1853 before completing his medical studies, arriving in Shanghai, China, on 1 March 1854. The nearly disastrous voyage aboard the clipper Dumfries through an Easterly passage near Buru Island lasted about five months. In China, he was immediately faced with civil war, throwing his first year there into turmoil.

Taylor made 18 preaching tours in the vicinity of Shanghai starting in 1855, and was often poorly received by the people, even though he brought with him medical supplies and skills. He made a decision to adopt the native Chinese clothes and queue (pigtail) with shaven forehead, however, and was then able to gain an audience without creating a disturbance. Previous to this, Taylor realised that wherever he went he was being referred to as a "black devil" because of the overcoat he wore. He distributed thousands of Chinese Gospel tracts and portions of Scripture in and around Shanghai. During his stay in Shanghai, he also adopted and cared for a Chinese boy named Hanban.

Scottish evangelist, William Chalmers Burns, of the English Presbyterian Mission began work in Shantou, and for a period Taylor joined him there. After leaving he later found that all of his medical supplies, being stored in Shanghai, had been destroyed by a fire. Then in October 1856, while traveling across China he was robbed of nearly everything he owned.

Relocated in Ningbo by 1857, Taylor received a letter from a supportive George Müller which led to Taylor and his co-worker John Jones deciding to resign from the problematic mission board which had sent them, and instead work independently in what came to be called the "Ningpo Mission". Four Chinese men joined them in their work: Ni Yongfa, Feng Ninggui, Wang Laijun, and Qiu Guogui.