The Beatles, “Please Mister Postman” from With the Beatles (1963): Deep Beatles
The Beatles clearly had a fondness for the “girl group” sound, and no song better exemplifies that fact than “Please Mr. Postman,” the final entry in Deep Beatles’ look at the band’s best covers. Originally recorded by Motown act the Marvelettes, “Please Mister Postman” allowed the Beatles to demonstrate how they could interpret numerous genres, transforming them into their own sound. In addition, their enthusiasm and raw energy foreshadowed a change in pop culture, a musical revolution that the Beatles would lead.
Before examining the Beatles’ energetic take on “Please Mister Postman,” let’s rewind further back to 1961. That year five young women called the Casinyets entered Detroit’s Motown Studios, hoping to audition for label head Berry Gordy and songwriter/producer/singer Smokey Robinson. The two subsequently called in the group for another audition, but there was one problem: the group needed to perform an original tune. Under pressure, Georgia Dobbins and friend William Garrett penned “Please Mister Postman,” a bluesy number featuring only a few lyrics.
Dobbins departed the group after the second audition, but her song lingered. Gordy turned the promising track over to producers Freddie Gorman, Brian Holland and Robert Bateman to rework the tune (interestingly, Gorman moonlighted as a postman at the time). After Gordy rechristened the girl group the Marvelettes, the quartet recorded the song, accompanied by Motown house band the Funk Brothers and a new drummer: Marvin Gaye. By December, “Please Mister Postman” had become a massive hit, topping the R&B and Hot 100 and officially establishing Motown as a major force in music.
By: Kit O'Toole
Source: Something Else Reviews
