"Some Other Guy" is a

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

song, written by Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller and Richie Barrett. First released as a single by Barrett, it featured an

electric piano An electric piano is a musical instrument that has a piano-style musical keyboard, where sound is produced by means of mechanical hammers striking metal strings or reeds or wire tines, which leads to vibrations which are then converted into ele ...

, then an unusual sound in pop music. Covered shortly afterwards by Liverpool's the Big Three and

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

, the song was a standard in the

Merseybeat Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music genre that developed around Liverpool in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from British and American rock and roll, rhythm and blues, skiffle, tradit ...

scene.

The Beatles

The song was part of

' early repertoire, and film footage of The Beatles performing it live is the only known film with synchronized sound showing the group at the

Cavern Club The Cavern Club is a music venue on Mathew Street, Liverpool, England. The Cavern Club opened on 16 January 1957 as a jazz club, later becoming a centre of the rock and roll scene in Liverpool in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The club becam ...

. The grainy footage features

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

and

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

singing the song's melody on 22 August 1962. It is also the first film of

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, us ...

as the Beatles drummer,

Pete Best Randolph Peter Best (; born 24 November 1941) is an English retired musician who was the drummer for the Beatles from 1960 to 1962. He was dismissed shortly before the band achieved worldwide fame and is one of several people referred to as a ...

having left the band the week before. At the end of the song, a fan in the audience can be heard shouting "We want Pete!" This footage was featured in ''

Anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

'', while a BBC live version was released on the album '' Live at the BBC'' in 1994. McCartney stated: "It is a great song... It really got us started because that's one of the earliest bits of film of The Beatles. It was the song we sang when

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ...

came to the Cavern. It was also a bit of a muso song..." Lennon noted in a 1968 interview, "I’d like to make a record like "Some Other Guy." I haven’t done one that satisfies me as much as that satisfied me ... I’m not being modest. I mean, we’re still trying it." The Beatles play it in the key of D, with a slow A–C–D intro and second interval I–♭VII–I on every tonic (and the equivalent for IV and V). The "muso song" reference may relate to it being early example of a rock & roll song topped and tailed by a ♭VII–I cadence.Dominic Pedler. ''The Songwriting Secrets of The Beatles''. Music Sales Limited. Omnibus Press. NY. 2003. p233 Pete Best released a cover on his 1965 album, ''Best of The Beatles''. Best's version and The Beatles' version are similar in sound and structure. In the three-part TV series ''

Cilla Cilla is an English female given name, originally the diminutive form of Priscilla and less frequently Drusilla (name), Drusilla. People * Cilla Black (1943–2015), English singer, actress and entertainer * Cilla Fisher (born 1952), ex-member of ...

'' featuring

Sheridan Smith Sheridan Caroline Sian Smith (born 25 June 1981) is an English actress and singer. She came to prominence after playing a variety of characters in sitcoms, including '' The Royle Family'' (1999–2000), ''Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Cri ...

playing

Cilla Black Priscilla Maria Veronica White (27 May 1943 – 1 August 2015), better known as Cilla Black, was an English singer and television presenter. Championed by her friends the Beatles, Black began her career as a singer in 1963. Her singles "A ...

, Smith sings the song as "Some Other Girl", but otherwise her lyrics are the Barrett originals (save for "Some other girl, now, has just thrown water on my hand"). Smith also starts singing the line "Some other girl, now, is sipping up the honey like a yellow dog", but the scene is cut before the line is completed. She sings the line, "is breaking the padlock off my pad" three times.

References

{{Authority control 1962 singles 1962 songs Songs written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller The Searchers (band) songs The Beatles songs Atlantic Records singles