The Beatles are so well known for the songs they wrote than it’s easy to dismiss their early cover work. On three of their first four albums, covers make up about half of the track lists, with the Fab Four trying their hand at everything from rock to country to show tunes.
A few of those covers are so successful that they’ve become Beatles classics in their own right. ‘Baby It’s You,’ ‘Dizzy Miss Lizzy’ and ‘Devil in Her Heart’ are three that jump to mind. Today and tomorrow I’ll highlight the two that really rise to the top.
Smokey Robinson wrote ‘You Really Got a Hold On Me’ and recorded it with The Miracles. The Beatles’ take is essentially a note-for-note replica of the original and yet, despite all the classics Smokey released in his heyday, it somehow feels like the definitive version.
But I love you
Seems that I’m always
Thinkin’ of you
Oh, ho, ho, you treat me badly
I love you madly
You’ve really got a hold on me
(You really got a hold on me)
You really got a hold on me
(You really got a hold on me)
Baby
I don’t want you
But I need you
Don’t wanna kiss you
But I need to
Oh, ho, ho You do me wrong now
My love is strong now
You’ve really got a hold on me
(You really got a hold on me)
You really got a hold on me
(You really got a hold on me)
Baby
I love you and all I want you to do
Is just
Hold me
Hold me
Hold me
Hold me
Tighter
Tighter
I wanna leave you
Don’t wanna stay here
Don’t wanna spend another day here
Oh ho ho, I wanna split now
I just can’t quit now
You’ve really got a hold on me
(You really got a hold on me)
You really got a hold on me
(You really got a hold on me)
Baby
I love you and all I want you to do
Is just
Hold me (please)
Hold me (squeeze)
Hold me
Hold me
You really got a hold on me
Meet Me In Montauk 
Wow; I had no idea that the Beatles hadn’t written this song. Of course, as soon as I started reading, and hearing the song in my head before playing the clip, I realized it had to be Smokey. I guess I don’t really think about them as ever recording covers. That Lennon/McCartney tag is so famous that it sort of pushes everything else (other than the odd, brilliant Harrison tune) out of the way. So this is really cool. Thanks.
I recently heard Costello do a very good cover of this song.
As for Beatles covers, I would think the most famous one was probably “Twist and Shout.” At least that is the one that I have most come to identify with them rather than the original artist.