Comments: 15

• Babbling Babette from Tulsa OkI had the 45 rpm single of the Isleys & the Beatles versions of "Twist & Shout." I think they were released about 2 years apart like '62 and '64. I like them both. Later in the Sixties, my oldest brother bought The Mamas & The Papas LP "Deliver" and whaddayaknow, "Twist and Shout" is on it, but done in slow tempo. At first, I didn't like it, but it grew on me. It was like a stoned-out version! Still, the Isley's and the Beatle's versions are great to dance to. The Twist King, Chubby Checker, even recorded this on his '62 LP "Your Dancing Party" and I loved it. Chubby even had the Isley's "Shout!" on that LP too.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn May 27th 1962, "Twist and Shout" by the Isley Brothers entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #84; and on August 5th, 1962 it peaked at #17 (for 1 week) and spent 16 weeks on the Top 100...
  It reached #2 on Billboard's R&B Singles chart...
  Between 1959 and 2001 the brothers had thirty-eight Top 100 hits; with four making the Top 10, "It's Your Thing" in 1969 was their biggest hit, it peaked at #2 for one week...
  The week "It's Your Thing" was at #2, the #1 record was "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" by the 5th Dimension.
• Elmer H from Westville, OkBack in 1962, this was one of the better Twist-craze records to climb the charts. I was 11 yrs old when it got into the Top Ten in my region (#17 on Billboard pop charts) and did some serious twisting to this record, even though I was forbidden to attend any teen dance parties of the times. I recall that "Twist & Shout" was also on Dee Dee Sharp's summer 1962 album "All The Hits by Dee Dee Sharp" too. Sharp's label, Cameo-Parkway Records, gave the song an even better production quality. Then many years later, I recall it was recorded by The Mamas & Papas in a much slicker ballad style. It lost all of its energy there. It's a dance song meant for energetic expression. And thanks to THE BEATLES for their absolutely compelling version of this song!
• Robin from Bolton, United KingdomTo be accurate: The Mamas & Papas version was on the album "Deliver", issued in 1967.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyThe flip-side of the 45 record was an instrumental version of the song!!!
• Sheriff from Lake Stevens, WaThe first Songfact need revision. "Twist and Shout" is a song written by Phil Medley and Bert Russell. Berns was the fellow who told Phil Specter he had messed it up and then went on to produce the famous Isley version.
• Tommy from Flanders, NjBy the way , it's only plagiarism if you take parts/melodies/lines from another song and call it your own.
• Tommy from Flanders, NjJohn Lennon was tired, but actually he had a very bad cold and sore throat when he sang this. He just belted it out and that's what you hear.
• Johnny from Los Angeles, CaI didn't know who wrote this! Yes, I love Johns vocals in the original version. He was very tired when the Beatles recorded this for Please Please Me and that's why if you listen it sounds so painful for him.
• Calum from Edinburgh, ScotlandWilf, I think the style of Twist and Shout is an homage to La Bamba and other Latin / Spanish songs. It's meant to sound like it - it's been built on the same chords.
• Jerry from Brooklyn, NyOn their "Greatest Hits" album, The Mamas and the Papas do this in a slow, ballad style. The concept sounds crazy and I can imagine the rest of the group wondering what John had been smoking when he came up with the idea! But, guess what, folks? It works!
• Wilf Hey from Bath, EnglandI have noticed a strong similarity between "Twist and Shout" and the classic "La Bamba". I don't remember the Isley brothers version, but the Beatles cover of "Twist and SHout" even features a guitar bridge that is almost exactly the same as the version of "La Bamba" performed by Richie Valens. Is this coincidence, plagiarism (whether conscious or not) or just my fevered imagination? Has it been noted before?
• John from Shelby, NvOne of John Lennons best vocal preformances.
• Bonnie from Hollywood, Cathat's odd, ST, because on the "Live at the Hollywood Bowl" LP, they start with this track. i don't know if it was spliced into that position or what. interesting.
• St from Dallas, TxThe Beatles ended many of their concerts with this song because by the end of a concert, their voices would be coarse enough to emulate the voices of the Isley Brothers.

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