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"Twist and Shout" is a song written by Phil Medley and Bert Russell. It was originally recorded by the Topnotes and then 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 recording session for that album was their first album session, and is notable for eleven songs having been recorded in a mere 10 hours (the remaining four songs had previously been released as singles and one song was not released). "Twist and Shout" was the last song recorded; producer George Martin knew John Lennon's voice would suffer from the performance, so he left it until last, with only 15 minutes of scheduled recording time remaining for the album.
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, and the cold's effect on his voice is audible in this recording. 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 swallowed, it felt like sandpaper."
They tried for a second take, but Lennon had nothing left and it was abandoned. George Martin said, "I did try a second take … but John's voice had gone."
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".
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