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Till There Was You (WORD)
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YOU CAN PLAY ALONG IN THE SAME KEY AS THE BEATLES!
NOTE: The minor major seventh chord sees the most use in jazz and classical music. Some call it the Hitchcock chord for its use in the score for his 1968 thriller, Psycho. Give it a try! If you find that too difficult for now, then Instead of the AbmM7, you can just play an open Am7 until the Gm, e.g., No I [F] never [Am7] saw them at [Gm] all
"Till There Was You" is a song written by Meredith Willson for his musical play The Music Man (1957), and which also appeared in the 1962 movie version. It is sung by librarian Marian Paroo (performed by Barbara Cook on Broadway, and by Shirley Jones in the film) to "Professor" Harold Hill (portrayed on Broadway and in the film by Robert Preston) toward the end of Act Two.
The song became a hit for Anita Bryant in 1959, reaching number 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and spending two weeks at number 14 on Cash Box. "Till There Was You" was covered by the Beatles in 1963 and released their second album With the Beatles (1963) (United Kingdom) and Meet the Beatles! (1964) (United States). It was the only Broadway song released by the band. The Beatles' version is sung by Paul McCartney, who is accompanied by George Harrison and John Lennon on dueling acoustic, classical guitars played in a Spanish style over a bossa nova bongo beat played by Ringo Starr. The song was produced by George Martin. Its guitar solo is by George Harrison.
Paul McCartney was introduced to Peggy Lee's cover of the song through his older cousin Bett Robbins, who would occasionally babysit the two McCartney brothers. McCartney said that he "had no idea until much later" that it was from The Music Man. The song was part of their pre-recording repertoire in 1962, and they performed it at the Star Club in Hamburg. It became illustrative of the Beatles' versatility, proving that they could appeal to all sections of an audience, moving easily from softer ballads to harder rock and roll, as in their appearance on November 4, 1963 at the Royal Variety Performance when they followed this song with "Twist and Shout".
Much has been said about the first appearance of the iconic British rock band the Beatles on US television in 1964 and how iconic that moment was. But one aspect that is not often discussed is how their song choices helped make that moment iconic in the first place. This masterful marketing trick that helped to insure they would reach the widest audience and gain acceptance across generations.
How did the Fab Four do this? Read on.
THE BACKSTORY:
In 1964, while American youth were quickly drawn to the band's appeal the moment their songs first hit US radio, adults were not sure what to think of them. Some thought of them as "playing devil's music" as rock and roll was considered by some quarters as "evil".
The Beatles were quite aware of these perceptions and sought to sway them in their favor.
So when they performed on The Ed Sullivan Show that night on February 9, 1964, one of the first 3 songs they performed was a cover song: "Till There Was You." It was not just a mere cover song. It was a charming cover of a very popular show tune and one of the songs featured in a popular Broadway musical "The Music Man."
By performing "Till There Was You," the Beatles were sending a message to the doubting adults: “We are not a threat to your kids”. And, that they loved the music their parents loved as well. Suffice to say, it sealed the deal and, as they say, the rest is history.