How John Lennon Taught Paul McCartney to Capture His ‘Little Richard Voice’

The Beatles were massive admirers of Little Richard. John Lennon and Paul McCartney often spoke about how much they admired his explosive energy and vibrant music. The Beatles covered a few of his songs and tried to capture the same energy that made him unique. While recording a Little Richard cover, Lennon showed McCartney a technique that helped him figure out his “Little Richard voice.”

John Lennon was amazed by Little Richard when he was growing up

Little Richard was one of the earliest rock n’ roll stars who also impacted soul and funk music. His signature songs, such as “Tutti Frutti” and “Long Tall Sally,” propelled him to the top of the charts worldwide. His music found its way to Liverpool, where Lennon recalled being fascinated by his powerful voice and energetic music. In The Beatles Anthology, Lennon said his “howling” was the most exciting thing about his music. 

“The most exciting thing about early Little Richard was when he screamed just before the solo,” Lennon recalled. “That was howling. It used to make your hair stand on end when he did that long, long scream into the solo…It blew my mind. We’d never heard anybody sing like that in our lives, and all those saxes playing like crazy.”

John Lennon taught Paul McCartney how to find his ‘Little Richard’ voice

In 1964, The Beatles released a cover of Little Richard’s “Kansas City/ Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey,” a song originally recorded by Little Willie Littlefield. Paul McCartney was performing the vocals but wasn’t sure how to capture the high-pitch that Little Richard was known for. In an interview with Alec Baldwin for SiriusXM, McCartney shared the technique Lennon taught him to sound like Little Richard. 

“I’d been talking to John weeks before and he said, ‘how’d you do that voice? You know, that Little Richard voice.’ I said, ‘I don’t know.’ I said, ‘he’s somebody just comes out at the top of my head.’ And he said, ‘Oh, Hmm.’ So here’s me. It’s not working. And I’m trying to do ‘Kansas City’ and I’m struggling. I’m at the mic. I can’t get…I can’t get in the pocket. You know? So when he comes down from the control room, we’ve been listening, he said, he goes with me, he goes, ‘remember, comes out the top of your head.’ I go, ‘yeah.’ And then I do the take that, you know, as The Beatles take. So, you know, we admired each other.”

‘Kansas City’ is not the only Little Richard song the band covered

The Beatles released “Kansas City” on their album Beatles for Sale, but it wasn’t the only time John Lennon and Paul McCartney showed their appreciation for Little Richard. The Beatles covered several other Little Richard songs, including “Long Tall Sally,” “Lucille,” “Rip it Up,” and “Ooh! My Soul.”

The Beatles had the opportunity to develop a strong relationship with their idol when they toured with him in Hamburg in 1962. He helped launch The Beatles into the stratosphere and the band returned the favor by bringing attention to some of his best songs.