‘I Saw Her Standing There’ is back on the charts—but not the way you’d expect. The Beatles’ vinyl EP, From Us To You, has entered the UK Vinyl Singles Chart, bringing a BBC recording from 1963 back into the top 10.
Recorded at the BBC Paris Studio on December 18, 1963, From Us To You was broadcast as a Boxing Day special on December 26, 1963. The two-hour program followed the conclusion of the Beatles’ Pop Go The Beatles radio series and was one of numerous specials broadcast on bank holidays.
The EP’s A-side features ‘From Us To You (Intro)’, ‘Boys’, and the fan-favourite ‘I Saw Her Standing There’. The B-side includes the Beatles’ version of controversial presenter Rolf Harris’ 1960 song ‘Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport’ and ‘From Us To You (Outro)’, all from the same BBC session.
The ‘Pop Go The Beatles’ radio series, produced on a measly £100 budget per episode, offered the band a unique outlet. While their live sets featured mostly Lennon-McCartney originals, the show allowed them to revisit R&B covers from their Liverpool and Hamburg days. These recordings often serve as the only surviving renditions of their pre-fame favourites and have been made into two separate compilations.
After the conclusion of their previous show, the BBC brought the band back in for a special broadcast. The ‘From Us To You’ special aired on Boxing Day 1963. The Beatles reworked their hit ‘From Me To You’ into a custom theme, opening and closing the two-hour broadcast. The success of ‘Pop Go The Beatles’ and ‘From Us To You’ led to four additional bank holiday specials over the next 18 months.
This release marks the unexpected return of I Saw Her Standing There to the charts. Originally featured on the Beatles’ debut album, Please Please Me, the track has long been celebrated as one of their most energetic performances. Its inclusion on this EP might not introduce it to a new generation of collectors and fans, but it does highlight just how important those early Beatles songs were to capturing American audiences less than a year later.
The track holds a special place in the band’s history. It was one of the first songs they performed during their groundbreaking appearances in the United States, helping cement Beatlemania on both sides of the Atlantic. This period of time will be covered in the upcoming documentary, ‘Beatles ’64‘.
This nostalgia-tinged release follows the Beatles’ recent chart success with Now and Then, their “final song”. Combining John Lennon’s 1970s demo vocals, George Harrison’s 1990s guitar parts, and new contributions from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, the track has earned Grammy nominations for Record of the Year and Best Rock Performance. Winners will be revealed in February’s awards ceremony.
Beyond the music, the vinyl release taps into a growing trend for physical media. It is becoming increasingly common to hear that vinyl has outsold CDs. In October, it was reported that vinyl sales had dropped by 33%, however this was due to a change in how figures were calculated, and sales were in fact up by 6.2%.
From Us To You may not top the mainstream charts, but its success on the UK Vinyl Singles Chart and UK Physical Singles Chart proves that Beatlemania is far from over. Over sixty years since its original broadcast, the Fab Four continue to resonate with new generations of fans.
