Written by Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller and Richard Barrett, ‘Some Other Guy’ was first released by Barrett as a single in 1962. Footage of The Beatles performing ‘Some Other Guy’ is the only known surviving film of the group at the Cavern Club.

Brian had had a policy at NEMS of buying at least one copy of every record that was released. If it sold, he’d order another one, or five or whatever. Consequently he had records that weren’t hits in Britain, weren’t even hits in America. Before going to a gig we’d meet in the record store, after it had shut, and we’d search the racks like ferrets to see what new ones were there. That’s where we found artists like Arthur Alexander and Ritchie Barrett – ‘Some Other Guy’ was a great song.

The Cavern Club footage was recorded on 22 August 1962 by a crew from Manchester-based Granada Television. They filmed the group’s lunchtime performance hoping to use it in their programme Know The North.

Various edits of the performance exist, some containing cutaways featuring general views from the club, audience members and shots of the band from different angles.

The Granada crew filmed ‘Some Other Guy’ from a single angle in the audience; it is likely that the added clips were filmed at other times that day. Granada also captured a performance of ‘Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!’

Ringo Starr had only joined The Beatles days before. The Granada recording captures a disgruntled fan shouting “We want Pete!” as ‘Some Other Guy’ draws to a close.

The grainy footage was not of broadcast quality, and was shelved until The Beatles became famous nationwide; it was finally transmitted on 6 November 1963 on Granada’s Scene At 6.30 programme.

I’d like to make a record like ‘Some Other Guy’. I haven’t done one that satisfies me as much as that satisfies me.
John Lennon
Rolling Stone, 17 September 1968

Acetates of The Beatles’ performance of ‘Some Other Guy’ from that day were later circulated in Liverpool, pressed up by Brian Epstein and sold from his NEMS store. The acetates featured a slightly different audio version, indicating that Granada captured The Beatles performed the song more than once that day.

BBC recordings

The Beatles recorded ‘Some Other Guy’ three times for BBC radio shows. The first was at the BBC Playhouse Theatre in London, for the Saturday Club programme. The group recorded the song along with four others on 22 January 1963, and the show was first broadcast four days later. This version was released in 2013 on the digital download album Bootleg Recordings 1963.

The second BBC version was also recorded on 22 January, this time at the BBC Paris Studio, London. They performed ‘Some Other Guy’, ‘Please Please Me’, and ‘Ask Me Why’.

The Beatles final BBC recording of the song was the one released on 1994’s Live At The BBC. It was performed for the Easy Beat programme on 19 June 1963, and was first broadcast four days later. The show was recorded before a live audience at the Playhouse Theatre, London.

Lyrics

Some other guy, now
Is taking my love away from me, oh now
Some other guy, now
Is taking away my sweet desire, oh now
Some other guy, now
Just threw water, hold my hand, oh now
I’m the lonely one, as lonely as I can feel, all right

Some other guy
Is tippin’ up behind me like a yellow dog, oh now
Some other guy, now
Has taken my love just like I’m gone, oh now
Some other guy, now
Has taken my love away from me, oh now
I’m the lonely one, as lonely as I can feel, all right

Oh oh oh oh

Some other guy
Is making me very, very mad, oh now
Some other guy, now
Is breaking my padlock off my pad, oh now
Some other guy, now
Took the first girl I’ve ever had, oh now
I’m the lonely one, as lonely as I can feel, all right now

Oh oh oh oh
I’m talking to you, right now


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