View source for I Want to Hold Your Hand

{{Short description|1963 single by the Beatles}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox song
| name          = I Want to Hold Your Hand
| cover         = 03_iwantoholdyourhand.jpg
| alt           = 
| border        = yes
| caption       = US picture sleeve
| type          = single
| artist        = [[the Beatles]]
| B-side        = *"[[This Boy]]" (UK)
*"[[I Saw Her Standing There]]" (US)
| released      = *{{Start date|1963|11|29|df=yes}} (UK)
*{{Start date|1963|12|26|df=yes}} (US)
| recorded      = 17 October 1963
| studio        = [[Abbey Road Studios|EMI]], London
| genre         = [[Rock and roll]], [[pop music|pop]]{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=89}}<ref name="Number Ones 2022">{{cite book|last= Breihan|first= Tom|chapter= The Beatles – "I Want To Hold Your Hand|date= 15 November 2022|title= The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music|publisher=[[Hachette Book Group]]|location= New York|page= 39}}</ref>
| length        = 2:24
| label         = *[[Parlophone]] (UK) · [[Capitol Records|Capitol]] (US)
| writer        = [[Lennon–McCartney]]
| producer      = [[George Martin]]
| chronology    = [[The Beatles]] UK
| prev_title    = [[She Loves You]]
| prev_year     = 1963
| next_title    = [[Can't Buy Me Love]]
| next_year     = 1964
| misc          = {{Extra chronology
 | artist     = [[The Beatles]] US
 | type       = single
 | prev_title = [[She Loves You]]
 | prev_year  = 1963
 | title      = I Want to Hold Your Hand
 | year       = 1963
 | next_title = [[My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean#Tony Sheridan and the Beatles|My Bonnie]]
 | next_year  = 1964
 }}
 {{External music video|header=Licensed audio| {{YouTube|XT4pwRi2JmY|"I Want to Hold Your Hand"}} }}
}}
"'''I Want to Hold Your Hand'''" is a song by the English [[rock music|rock]] band [[the Beatles]], written by [[John Lennon]] and [[Paul McCartney]]. Recorded on 17 October 1963 and released on 29 November 1963 in the United Kingdom, it was the first Beatles record to be made using [[multitrack recording|four-track]] recording equipment.

With advance orders exceeding one million copies in the UK, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" would have gone straight to the top of the British record charts on its day of release had it not been blocked by the group's first million-seller "[[She Loves You]]", their previous UK single, which was having a resurgence of popularity following intense media coverage of the group. Taking two weeks to dislodge its predecessor, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" stayed at number one for five weeks and remained in the UK top 50 for 21 weeks in total.{{sfn|Gambaccini|1991|pp=27}}

It was also the group's first American number-one hit, entering the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart on 18 January 1964 at number 45 and starting the [[British Invasion]] of the American music industry. By 1 February, it topped the Hot 100 and stayed there for seven weeks before being replaced by "She Loves You". It remained on the ''Billboard'' chart for 15 weeks.{{sfn|Harry|1985|pp=66}} "I Want to Hold Your Hand" became the Beatles' [[List of best-selling singles|best-selling single worldwide]], selling more than 12 million copies.{{sfn|Harry|2000|p=561}} In 2018, ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' magazine named it the 48th biggest hit of all time on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.<ref name="Hot 100 turns 60">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100-60th-anniversary |title=Hot 100 turns 60 |magazine=Billboard|access-date=6 August 2018}}</ref> In the UK, it was the second-highest-selling single of the 1960s, behind "She Loves You".<ref>{{cite web |title=Ken Dodd 'third best-selling artist of 1960s' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/10201932 |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=1 June 2010|access-date=7 September 2020}}</ref>

==Background and composition==
Capitol Records' rejection of the group's recordings in the US was now [[Brian Epstein]]'s primary concern, and he encouraged [[Lennon–McCartney|Lennon and McCartney]] to write a song to appeal specifically to the American market.{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|pp=88}} [[George Martin]], however, had no such explicit recollections, believing that Capitol was left with no alternative but to release "I Want to Hold Your Hand" due to increasing demand for the group's product.<ref>{{cite web |title=George Martin introduces "I Want To Hold Your Hand" video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iim6s8Ea_bE |via=YouTube |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102141516/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iim6s8Ea_bE |archive-date=2 November 2012}}</ref>

McCartney had recently moved into 57 [[Wimpole Street]], London, where he was lodging as a guest of Dr [[Richard Asher|Richard]] and Margaret Asher, and whose daughter, actress [[Jane Asher]], had become McCartney's girlfriend earlier in the year. This location briefly became Lennon and McCartney's new writing base, taking over from McCartney's Forthlin Road home in [[Liverpool]].{{sfn|Miles|1997|pp=107}} Margaret Asher taught the [[oboe]] in the "small, rather stuffy music room" in the basement{{sfn|Miles|1997|pp=107}} where Lennon and McCartney sat at the piano and composed "I Want to Hold Your Hand". In September 1980, Lennon told ''[[Playboy]]'' magazine:

{{blockquote|We wrote a lot of stuff together, one on one, eyeball to eyeball. Like in 'I Want to Hold Your Hand,' I remember when we got the chord that made the song. We were in Jane Asher's house, downstairs in the cellar playing on the piano at the same time. And we had, 'Oh you-u-u/ got that something{{nbsp}}...' And Paul hits this chord and I turn to him and say, 'That's it!' I said, 'Do that again!' In those days, we really used to absolutely write like that—both playing into each other's noses.<ref>{{cite web |title=With The Beatles |work=The Beatles Interview Database |url=http://www.beatlesinterviews.org/dba02with.html |access-date=1 September 2004}}</ref>}}

In 1994, McCartney agreed with Lennon's description of the circumstances surrounding the composition of "I Want to Hold Your Hand", saying: "'Eyeball to eyeball' is a very good description of it. That's exactly how it was. 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' was very co-written."{{sfn|Miles|1997|pp=108}} According to [[Ian MacDonald]], in keeping with how Lennon and McCartney collaborated at that time, lyrically bland, random phrases were most likely called out by the pair; if the phrases fitted the overall sound, they would stay. The song's title was probably a variation of "[[I Wanna Be Your Man]]", which the Beatles had recently recorded at EMI Studios.{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=91}}

==Musical structure==
{{Listen
| type = music
| filename = I Want To Hold Your Hand (Beatles song - sample).ogg
| title = "I Want to Hold Your Hand"
| description = 
}}
Reminiscent of [[Tin Pan Alley]] and [[Brill Building]] techniques and an example of modified [[thirty-two-bar form|32-bar form]],{{sfn|Covach|2005|p=70}} "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is written on a two-[[Bridge (music)|bridge]] model, with only an intervening verse to connect them. The song has no real "lead" singer, as Lennon and McCartney sing alternately in unison and in harmony.

The song is in the key of [[G major]] and lyrically opens two beats early with "''Oh yeah'', I'll tell you something" with a D-B, B-D melody note drop and rise over an I (G) chord.{{sfn|Pedler|2003|p=111}} Controversy exists over the landmark chord that Lennon stated McCartney hit on the piano while they were composing the song. Wolf Marshall considers it to be the minor vi (Em) chord (the third chord in the I–V7–vi (G–D7–Em) progression).<ref>Wolf Marshall. Guitar One. 1966 Vol 6, p16</ref> Walter Everett is of the same opinion.<ref>{{cite book |first=Walter |last=Everett |author-link=Walter Everett (musicologist) |title=The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men Through Rubber Soul |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2001 |page=110}}</ref> Dominic Pedler claims, however, that more surprising is the melody note drop from B to F{{sharp}} against a III7 (B7) chord on "understand".{{sfn|Pedler|2003|pp=110–111}}

==Recording==
The Beatles recorded "I Want to Hold Your Hand" at EMI Studios in Studio 2 on 17 October 1963. This song, along with the single's B-side, "[[This Boy]]", was the first Beatles song to be recorded with [[multitrack recording|four-track]] technology. The two songs were recorded on the same day, each needing seventeen takes.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1988|p=38}} Mono and stereo mixing was done by George Martin on 21 October 1963;{{sfn|Lewisohn|1996|p=125}} further stereo mixes were done on 8 June 1965, for compilations released by EMI affiliates in Australia and the Netherlands,{{sfn|Lewisohn|1996|p=194}} and on 7 November 1966.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1996|p=231}}

"I Want to Hold Your Hand" was one of two Beatles songs (along with "[[She Loves You]]" as "[[Komm, gib mir deine Hand/Sie liebt dich|Sie liebt dich]]") to be later recorded in German, entitled "Komm, gib mir deine Hand" (literally "Come, give me your hand"). Both songs were translated by Luxembourger musician [[Camillo Felgen]], under the pseudonym of "Jean Nicolas".
Odeon, the German arm of [[EMI]] (the parent company of the Beatles' record label, [[Parlophone]]) was convinced that the Beatles' records would not sell in Germany unless they were sung in German. The Beatles detested the idea, and when they were due to record the German version on 27 January 1964 at EMI's Pathe Marconi Studios in Paris (where the Beatles were performing 18 days of concerts at the Olympia Theatre), they chose to boycott the session. Their [[record producer]], George Martin, having waited some hours for them to show up, was outraged and insisted that they give it a try. Two days later, the Beatles recorded "Komm, gib mir deine Hand", one of the few times in their career that they recorded outside London. However, Martin later conceded: "They were right, actually, it wasn't necessary for them to record in German, but they weren't graceless, they did a good job".{{sfn|Lewisohn|1988|p=38}}

"Komm, gib mir deine Hand" was released as a German single in March 1964. In July, the song appeared in full stereo in the United States on the Beatles' Capitol LP ''[[Something New (Beatles album)|Something New]]''. (That album was released in CD form for the first time in 2004, on ''[[The Capitol Albums, Volume 1]]'', and then rereleased in 2014, individually and in the boxed set ''[[The U.S. Albums|The US Albums]]''.)  "Komm, gib mir deine Hand" also appeared on the compilations ''[[Past Masters]]'' and ''[[Mono Masters]]''.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}

==Promotion and release==
[[File:John Lennon Golden Record.jpg|thumb|[[Gold record]] awarded to the Beatles by the [[RIAA]] to commemorate one million sales of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" ([[Museum of Style Icons]], Ireland)]]
In the United Kingdom, "She Loves You" (released in August) shot back to the number-one position in November following blanket media coverage of the Beatles (described as [[Beatlemania]]). [[Mark Lewisohn]] later wrote: "'She Loves You' had already sold an industry-boggling three-quarters of a million before these fresh converts were pushing it into seven figures. And at this very moment, just four weeks before Christmas, with everyone connected to the music and relevant retail industries already lying prone in paroxysms of unimaginable delight, EMI pulled the trigger and released 'I Want to Hold Your Hand'. And then it was bloody pandemonium."{{sfn|Mojo Special Limited Edition|2002|p=48}}

On 29 November 1963, Parlophone Records released "I Want to Hold Your Hand" in the UK, with "[[This Boy]]" as the single's [[A-side and B-side|B-side]]. Demand had been building for quite a while, as evidenced by the one million advance orders for the single. When it was finally released, the response was phenomenal. A week after it entered the British charts, on 14 December 1963, it knocked "She Loves You" off the top spot, the first instance of an act taking over from itself at number one in British history, and it clung to the top spot for five weeks. It stayed in the charts for another 15 weeks and made a one-week return to the charts on 16 May 1964. Beatlemania was peaking at that time; during the same period, the Beatles set a record by occupying the top two positions on both the [[album]] and single charts in the UK.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}

EMI and Brian Epstein finally convinced American label Capitol Records, a subsidiary of EMI, that the Beatles could make an impact in the US, leading to the release of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" with "[[I Saw Her Standing There]]" on the B-side as a single on 26 December 1963. Capitol had previously resisted issuing Beatle recordings in the US. This resulted in the relatively modest Vee-Jay and Swan labels releasing the group's earlier Parlophone counterparts in the US. Seizing the opportunity, Epstein demanded US$40,000 from Capitol to promote the single (the most the Beatles had ever previously spent on an advertising campaign was US$5,000). The single had actually been intended for release in mid-January 1964, coinciding with [[The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show#1964|the planned appearance]] of the Beatles on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]''. However, a fourteen-year-old fan of the Beatles, [[Marsha Albert]], wanted to hear the Beatles on the radio earlier.{{sfn|de Vries|2004}} Later she said:
{{blockquote|It wasn't so much what I had seen, it's what I had heard. They had a scene where they played a clip of "She Loves You" and I thought it was a great song{{nbsp}}... I wrote that I thought the Beatles would be really popular here, and if <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[deejay]] Carroll James<nowiki>]</nowiki> could get one of their records, that would really be great.{{sfn|Harrington|2004}}}}

James was the DJ for [[WQOF|WWDC]], a radio station in Washington, DC. Eventually, he decided to pursue Albert's suggestion. He asked the station's promotion director to get [[British Overseas Airways Corporation]] to ship in a copy of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" from Britain. Albert related what happened next: "Carroll James called me up the day he got the record and said, 'If you can get down here by 5 o'clock, we'll let you introduce it.'" Albert managed to get to the station in time and introduced the record with: "Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time on the air in the United States, here are the Beatles singing 'I Want to Hold Your Hand'."{{sfn|de Vries|2004}}

The song proved to be a huge hit, a surprise for the station since they catered mainly to a more staid audience, which would typically be expecting songs from singers such as [[Andy Williams]] or [[Bobby Vinton]] instead of [[rock and roll]]. James took to playing the song repeatedly on the station, often turning it down in the middle to make the declaration, "This is a Carroll James exclusive",{{sfn|Harrington|2004}} to avoid theft of the song by other stations.

Capitol threatened to seek a court order banning airplay of "I Want to Hold Your Hand", which was already being spread by James to a couple of DJs in [[Chicago]] and [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]]. James and WWDC ignored the threat, and Capitol concluded that they could take advantage of the publicity, releasing the single two weeks ahead of schedule on 26 December.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}

The demand was insatiable; in the first three days alone, a quarter of a million copies had already been sold (10,000 copies in New York City every hour). The demand so overloaded Capitol that it contracted part of the job of pressing copies off to [[Columbia Records]] and [[RCA Records|RCA]]. By 18 January, the song had started its 15-week chart run. On 1 February, the Beatles finally achieved their first number one on ''Billboard'' (replacing "[[There! I've Said It Again]]" by [[Bobby Vinton]],{{sfn|Gilliland|1969|loc=Show 28}} emulating the success of another British group, the [[The Tornados|Tornados]] with "[[Telstar (song)|Telstar]]", which topped the ''Billboard'' chart for three weeks in December 1962. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" finally relinquished the number-one spot after seven weeks, succeeded by the song they had knocked off the top in Britain: "She Loves You". "I Want to Hold Your Hand" sold around five million copies in the US alone.<ref name="billboard">Tepper, Ron. "Alan Livingston, Capitol's Former President When The Beatles Came Calling, Recalls The 'British Invasion'" ''Billboard'' 4 May 1974: M-18</ref> The replacement of themselves at the top of the US charts was the first time since [[Elvis Presley]] in 1956, with "[[Love Me Tender (song)|Love Me Tender]]" beating out "[[Don't Be Cruel]]", that an act had dropped off the top of the American charts only to be replaced by another of their releases. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" also finished as the [[Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1964|number one song for 1964]], according to ''Billboard''.<ref>"[http://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/60s/1965/Billboard%201965-01-02.pdf  Top Records of 1964]", ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'', 2 January 1965. p. 6. Retrieved 14 March 2022.</ref> In 2013, ''Billboard'' listed it as the 44th most successful song of all-time on the Hot 100.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/list/2155531/the-hot-100-all-time-top-songs?list_page=4 |title=Hot 100 55th Anniversary: The All-Time Top 100 Songs |magazine=Billboard |date=2 August 2012 | access-date=9 August 2013 |author=Bronson, Fred}}</ref>

With that, the "[[British Invasion]]" of America had been launched. Throughout 1964, British pop and rock artists enjoyed unprecedented success on the American charts.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}

The American single's front and back sleeves featured a photograph of the Beatles with Paul McCartney holding a cigarette. In 1984, Capitol Records [[airbrush]]ed out the cigarette for the re-release of the single.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yokono.co.uk/collection/beatles/usa/single/usa_single_5112.html |website=yokono.co.uk |title=I Want To Hold Your Hand / I Saw Her Standing There {{!}} The Beatles Records Collection|access-date=2022-03-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ebay.com/itm/304174535121 |title=Beatles – Capitol – 1984 20th Anniversary 5112 I Want To Hold Your Hand – MINT!! |website=[[eBay]]|access-date=2022-03-09}}</ref>

"I Want to Hold Your Hand" was also released in America on the album ''[[Meet the Beatles!]]'', which altered the American charts by actually outselling the single. Beforehand, the American markets favoured hit singles more than whole albums; however, two months after the album's release, it had shipped 3,650,000 copies, over 200,000 ahead of the "I Want to Hold Your Hand" single at 3,400,000.<ref>Maher, Jack. "Beatles Are Enshrined in Mme. Tussaud's Waxworks" ''Billboard'' 28 March 1964: 8</ref>

The song was included on the 1964 Canadian release ''[[The Beatles' Long Tall Sally]]''. The November 1966 stereo remix appeared on 1966's ''[[A Collection of Beatles Oldies]]'', and on several later Beatles compilation albums, including 1973's ''[[1962–1966]]'', 1982's ''[[20 Greatest Hits (The Beatles album)|20 Greatest Hits]]'', and 2000's ''[[1 (The Beatles album)|1]]''.{{sfn|Winn|2008|p=86}} The 2009 CD rerelease of the Beatles' catalogue included the 1966 stereo remix on ''[[Past Masters]]'' and the original mono mix on ''[[Mono Masters]]''.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}

==Reception and legacy==
The song was greeted by raving fans on both sides of the Atlantic but was dismissed by some critics as nothing more than another fad song that would not hold up to the test of time. Cynthia Lowery of the [[Associated Press]] expressed her exasperation with Beatlemania by saying of the Beatles: "Heaven knows we've heard them enough. Getting a radio weather bulletin or time signal has been impossible without running into 'I Want to Hold Your Hand'."<ref>{{cite news |title=Will We All Become Beatle Nuts? |date=10 February 1964 |newspaper=The Ottawa Journal |url=http://beatles.ncf.ca/beatlenuts.html}}</ref>  ''[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]''{{'}}s music critic [[David Newman (screenwriter)|David Newman]] wrote, "Terrible awful. ...It's the bunk. The Beatles are indistinguishable from a hundred other similar loud and twanging rock-and-roll groups. They aren't talented singers (as Elvis was), they aren't fun (as Elvis was), they aren't anything."<ref>Newman, David, ''Esquire'', April 1964, 'Secular Music' column, pg 58</ref> In its contemporary review of the US single, ''[[Cash Box]]'' described it as "an infectious twist-like thumper that could spread like wildfire here."<ref name=cb>{{cite magazine |title=CashBox Record Reviews |date=4 January 1964 |page=8 |access-date=2022-01-12 |url=https://worldradiohstory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/60s/1964/CB-1964-01-04.pdf |magazine=Cash Box}}{{dead link|date=May 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

In his book ''[[Revolution in the Head]]'', Ian MacDonald wrote that the song "electrified American pop", adding: "Every American artist, black or white, asked about 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' has said much the same: it altered everything, ushering in a new era and changing their lives."{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=89}} [[Bob Dylan]] said: "They were doing things nobody was doing. Their chords were outrageous, just outrageous, and their harmonies made it all valid."{{sfn|Scaduto|1973|pp=203–04}} For a time, Dylan thought the Beatles were singing "I get high" instead of "I can't hide". He was surprised when he met them and found out that none of them actually smoked [[cannabis (drug)|marijuana]].{{sfn|Segal|2005}} [[The Beach Boys]]' [[Brian Wilson]] recalled his initial reaction to the song: "I flipped. It was like a shock went through my system{{nbsp}}... I immediately knew that everything had changed"; he said that he and [[Mike Love]] had a meeting to discuss the challenge presented by the Beatles, as "For a while there, we felt really threatened."{{sfn|Mojo Special Limited Edition|2002|p=4}} In another interview, Wilson said the song "wasn't even that great a record, but they [female Beatles fans] just screamed at it{{nbsp}}... It got us off our asses in the studio{{nbsp}}... we said 'look, don't worry about the Beatles, we'll cut our own stuff.'"<ref>{{cite AV media |people=[[David Espar|Espar, David]], [[Robert Levi|Levi, Robert]] (directors) |year=1995 |title=Rock & Roll |medium=[[Miniseries]]}}</ref>

Discussing the Beatles' musical legacy in the 2004 edition of ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]'', [[Rob Sheffield]] states:
{{blockquote|The Beatles left behind more great music than anybody can process in a lifetime{{nbsp}}... Just check out "I Want to Hold Your Hand", which explodes out of the speakers with the most passionate singing, drumming, lyrics, guitars, and girl-crazy howls ever{{snd}}it's no insult to the Beatles to say they never topped this song because nobody else has either{{nbsp}}... It's the most joyous three minutes in the history of human noise.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last1=Brackett |editor-first1=Nathan |editor-last2=Hoard |editor-first2=Christian |year=2004 |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |edition=4th |location=New York City |publisher=Fireside/Simon & Schuster |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/51 51] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/51}}</ref>}}

At the annual [[Ivor Novello Awards]], "I Want to Hold Your Hand" finished second in the category "The 'A' Side of the Record Issued in 1963 Which Achieved the Highest Certified British Sales", behind "She Loves You".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://theivors.com/archive/1960-1969/the-ivors-1964/ |title=The Ivors 1964 |publisher=[[Ivor Novello Awards|theivors.com]]|access-date=26 January 2019|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170307003525/http://theivors.com/archive/1960-1969/the-ivors-1964/ |archive-date=7 March 2017}}</ref> The song was nominated for the 1964 [[Grammy Award for Record of the Year]]. Still, the award went to [[Astrud Gilberto]] and [[Stan Getz]] for "[[The Girl from Ipanema]]". However, in 1998, the song was inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame Award|Grammy Hall of Fame]]. It has also made the list in [[The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll]]. In addition, the [[Recording Industry Association of America]], the [[National Endowment for the Arts]] and [[Scholastic Press]] have named "I Want to Hold Your Hand" as one of the [[Songs of the Century]]. {{RS500S|16|it}}{{sfn|Rolling Stone|2004}} In 2010, ''Rolling Stone'' placed the song at number 2 on its list of the 100 Greatest Beatles Songs, after "[[A Day in the Life]]".{{sfn|Rolling Stone|2010}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=2: I Want to Hold Your Hand |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-beatles-songs-20110919/i-want-to-hold-your-hand-19691231 |magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=21 May 2013}}</ref> It was ranked number 2 in ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]''{{'}}s list on the "100 Records That Changed the World", after [[Little Richard]]'s "[[Tutti Frutti (song)|Tutti Frutti]]".<ref>{{cite web |title=Big Bangs: 100 Records That Changed the World |date=June 2007 |work=MOJO |publisher=Rocklist.net |url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/mojo.html#100%20Records%20That%20Changed%20the%20World|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051207104904/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/mojo.html#100%20Records%20That%20Changed%20the%20World|url-status=usurped|archive-date=7 December 2005}}</ref> The song was ranked number 39 on ''Billboard''{{'}}s All Time Top 100.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs (40–31) |url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/specials/hot100/charts/top100-titles-40.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080913210001/http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/specials/hot100/charts/top100-titles-40.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 September 2008 |magazine=Billboard |year=2008}}</ref> In 2011, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' included the song on its list of the All-TIME 100 Songs.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Wolk |first=Douglas |date=24 October 2011 |title=All-TIME 100 Songs: 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' |magazine=Time |url=https://entertainment.time.com/2011/10/24/the-all-time-100-songs/?hub=2793493#i-wanna-hold-your-hand-the-beatles |access-date=29 December 2011}}</ref> {{As of |2018|December}}, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" was the 18th best-selling single of all time in the UK.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-best-selling-singles-of-all-time-on-the-official-uk-chart__21298/ |last=Myers |first=Justin |date=14 December 2018 |title=The best-selling singles of all time on the Official UK Chart |publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=26 January 2019}}</ref>

Starting at the song's final week at the top of the American charts, the Beatles have the all-time record of seven number-one songs in a one-year period. In order, these were "I Want to Hold Your Hand", "She Loves You", "[[Can't Buy Me Love]]", "[[Love Me Do]]", "[[A Hard Day's Night (song)|A Hard Day's Night]]", "[[I Feel Fine]]" and "[[Eight Days a Week]]". It was also the first of seven songs written by Lennon–McCartney to top the US charts in 1964—an all-time record for writing the most songs to hit number one on the US charts in the same calendar year.

==Cover versions and use in pop culture==
{{more citations needed|section|date=January 2017}}
Many other musicians have recorded the song. Notable examples include:
* In 1964, [[Arthur Fiedler]] & the [[Boston Pops Orchestra]] recorded an instrumental version, which rose to number 55 in the American charts.
* In 1964, Yugoslav band [[Bijele Strijele]] released a [[Serbo-Croatian]] version of the song entitled "Ljubav nas čeka" ("Love Is Waiting for Us").<ref name="janjatović30">{{cite book |last=Janjatović |first=Petar |title=EX YU ROCK enciklopedija 1960–2006 |year=2007 |publisher=self-released |location=Belgrade |page=30}}</ref>
* In 1969, soul singer [[Al Green]] covered the song.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/17/booming/the-beatles-i-want-to-hold-your-hand-then-al-greens.html |title=The Beatles' 'I Want to Hold Your Hand,' Then Al Green's |work=[[The New York Times]]|date=17 December 2013 |access-date=11 March 2014|last1=Haller |first1=Val }}</ref> 
* In 1969, the [[Moving Sidewalks]] covered the song, which appeared as a bonus track on the album [[Flash (Moving Sidewalks album)|Flash]]. The [[Melvins]] covered the song in a version based on the Moving Sidewalks' version in the 2018 album [[Pinkus Abortion Technician]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cooldadmusic.com/2019/10/matt-chrystal-interviews-king-buzzo-of.html | title=Matt Chrystal Interviews King Buzzo of the Melvins. Melvins Play the Stone Pony with Redd Kross on 10/11 | date=October 2019 }}</ref>
* In 1976, pop rock band [[Sparks (band)|Sparks]] recorded a cover version as a single, produced by [[Rupert Holmes]] and [[Jeffrey Lesser (producer)|Jeffrey Lesser]]. It was later included as a bonus track on the 1994 CD release of their 1975 album ''[[Indiscreet (Sparks album)|Indiscreet]]'' and on the 2006 "21st Century Edition" version of their 1976 album ''[[Big Beat (album)|Big Beat]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sparks – I Want To Hold Your Hand |url=https://www.discogs.com/master/388277-Sparks-I-Want-To-Hold-Your-Hand |website=[[Discogs]] |date=1976 |access-date=15 November 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=I Want to Hold Your Hand - Sparks |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/i-want-to-hold-your-hand-mt0028596739 |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=15 November 2024}}</ref>
* [[Robert Zemeckis]]' 1978 comedy film about Beatles fans in 1964 was called ''[[I Wanna Hold Your Hand (film)|I Wanna Hold Your Hand]]''.
* In 1980, British pop duo [[Dollar (band)|Dollar]] had a UK Top 10 hit with their cover, included on the re-release of their debut album ''[[Shooting Stars (album)|Shooting Stars]]'' (1979).
* In 1982, [[funk]] band [[Lakeside (band)|Lakeside]] covered the song as a ballad and became a Top Ten R&B hit. 
* In 1996, singer [[Manny Manuel]] covered the song in Spanish as "Dame tu mano y ven" on the compilation album ''[[Tropical Tribute to the Beatles]]''. This version peaked at number 13 on the [[Hot Latin Songs|''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs]] chart.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/manny-manuel-mn0000957349/awards |title=Manny Manuel: Awards |publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=4 April 2013}}</ref> Manuel's cover led to McCartney receiving a [[Broadcast Music, Inc.|BMI]] Latin Award in 1997.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Los Premios Latino de BMI |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AQoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA85 |magazine=Billboard |page=85 |date=13 September 1997|access-date=29 June 2015}}</ref>
* In 2007, the musical ''[[Across the Universe (film)|Across The Universe]]''{{'}}s [[T.V. Carpio|Prudence]] performed a cover version, and it was included on the soundtrack.
* In 2010, the FOX comedy ''[[Glee (TV series)|Glee]]''{{'}}s [[Kurt Hummel]] performed a cover version, and it was included on the album and live concert.
* In 2012, [[Big Time Rush (group)|Big Time Rush]] performed a cover version for their movie, [[Big Time Movie]], and it was included on the soundtrack.

==Personnel==
According to Ian MacDonald:{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=87}}

*[[John Lennon]] &ndash; harmony vocals with Paul McCartney, rhythm guitar, handclaps
*[[Paul McCartney]] &ndash; harmony vocals with John Lennon, bass guitar, handclaps
*[[George Harrison]] &ndash; lead guitar, handclaps
*[[Ringo Starr]] &ndash; drums, handclaps

==Charts==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

===Weekly charts===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Chart (1963–1964)
!Peak<br />position
|-
|Australian [[Kent Music Report]]<ref>{{cite book |title=Australian Chart Book (1940–1969) |author=Kent, David |publisher=Australian Chart Book |location=Turramurra |year=2005 |isbn=0-646-44439-5}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|{{single chart|Flanders|6|artist=The Beatles|song=I Want to Hold Your Hand|access-date=16 May 2016}}
|-
|Denmark ([[Hitlisten|Salgshitlisterne Top 20]])<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Beatles – Salgshitlisterne Top 20|url=http://danskehitlister.dk/?artist_id=26|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104013806/http://danskehitlister.dk/?artist_id=26|archive-date=2013-11-04|access-date=2022-08-02|website=Danske Hitlister}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |1
|-
|Finland ([[The Official Finnish Charts]])<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=12 August 2015 |title=Sisältää hitin: Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1960: Artistit SAR – SEM |url=http://suomenlistalevyt.blogspot.com/2015/08/bat-bif.html |access-date=2022-03-26 |website=Sisältää hitin}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|6
|-
|{{single chart|Ireland2|2|artist=The Beatles|song=I Wanna Hold Your Hand|access-date=16 May 2016}}
|-
|{{single chart|Dutch100|1|artist=The Beatles|song=I Want to Hold Your Hand|access-date=16 May 2016}}
|-
|New Zealand Lever Hit Parade<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hung |first1=Steffen |title=charts.nz |url=https://charts.nz/forum.asp?todo=viewthread&id=46591&pages= |website=charts.nz|access-date=23 February 2017}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|{{single chart|Norway|1|artist=The Beatles|song=I Want to Hold Your Hand|access-date=16 May 2016}}
|-
|Sweden ([[Kvällstoppen]])<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hallberg|first=Eric|title=Eric Hallberg presenterar Kvällstoppen i P 3: Sveriges radios topplista över veckans 20 mest sålda skivor 10. 7. 1962 – 19. 8. 1975|publisher=Drift Musik|year=1993|pages=130|isbn=9163021404}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|Sweden (''[[Tio i Topp]]'')<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Hallberg |first1=Eric |title=Eric Hallberg, Ulf Henningsson presenterar Tio i topp med de utslagna på försök: 1961 – 74 |last2=Henningsson |first2=Ulf |publisher=Premium Publishing |year=1998 |isbn=919727125X |pages=53}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|{{single chart|UK|1|date=1963-12-18|access-date=16 May 2016}}
|-
|{{single chart|Billboardhot100|1|artist=The Beatles|access-date=16 May 2016}}
|-
|US [[Cashbox (magazine)|''Cash Box'' Top 100]]<ref>{{cite book |first=Frank |last=Hoffmann |year=1983 |title=The Cash Box Singles Charts, 1950–1981 |publisher=The Scarecrow Press, Inc |location=Metuchen, NJ & London |pages=32–34}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|West German [[Media Control]] Singles Chart<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts |title=Offizielle Deutsche Charts |format=Enter "Beatles" in the search box |publisher=[[GfK Entertainment charts]] |language=de|access-date=16 May 2016}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|}
{|class="wikitable "
|-
!Chart (2015)
!Peak<br />position
|-
| Sweden Heatseeker ([[Sverigetopplistan]])<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sverigetopplistan.se/chart/215?dspy=2015&dspp=53 |title=Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 53, 2015 |language=sv |publisher=[[Sverigetopplistan]]|access-date=2 May 2021}}</ref>
|style="text-align:center;"| 7
|}
{{col-2}}

===Year-end charts===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Chart (1963)
! style="text-align:center;"|Rank
|-
|UK Singles ([[UK Singles Chart|OCC]])<ref>{{cite web |title=The 100 best-selling singles of 1963 [in the U.K.] |publisher=sixtiescity.net |access-date= 2 August 2022 |url=http://www.sixtiescity.net/charts/63chart.htm#top100}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|23
|-
|Australia
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Chart (1964)
! style="text-align:center;"|Rank
|-
|UK Singles ([[UK Singles Chart|OCC]])<ref>{{cite web |title=The 100 best-selling singles of 1964 [in the U.K.] |publisher=sixtiescity.net |access-date= 2 August 2022 |url=https://www.sixtiescity.net/charts/64chart.htm}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|23
|-
|US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1964.htm |title=Top 100 Hits of 1964/Top 100 Songs of 1964 |website=musicoutfitters.com}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|US ''Cash Box''<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1964 |magazine=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]] |url=https://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/60s_files/1964YESP.html |access-date=22 February 2021 |archive-date=10 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710115047/http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/60s_files/1964YESP.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|}

===All-time charts===
{|class="wikitable"
!Chart (1958–2018)
!Position
|-
|US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]<ref name="Hot 100 turns 60"/>
| style="text-align:center;"|48
|}
{{col-end}}

==Certifications and sales==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Belgium|artist=The Beatles|title=I Want to Hold Your Hand|nocert=true|relyear=1963|salesamount=126,000|type=single|salesref=<ref>{{cite web |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1974/Music-Week-1974-09-14.pdf |publisher=[[Music Week]] |title=Belgium Backs Bubble Gum Music |page=36 |date=14 September 1974 |accessdate=30 November 2021}}</ref>}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|title=I Want to Hold Your Hand|artist=The Beatles|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=1963|access-date=December 15, 2024|certyear=2024|source=radioscope}}
{{Certification Table Entry |region=Spain|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=1963|certyear=2024|id=the-beatles-i-want-to-hold-your-hand|artist=The Beatles|title=I Want to Hold Your Hand|accessdate=16 January 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Beatles|title=I Want to Hold Your Hand|award=Gold|relyear=2010|certyear=2023|id=16107-1786-1|salesamount=1,810,829|type=single|salesref=<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-uks-official-chart-millionaires-revealed__20459/ |title=The UK's Official Chart 'millionaires' revealed |last=Copsey |first=Rob |date=19 September 2017 |publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=27 February 2021}}</ref>|access-date=6 January 2023}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=The Beatles|title=I Want to Hold Your Hand|award=Gold|relyear=1963|certyear=1964|salesamount=5,000,000|salesref=<ref name="billboard"/>|type=single|access-date=15 May 2016}}
{{Certification Table Summary}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Worldwide|artist=The Beatles|title=I Want to Hold Your Hand|nocert=true|relyear=1963|salesamount=12,000,000|type=single|salesref={{sfn|Harry|2000|p=561}}}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
* {{cite journal |journal=Shmoop |title=I Want to Hold Your Hand: Shmoop Music Guide |ref={{harvid|Shmoop}}
}}
* {{cite book |author=The Beatles |year=2000| author-link=The Beatles |title=The Beatles Anthology |publisher=Cassell & Co |location=London |isbn=0-304-35605-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Covach |first=John |year=2005 |title=Engaging Music: Essays in Music Analysis |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |chapter=Form in Rock Music: A Primer| editor-last=Stein| editor-first=Deborah |isbn=0-19-517010-5}}
* {{cite news |last=de Vries |first=Lloyd |title=Beatles' 'Helping Hand' Shuns Fame: Fab Four Fan Want To Find Teen Who Helped Launched Beatlemania |date=16 January 2004 |publisher=[[CBS News]] |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/beatles-helping-hand-shuns-fame/| access-date=21 September 2006}}
* {{cite book |last=Gambaccini |first=Paul |year=1991 |title=British Hit Singles |publisher=Guinness Publishing |location=London |isbn=0-85112-941-2}}
* {{Gilliland
|show=27
|title=The British Are Coming! The British Are Coming!: The U.S.A. is invaded by a wave of long-haired English rockers
}}
* {{cite news |last=Harrington |first=Richard |title=The Beatles' Helping 'Hand' |date=16 August 2004 |newspaper=The Washington Post|page=C01 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A21531-2004Jan15&notFound=true|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111019151307/https://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A21531-2004Jan15&notFound=true|archive-date=2011-10-19}}
* {{cite book |last=Harry |first=Bill |year=1985| author-link=Bill Harry |title=The Book of Beatle Lists |publisher=Javelin |isbn=0-7137-1521-9}}
* {{cite book |last=Harry |first=Bill |year=2000 |title=The Beatles Encyclopedia: Revised and Updated |publisher=[[Virgin Publishing]] |location=London |isbn=0-7535-0481-2}}
* {{cite book |last=Lewisohn |first=Mark |year=1988| author-link=Mark Lewisohn |title=The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions |publisher=Hamlyn |location=London |isbn=0-600-55798-7}}
* {{cite book |last=Lewisohn |first=Mark |year=1996 |title=The Complete Beatles Chronicle |publisher=Chancellor Press |location=London |isbn=1-85152-975-6}}
* {{cite book |last=MacDonald |first=Ian |year=1998| author-link=Ian MacDonald |title=Revolution in the Head |publisher=Pimlico |location=London |isbn=0-7126-6697-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Miles |first=Barry |year=1997| author-link=Barry Miles |title=Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now |publisher=Vintage |location=London |isbn=0-7493-8658-4}}
* {{cite book |year=2002 |title=Mojo Special Limited Edition: 1000 Days That Shook the World (The Psychedelic Beatles – April 1, 1965 to December 26, 1967) |publisher=EMAP Metro Limited |location=London| title-link=Mojo (magazine)#Special editions |ref={{SfnRef|Mojo Special Limited Edition|2002}}
}}
* {{cite book |last=Pedler |first=Dominic |title=The Songwriting Secrets of the Beatles |publisher=Omnibus Press |location=London |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-7119-8167-6}}
* {{cite magazine |magazine=Rolling Stone |title=The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time |date=9 December 2004 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060815105453/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs| url-status=dead| archive-date=15 August 2006| access-date=28 February 2007 |ref={{SfnRef|Rolling Stone|2004}}
}}
* {{cite magazine |magazine=Rolling Stone |title=The RS 100 Greatest Beatles Songs of All Time |date=August 2010 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/photos/28431/194023/8| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100828101810/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/photos/28431/194023/8| url-status=dead| archive-date=28 August 2010| access-date=30 August 2010 |ref={{SfnRef|Rolling Stone|2010}}
}}
* {{cite book |last=Scaduto |first=Anthony |year=1973 |title=Bob Dylan |publisher=[[Signet Books]] |location=New York, NY |asin=B000J68AZM}}
* {{cite news |last=Segal |first=David |title=The Rock Journalist at a High Point in Music History |date=3 August 2005 |newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/02/AR2005080201920.html}}
* {{cite book |last=Winn |first=John C. |year=2008 |title=Way Beyond Compare: The Beatles' Recorded Legacy, Volume One, 1962–1965 |publisher=Three Rivers Press |location=New York, NY |isbn=978-0-3074-5239-9}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote|Meet the Beatles!}}
*{{Notes on|http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/iwthyh.shtml}}
*Handwritten lyrics to ''I Want to Hold Your Hand'' in [http://searcharchives.bl.uk/IAMS_VU2:IAMS032-001954841 The Beatles Loan]{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} at the [[British Library]]
* {{YouTube|jenWdylTtzs|The Beatles – I Want To Hold Your Hand – Performed Live on the Ed Sullivan Show 2/9/64}}

{{With the Beatles}}
{{The Beatles singles}}
{{UK Christmas No. 1s in the 1960s|song}}
{{Billboard Year-End number one singles 1960–1979}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:The Beatles songs]]
[[Category:1963 singles]]
[[Category:1964 singles]]
[[Category:Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients]]
[[Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles]]
[[Category:Cashbox number-one singles]]
[[Category:UK singles chart number-one singles]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in Australia]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in Germany]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in Norway]]
[[Category:RPM Top Singles number-one singles]]
[[Category:Parlophone singles]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by George Martin]]
[[Category:Songs written by Lennon–McCartney]]
[[Category:Dollar (band) songs]]
[[Category:Manny Manuel songs]]
[[Category:Capitol Records singles]]
[[Category:Songs published by Northern Songs]]
[[Category:1963 songs]]
[[Category:Christmas number-one singles in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Sparks (band) songs]]
[[Category:Al Green songs]]
[[Category:Sailor Moon songs]]
[[Category:British rock-and-roll songs]]
[[Category:The Crickets songs]]