I have a lot of affection for this song which was one of the many Beatles covers we used to do when I was in a band at school.
The Beatles BibleFirst appearing on The Beatles’ Long Tall Sally EP, ‘Slow Down’ was a cover version of Larry Williams’ 1958 song, and was originally the b-side to his hit single ‘Dizzy Miss Lizzy’.
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WikipediaI like the way the band stops to emphasize the last line of the verse and the beginning of the chorus. I always love a bit of silence in a pop/rock song!
I like Lennon’s double tracked vocal with all the whoops and howls.
I think the rock n’ roll piano gives the track a boost too. In my memory it was even better (and maybe you need mono to hear it properly in the mix). Apparently George Martin played it.
The lead guitar is a bit hit and miss. It’s considerably better on the BBC version (although that doesn’t have piano).
I hadn’t ever listened to the Larry Williams original until today. I liked it – an old school rock n’ roll sound, but I think the Beatles, and especially Lennon’s approach to the vocal really added a new kind of energy.
This is my favourite bit: the rapid melisma* under the word “fast”**. I can’t read music myself and I don’t know how accurate it is, but this is a really distinctive and bluesy run.
In my mind this song sits alongside You Can’t Do That, another cover we used to do, which I like for similar reasons.
*
I didn’t know this technical term for a run of notes within a single syllable, but I learned it from Andrew Hickey’s History of Rock Music in 500 Songs podcast.
**
The clip of the score is taken from The Complete Beatles Scores – a fantastic book. I got my copy when (I think) it was unavailable in England and I think it cost me the best part of £100. Certainly it has $69.95 printed on it. I don’t regret it and I bought a copy for my brother, too. If you want to take print music recommendations from someone who can’t read music, of course!