"I Want to Hold Your Hand" is a song by the English pop rock band The Beatl… Read Full Bio ↴"I Want to Hold Your Hand" is a song by the English pop rock band The Beatles. Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and recorded in October 1963, it was the first Beatles record to be made using four-track equipment. McCartney and Lennon did not have any particular inspiration for the song. Instead, they had received specific instructions from manager Brian Epstein to write a song with the American market in mind.

According to the I Want To Hold Your Hand Songfacts, John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote this in Jane Asher's basement. Asher was an actress who became Paul's first high-profile girlfriend. After appearing in several movies, TV shows and stage productions, Asher became an authority on baking, and has her own business selling party cakes and supplying baking and decorating equipment. She and Paul broke up in 1968.

"I Want to Hold Your Hand" was the band's first number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, starting the British Invasion of the United States music charts. It also held the top spot in the United Kingdom charts. A million copies of the single had already been ordered on its release. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" became The Beatles' best-selling single worldwide.

I Want to Hold Your Hand
The Beatles Lyrics

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Oh, yeah, I'll tell you somethin'
I think you'll understand
When I say that somethin'
I want to hold your hand
I want to hold your hand
I want to hold your hand

Oh, please, say to me

You'll let me be your man
And please, say to me
You'll let me hold your hand
You'll let me hold your hand
I want to hold your hand

And when I touch you
I feel happy inside
It's such a feelin' that my love
I can't hide
I can't hide
I can't hide

Yeah, you got that somethin'
I think you'll understand
When I say that somethin'
I want to hold your hand
I want to hold your hand
I want to hold your hand

And when I touch you
I feel happy inside
It's such a feelin' that my love
I can't hide
I can't hide
I can't hide

Yeah, you got that somethin'
I think you'll understand
When I feel that somethin'
I want to hold your hand
I want to hold your hand
I want to hold your hand
I want to hold your hand

Overall Meaning

The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is a classic love song that talks about the intense desire to hold a lover's hand. The lyrics of the song express the singer's excitement and anticipation about being close to their lover. In the first verse, the singer tells their lover that they have something to share which they hope the lover will understand. This is followed by the expression of the desire to hold the lover's hand, and this desire is repeated several times throughout the song.

The second verse of the song sees the singer pleading with the lover to allow them to be their man and to let them hold their hand. It is clear from the lyrics that the singer feels that holding their lover's hand will bring them immense joy and make them happy. In the bridge of the song, the singer tells the lover that when they touch them, they feel happy inside, which is a feeling that they cannot hide.

Overall, the song is a powerful love ballad that captures the essence of young, innocent love. It speaks of the simple pleasures of holding hands, but at the same time, it communicates the depth of emotions that can arise from such a simple act.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh, yeah, I'll tell you somethin'
I have something important to say to you

I think you'll understand
I believe you will comprehend

When I say that somethin'
When I express that certain feeling

I want to hold your hand
I desire to grasp and hold your hand

Oh, please, say to me
Please respond to me

You'll let me be your man
You will allow me to be your partner

And please, say to me
And kindly say to me

You'll let me hold your hand
You will permit me to hold your hand

And when I touch you
When I make physical contact with you

I feel happy inside
I experience joy and contentment internally

It's such a feelin' that my love
The emotion is so profound, my affection for you