The Beatnix: Woman (1994)

As they like to say, “there's a lot to unpack here”.

At the height of Beatlemania, Lennon and McCartney were knocking off songs for others to cover – notably McCartney although Lennon is credited with saying “Let's write a swimming pool” because he saw there was money in it.

McCartney was prolific and offering exceptional songs like Step Inside Love to Cilla Black, but particularly found a vehicle for his pop stuff with Peter And Gordon who were handy and on hand. Peter Asher was the brother of McCartney's girlfriend Jane Asher.

McCartney got away three hit singles for Peter and Gordon with A World Without Love and Nobody I Know, and the lesser I Don't Want to See You Again.

Each of these songs and other giveaways to Billy J Kramer, Tommy Quickly, the Fourmost and others were credited to Lennon-McCartney.

Curious to see if he could make it as a songwriter without the cachet of Lennon-McCartney he offered Peter and Gordon the song Woman which on the single was attributed to B Webb (or A Smith on some pressings).

Woman, by Peter and Gordon live, with interview

McCartney might have been disappointed, the song stalled on the charts for the first couple of weeks until its true authorship was revealed. It still didn't do as well as P&G's early singles but it was one of McCartney's more ambitious early songs.

This version is by the long-running Australian tribute band the Beatnix and is on their '94 album It's Four You on which they covered the songs Lennon-McCartney had given away (along with a Beatlesque version of Stairway to Heaven).

Its very much like what McCartney's home demo of Woman might have sounded like if he'd had the rest of the band to help out.

. 

For more oddities, one-offs or songs with an interesting backstory check the massive back-catalogue at From the Vaults.