PLEASE PLEASE ME / ASK ME WHY
Parlophone A8080
Released 21 February 1963
Original recommended retail price: 10/-
The Beatles’ first Australian single, released some ten months before Beatlemania erupted locally.
Matrix Information
Side 1: (mono) 7XCE17127 7AXPA514
Side 2: (mono) 7XCE17218 7AXPA515

16 June 1982
Side 1: (stereo) A8080A AP
Side 2: (stereo) A8080B AP

Overview
EMI (Australia) chose this single to launch The Beatles in Australia, reasoning that, having just topped the British charts, it might do the same in Australia.

The formal arrangement for Leeds Music to be the local Northern Songs and Jaep representative did not commence until August 1963. Leeds Music did, however, secure the rights to the Dick James Music-controlled 'Please Please Me' and 'Ask Me Why' (along with Gerry and The Pacemakers' 'How Do You Do It' and 'I Like It') through separate deals struck with Dick James in March 1963, mere weeks after the release of this single. Thus, initial copies carry an 'MCPS Sydney' royalty stamp on both sides (MCPS Sydney was the Australian branch of the UK-based Mechanical Copyright Protection Society Ltd), as MCPS Sydney collected the royalties from EMI (Australia) and paid direct to MCPS UK, who in turn distributed to Dick James Music.

Although Parlophone, Columbia and HMV in the UK had forsaken their early identifiable red, green and blue singles labels for a generic black design back in January 1963, it would not be until October before Australia fell into line, hence this single, and the following two, first appearing with pink labels.

Initially released in February 1963 and subsequently going out of print, it was reissued one year later following the success of the 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' single, where it again entered the charts (or finally entered the charts in Sydney!).

Deleted in December 1967, the single would not be reissued until 1982, when on 16 June it was recut from PARLO 392 (the stereo Please Please Me side 1 cassette production master tape) at Studios 301 by Allan Parsons for inclusion in The Australian 20th Anniversary Singles Collection. It subsequently went out of print again before returning on 7 December 1987.

In 1969, following its initial deletion, EMI (Australia)'s custom pressing division pressed a series of singles for a radio segment titled Dial A Memory. The series contained music that was otherwise out-of-print on the single format. One of these singles included 'Please Please Me' (on the A-side with a Peter Dawson track on the flipside). The song was introduced with a 25-second narrative by renowned Australian voice-over artist, Kevin Golsby. Following the song, Kevin spoke for 30 seconds about the success of the group before a short promo for EMI (Australia) – "Whenever there's success, there's EMI to record it yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!". The intro and outro can be heard below.
Chart Performance

Brisbane

(QLD)

Sydney

(NSW)

Melbourne

(VIC)

Hobart

(TAS)

Adelaide

(SA)

Perth

(WA)

Chart Entry

17-Mar-63

08-May-64

13-Apr-63

10-Mar-63

23-Mar-63

-

Highest Position

26

44

29

21

13

 

Weeks In

6

3

6

8

11

 
Listed as "Please Please Me"

Chart Re-entry

02-May-64

-

22-Feb-64

21-Feb-64

29-Feb-64

-

Highest Position

27

 

22

2

8

 

Weeks In

3

 

12

12

13

 
Listed as "Please Please Me"

Chart Entry

23-May-64

-

-

-

-

-

Highest Position

26

 

 

 

 

 

Weeks In

2

 

 

 

 

 
Listed as "Ask Me Why"
Pink
AUSP8080P.a

MCPS fac / MCPS fac

Side 2 length on this and all subsequent 1960s reissues incorrectly states 1.21 instead of 2.21
AUSP8080P.b

LEEDS MUSIC / MCPS fac
Silver/Black Style 'A'
AUSP8080SBA.a
AUSP8080SBA.b

Comma in "Please, Please Me"
AUSP8080SBA.c

Variation coming soon!
AUSP8080SBA.d

Variation coming soon!
AUSP8080SBA.e

Variation coming soon!
AUSP8080SBA.f

Variation coming soon!
EMI Custom Service
AUSP2076.a

EMI (Australia) custom pressing for Dial A Memory radio segment, 1969
Audio courtesy Ross Myers. Not to be shared without permission
Silver/Black Style 'C'
AUSP8080SBC.a

First appeared in October 1982 with the release of The Australian 20th Anniversary Singles Collection

Visit AB34 for more information or to see an image of the picture sleeve