Ain't She Sweet


"Ain't She Sweet" is a song composed by Milton Ager, with lyrics by Jack Yellen. It was published in 1927 by Edwin H. Morris & Co. Inc./Warner Bros. It became popular in the first half of the 20th century and typified the Roaring Twenties. Like "Happy Days Are Here Again", it became a Tin Pan Alley standard. Both Ager and Yellen were elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Milton Ager wrote "Ain't She Sweet" for his daughter Shana Ager, who in her adult life was known as the political commentator Shana Alexander.

Recorded versions

"Ain't She Sweet" was also recorded by Fabian Forte, Hoosier Hot Shots, Ray Anthony, Nat King Cole, Tiny Hill, The Playboys, The Viscounts, and Frankie Lymon. The song was also covered in 1990 on the album Funk of Ages by Bernie Worrell and several former members of Parliament-Funkadelic.

Versions by the Beatles

According to author Mark Lewisohn in The Complete Beatles Chronicles The Beatles performed it live from 1957 to 1962. In Lewisohn's words, "the version most likely to have prompted the Beatles performance of this song would be Gene Vincent's... 1956 recording". However, on p. 365 of that book Lewisohn added, "but since John Lennon's vocal rendition was different from Vincent's, it would seem that he arranged his own unique version". He concluded by saying, "He may have also been influenced by Duffy Power's 1959 version". The Beatles's rock and roll arrangement of "Ain't She Sweet" was recorded by the group with John Lennon on lead vocals while recording as Tony Sheridan's backup band on June 22, 1961, at the Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg, Germany with Pete Best on drums, produced by Bert Kaempfert.
The recording was released as a single on May 29, 1964, on Polydor. The song reached number 19 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was the highest-charting Beatles single with original drummer Pete Best. In August 1964, the song peaked at number 4 on Sweden's Kvällstoppen Chart.

Film appearances