Kansas City (Leiber and Stoller song)

Song by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller

"Kansas City" is a rhythm and blues song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller in 1952. First recorded by Little Willie Littlefield the same year, as "K. C. Loving", the song later became a chart topping hit when it was recorded by Wilbert Harrison in 1959. "Kansas City" is one of Leiber and Stoller's "most recorded tunes, with more than three hundred versions", There was an initial disagreement between the two writers over the song's melody: Leiber (who wrote the lyrics) preferred a traditional blues song, while Stoller wanted a more distinctive vocal line; Stoller ultimately prevailed. They taught the song to Littlefield at Maxwell Davis' house, who arranged and provided the tenor sax for the song. which he reportedly considered to sound "hipper" than "Kansas City". Littlefield's record had some success in parts of the U. S., but it did not reach the national chart.

In October 1964, the Beatles recorded Little Richard's "Kansas City" (titled "Kansas City"/"Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey"), a song they began performing in Spring 1961 while in Hamburg.

Paul McCartney discovered the track in the first half of 1959 when Little Richard's 1955 medley "Kansas City"/"Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey" was re released as a 45 in Britain. McCartney revered this particular rendition and was unaware of Wilbert Harrison's version. The Beatles' earliest performance of the song can be dated to the early summer of 1960 with its appearance on a set list McCartney copied to a piece of scrap paper. During their first professional recording session in June 1961, the Beatles likely recorded the song with Tony Sheridan, though outtakes of this track likely no longer exist. The Beatles made their first appearance on television on August 22, 1962, performing "Some Other Guy" and "Kansas City"/"Hey Hey Hey Hey" at The Cavern Club. The audio is the earliest surviving instance of McCartney's "Little Richard voice", which Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn notes is "impressive", with "the high notes sung loud, strong, melodically and excitingly for two and a half minutes." The song is again heard during their December 1962 performance at the Star Club in Hamburg, officially released in 1977 as Live! at the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962. They recorded the medley for a BBC Light Programme on July 16, 1963, released in 1994 on Live at the BBC. Musicologist and writer Ian MacDonald describes this rendition as "one of the highlights of this generally mediocre collection, featuring a strong McCartney vocal and an attacking Harrison solo." A month before recording the track in the studio, they performed it during a September 17, 1964 concert at Kansas City Municipal Stadium, a one time addition to their usual setlist. MacDonald writes, "the reaction it drew ensured its place on the LP."

On Sunday, October 18, 1964, during a day off from their 1964 UK Tour, the Beatles recorded a medley of "Kansas City"/"Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey". While rehearsing the song, McCartney found some parts difficult to sing. He later recalled that John Lennon pulled him aside and encouraged him, saying, "Come on man, you can do it better than this, get up there!". Recorded in only two takes, take one was marked "best". Each take includes a different guitar solo from George Harrison, indicating he improvised. Harrison plays his Country Gent guitar and Lennon plays his 1958 Rickenbacker 325 Capri. Producer George Martin overdubbed a piano contribution on his Steinway and Ringo Starr provided the drums. Lewisohn describes the part as "barely discernible on record." Martin and engineers Norman Smith and Tony Clark mixed the track for mono and stereo on October 26. The track differs from Little Richard's in its simplified walking bass and triplet piano chords, which MacDonald writes, "[imparts] a sassy swing to a performance let down only by its lightweight mono mix." MacDonald concludes that it is "one of the Beatles' best covers."

The Beatles released the track in the UK on December 4, 1964, on their album Beatles for Sale. Release in the US came the following year on June 14, 1965, on Beatles VI. As part of Capitol Records' "Starline" series, the track was the B side of "Boys" on an October 1965 single. The Beatles released take two on the 1995 compilation album Anthology 1, a version MacDonald calls "only slightly less successful". This version does not include Martin's piano overdub. A live version, recorded in Hamburg in December 1962, is included on the 1977 release Live! at the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962. Other live versions appear on the albums Live at the BBC and On Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2 and in the film Let It Be. The Beatles appeared on the American television program Shindig! performing the medley live in October 1964.

James Brown recorded a version of "Kansas City" in 1967. The single reached number 21 on the R&B chart and number 55 on the Hot 100 singles chart. A later, funkier version appears on the 1975 album Everybody's Doin' the Hustle & Dead on the Double Bump. Brown recorded live performances of the song for his albums Live at the Apollo, Volume II (1968) and Say It Live and Loud (1998; recorded 1968), and in his concert films James Brown: Man to Man and Live at the Boston Garden. This was also James Brown's first single to be reissued by Polydor Records. At Brown's request, singer Marva Whitney performed "Kansas City" at the conclusion of his public funeral in Augusta, Georgia in 2006.

In 2001, Harrison's "Kansas City" received a Grammy Hall of Fame Award and it is included on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of the "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". At various times, Harrison's and the Beatles versions have been played over the loud speakers at Kauffman Stadium following Kansas City Royals baseball games. In 2005, Kansas City adopted "Kansas City" as its official song, dedicating "Goin' to Kansas City Plaza" in the historic 18th and Vine Jazz district. Due to redevelopment, the "12th Street and Vine" intersection mentioned in the song no longer exists, but a park roughly in the shape of a grand piano and with a path in the shape of a treble clef exists at the former location, marked by a commemorative plaque. Some versions have substituted "Eighteenth and Vine" for "12th Street and Vine," which sings just as well, and recognizes Kansas City's jazz history.