I'll say right now that I loved this song... both versions of it. I did my research (aka lazy wiki-ing) and learned that the Beatles' version was actually a cover of the original, by Arthur Alexander (and it wasn't the only song of his that The Beatles performed). The Beatles' Anna was much more popular and this brings up some feelings of a possible injustice done to Alexander's beautiful, soulful voice--there are reasons the white singers' version was more successful than the black singer's, maybe the time period and a little bit of racism, maybe because The Beatles were a smash hit followed by thousands of screaming, rabid fans (spiritual ancestors of the Twihards and Bieliebers, perhaps), I can't really say for sure. I can say that Alexander's version hit #10 in the R&B charts (and #68 in the pop charts) so it wasn't a complete injustice.
Back to the topic, though, I listened to the Beatles version first, then started listening to Alexander's. I honestly can't tell you which version I enjoy more. However, I'll limit myself to the Beatles' version (since that's the whole point). After a somewhat lackluster first two days, the moment this song began, I knew I'd found a good one. The opening notes made me want to bolt into the other room, grab the electric guitar, and learn how to play it immediately. Lennon's voice was also perfect; he relays the pain of the message with his voice without making it obvious or distorting it. The wavery "Anna" in the background was probably my favorite aspect of this song--it kind of foreshadows the groovy stuff they start doing with their music later on. The line, "Anna, just one more thing girl / You give back your ring to me and I will set you free / Go with him" just kills me--such self-sacrificing nobility. It's tempting to quote that sickening cliché (you know the one) but the cynic in me revolts at the idea so I'll instead leave you with a quote from Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club: "Your heart is my piñata."
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