It's for You

For other uses, see It's for You (disambiguation).

"It's for You"
Single by Cilla Black
A-side	It's For You
B-side	He Won't Ask Me
Released	31 Jul 1964
Format	7" single
Recorded	2 July 1964
Genre	Traditional pop
Length	2:24
Label	Parlophone R5162
Writer(s)	Lennon–McCartney
Producer(s)	George Martin
Cilla Black singles chronology
"You're My World" (1964) "It's for You" (1964) "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" (1964)

"It's for You" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney of the Beatles for Cilla Black for whom it was a UK Top Ten hit in 1964. The song was mainly a McCartney composition.

Paul McCartney, who had been present at Abbey Road Studios when Cilla Black had recorded her breakthrough hit "Anyone Who Had a Heart", had written "It's for You" with John Lennon using "Anyone Who Had a Heart" as the model although Black herself has opined: "For my money, ['It's for You'] is nothing like the 'Anyone...' composition." On 3 June 1964 McCartney cut a demo of "It's for You" to give to Black and producer George Martin. Black recorded the song at Abbey Road Studios that 2 July with Martin producing the session and she would recall: "That was some session...John [Lennon] and Paul [McCartney] joined me and George Martin. We made one track and then everyone had a go at suggesting how they thought it should be recorded. George said it should be one way, John and Paul another and I just added my suggestions while they were thinking of what else they could do with the composition."

Having Black, well publicized as an associate of the Beatles, record a Lennon–McCartney tune did not result in the anticipated smash hit: "It's for You" followed Black's back-to-back #1 hits: "Anyone Who Had a Heart" and "You're My World", into the Top Ten but remained there for only two weeks - 29 August & 5 September 1964 - at #8 and #7.

In the US "It's for You" became Black's second single release in September 1964: although the precedent "You're My World" had reached the US Top 30, "It's for You" rose no higher on the Billboard Hot 100 than #79.

"It's for You" reached #17 in Australia.

Although Black recorded several Beatles' songs to be album cuts she only had one later single release of a Lennon–McCartney song: "Step Inside Love" #8 in 1968.

Recordings of "It's for You" as The Beatles may have performed it are available on the 1989 album by Bas Muys entitled Secret Songs: Lennon & McCartney and on the 1998 release It's Four You by the Australian tribute band The Beatnix.

Remakes

• Mina recorded an Italian rendering of "It's for You" — entitled "So che mi vuoi" — on her 1965 album, Studio Uno.
• Texas band The Mods recorded in 1966.
• Three Dog Night recorded a version of the song for their eponymous debut album in 1969. A performance of the song is also featured on the group's 1969 live album, Captured Live at the Forum.
• In 1971 Springwell, a five-man outfit from Allen Park MI, had a regional hit with "It's for You" which reached #60 on the Hot 100 in Billboard: the track, recorded at Eastern Sound Studio in Toronto, reached #21 in Canada.
• In 1979, Midwest-based Head East covered the song on their A&M Records double LP release of Head East Live!
• In 2009, Mr. Big covered "It's for You" during their 'Reunion tour'; it was released on their album, 'Back to Budokan'. In this performance, the lead singer left the stage, and the rest of the members sang the vocal parts.

It has also been covered by Seattle-based Beatles cover band Apple Jam on their 2012 album Off The Beatle Track.