Girl (The Beatles song)
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| “Girl” | ||
|---|---|---|
| Song by The Beatles | ||
| Album | Rubber Soul | |
| Released | 3 December 1965 | |
| Recorded | 11 November 1965: Abbey Road Studios | |
| Genre | Folk rock | |
| Length | 2:33 | |
| Label | Parlophone, Capitol, EMI | |
| Writer | John Lennon (Lennon-McCartney) | |
| Producer | George Martin | |
| Rubber Soul track listing | ||
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"Girl" is a Beatles song written by John Lennon,[1] but as all releases written by either John Lennon or Paul McCartney, it is credited to Lennon/McCartney. (Although, McCartney claims this song was co-written; being the result of one of their writing sessions at John's house at Kenwood). The song was first released in 1965 on The Beatles' album Rubber Soul, and was the last complete song recorded for it.[2][3]
Contents |
[edit] History
The song's lyrics describe a girl the singer loves, but with misgivings: "She's the kind of girl who puts you down / When friends are there, you feel a fool." Backing the bridges is a refrain sung by Lennon while McCartney and George Harrison repeatedly sing a syllable for vocal percussion ("tit-tit-tit-tit") as a joke.[4][2] The deep breaths in the chorus were rumoured to have symbolised taking a long inhalation (toke) off of a marijuana joint.[5]
According to McCartney, he wrote the lines "Was she told when she was young that pain would lead to pleasure" and "That a man must break his back to earn his day of leisure."[4] But in a 1970 interview with Rolling Stone, Lennon claimed this was his own early dig at the Catholic Church.
In an interview for Rolling Stone magazine on 5 December 1980, Lennon said his 1980 song "[Woman] reminds me of a Beatles track, but I wasn't trying to make it sound like that. I did it as I did 'Girl' many years ago. So this is the grown-up version of 'Girl.'"[6] ("Woman" was the second single released from the Double Fantasy album, and the first Lennon single issued after his death on 8 December 1980.)
In November 1977, Capitol Records scheduled the United States release of "Girl" backed with "You're Going to Lose That Girl" as a single (Capitol 4506) to accompany the release of Love Songs, a Beatles' compilation album that contains both of these songs. However, the single was canceled before it was issued.
[edit] Personnel
- John Lennon – lead vocal, acoustic guitar
- Paul McCartney – backing vocal, bass guitar
- George Harrison – backing vocal, lead guitar (12-String acoustic)
- Ringo Starr – drums
[edit] Notes
- ^ David Sheff (interview) (2000). All We Are Saying. New York: St. Martin's Press, 197. ISBN 0-312-25464-4.
- ^ a b Mark Lewisohn (1988). The Beatles Recording Sessions. New York: Harmony Books, 68. ISBN 0-517-57066-1.
- ^ Ian MacDonald (1994). Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 145. ISBN 0-8050-2780-7.
- ^ a b Barry Miles (1997). Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now. New York: Henry Holt & Company, 275-276. ISBN 0-8050-5249-6.
- ^ Mark Hertsgaard (1995). A Day in the Life: The Music and Artistry of the Beatles. New York: Delacorte Press, 154. ISBN 0-385-31377-2.
- ^ Jonathan Cott (1980-12-05). 1980 Rolling Stone Interview with John Lennon. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2006-10-27.
