Girl (The Beatles song)

Infobox Song
Name = Girl
Artist = The Beatles
Album = Rubber Soul
Released = 3 December 1965


track_no = 9
Recorded = 11 November 1965: Abbey Road Studios
Genre = Folk rock
Length = 2:33
Writer = Lennon/McCartney
Label = Parlophone, Capitol, EMI
Producer = George Martin
Misc = Extra tracklisting
Album = Rubber Soul
Type = studio
Tracks = ;Side one
# "Drive My Car"
# "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)"
# "You Won't See Me"
# "Nowhere Man"
# "Think for Yourself"
# "The Word"
# "Michelle";Side two
# "What Goes On"
# "Girl"
# "I'm Looking Through You"
# "In My Life"
# "Wait"
# "If I Needed Someone"
# "Run for Your Life"

"Girl" is a Beatles song written by John Lennon,cite book |author=David Sheff (interview) |title=All We Are Saying |year=2000 |pages=197 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |location=New York |isbn=0-312-25464-4] 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.cite book |author=Ian MacDonald |title=Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties |year=1994 |pages=145 |publisher=Henry Holt and Company |location=New York |isbn=0-8050-2780-7]

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.cite book |author=Mark Lewisohn |title=The Beatles Recording Sessions |year=1988 |pages=68 |publisher=Harmony Books |location=New York |isbn=0-517-57066-1] The deep breaths in the chorus were rumoured to have symbolised taking a long inhalation (toke) off of a marijuana joint.cite book |author=Mark Hertsgaard |title=A Day in the Life: The Music and Artistry of the Beatles |publisher=Delacorte Press |year=1995 |pages=154 |location=New York |isbn=0-385-31377-2]

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"."cite book |author=Barry Miles |title=Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now |year=1997 |pages=275-276 |publisher=Henry Holt & Company |location=New York |isbn=0-8050-5249-6] 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.'" [cite web |author=Jonathan Cott |title=1980 Rolling Stone Interview with John Lennon | url=http://www.john-lennon.com/1980rollingstoneinterview.htm |publisher=Rolling Stone |date= 1980-12-05 |accessdate=2006-10-27] ("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.

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

Notes

External links

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYl0iMSlMQg Video (unofficial)]
* [http://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/girl/ The Beatles Bible: Girl]