"Girl"

"Girl" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney based on an original idea by Lennon and performed by The Beatles on their 1965 album Rubber Soul. "Girl" was the last complete song recorded for that album.

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 (they were supposed to sing "dit-dit-dit-dit" but decided to sing "tit-tit-tit-tit" as a joke). The deep breaths in the chorus were rumored to have symbolized taking a long inhalation (toke) of a marijuana joint.

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," but in a 1970 interview with Rolling Stone, Lennon claimed those lyrics were his 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.'" ("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.

Cover versions

* Jim Sturgess sang "Girl" in the film musical Across the Universe.
* Rhett Miller recorded a version of "Girl" that can be found on the album This Bird Has Flown - A 40th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles' Rubber Soul.
* St. Louis Union recorded a cover version in 1965, that was released in January 1966, and reached #11 on the UK Singles Chart.

Personnel

* John Lennon – vocal, acoustic guitars
* Paul McCartney – backing vocal, bass
* George Harrison – lead acoustic guitar
* Ringo Starr – drums

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: Lennon/McCartney
Producer: George Martin

Wikipedia