The members of The Beatles recorded the record Rubber Soul in a short time. They wanted to have it out for the Christmas holidays, so they completed the work in just four weeks.
The last song to be included in the album was the lyrical ballad Girl. There are interesting facts connected with the song that are worth telling about them.
The story of creation and the meaning of the song Girl – The Beatles
The composition was composed by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The main idea behind the song Girl comes from John, who also wrote almost all of the lyrics. Paul’s contribution consisted of a few lines and part of the musical accompaniment composed during his holiday in Greece.
Girl is sung in the first person about a girl with whom the narrator is so hopelessly in love that he agrees to put up with her pride and other shortcomings. Beatles fans would have liked the story that it had a real prototype, but John Lennon unequivocally stated that “it’s about a dream girl”, “the one that most of us are looking for.” Later, he said that for him, Yoko Ono became her incarnation.
Lennon revealed interesting details about the meaning of the song after the breakup of The Beatles. In one of the interviews, he stated that in the text of Girl he expressed his attitude towards the dogmas of the Catholic Church (apparently, he means the last verse):
I talked there about Christianity, about how you have to endure torment in order to get to Heaven. I just want to say that in Girl I was talking about pain that leads to pleasure, and that has always been part of the concept of Catholicism: suffer, and everything will be fine. There is an element of truth here, but not in this perception. I do not believe that you have to suffer for the sake of gaining something. It just happens in life that you suffer.
Release and achievements
The song was recorded on November 11, 1965, the final day of work on the Rubber Soul album. In 1977, Girl was included on the Love Songs compilation.
The composition became one of the most famous in the work of The Beatles, and many performers later included it in their repertoire.
Interesting Facts
- The backing vocals for “Girl” were inspired by one of the Beach Boys’ songs.
- McCartney and Harrison, who provided backup vocals, jokingly sang “tit-tit-tit” instead of “dit-dit-dit”. Translated from English, “tit” means “tit”.
- Cynthia, John Lennon’s first wife, has suggested that “Girl” is dedicated to her.
- The deep breath that is heard in the chorus of “Girl” was interpreted by many listeners as a hint of marijuana use.
- The song’s melody is inspired by Greek folk music, which greatly impressed McCartney during his holiday in Greece.
Lyrics of Girl by The Beatles
Is there anybody going to listen to my story
All about the girl who came to stay?
She’s the kind of girl
You want so much it makes you sorry
Still you don’t regret a single day
Ah, girl, girl, girl
When I think of all the times
I tried hard to leave her
She will turn to me and start to cry
And she promises the earth to me
And I believe her
After all this time I don’t know why
Ah, girl, girl, girl
She’s the kind of girl who puts you down
When friends are there
You feel a fool
When you say she’s looking good
She acts as if it’s understood
She’s cool, ooh
Girl, girl, girl
Was she told when she was young
That pain would lead to pleasure?
Did she understand it when they said
That a man must break his back
To earn his day of leisure?
Will she still believe it when he’s dead?
Ah, girl, girl, girl
girl
Girl Lyrics by The Beatles Alternate
Nobody wants to hear the story
About the girl who won my heart forever?
She’s one of those girls
Which you desire so much that it becomes annoying
And yet you don’t regret it for a day
Ah, girl, girl, girl
When I think about how many times
I was so desperate to leave her…
But as soon as she turns to me, start crying
And promise me the moon from the sky
How do I trust her again?
How it happens, I don’t know
Ah, girl, girl, girl
She’s the kind of girl who humiliates you
With friends
And you feel like a jerk
When you tell her that she looks great
She takes it for granted
She’s cool, oh-oh-oh-oh
Girl, girl, girl
Did they tell her in her youth
That pain will lead to pleasure?
Did she understand the stories
That a man should climb out of his skin
For a day of rest?
Will she still believe it when he dies?
Ah, girl, girl, girl
Young woman
Song quote
When I heard her as a young teenager, she hit me like a butt. She expressed the feelings with which I constantly lived, burning with sexual desire and almost regretting that I had been taken over.
Clyde Jackson Brown
