This Boy
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"This Boy" is a song by the English rock band
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
, written by
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
(credited to
Lennon–McCartney Lennon–McCartney is the songwriting partnership between the English musicians John Lennon (1940–1980) and Paul McCartney (born 1942) of the Beatles. It is widely considered one of the greatest, best known and most successful musical collabo ...
). It was released in November 1963 as the
B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
of the band's
Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 1923 as the Parloph ...
single "
I Want to Hold Your Hand "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is a song by the English rock music, rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Recorded on 17 October 1963 and released on 29 November 1963 in the United Kingdom, it was the first Beatles recor ...
". In the United States, it was issued in January 1964 on '' Meet the Beatles!'' which was
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...
' reconfigured version of the ''
With the Beatles ''With the Beatles'' is the second studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released in the United Kingdom on 22 November 1963 on Parlophone, eight months after the release of the band's debut album, '' Please Please Me''. P ...
'' album. The Beatles performed the song live on 16 February 1964 for their second appearance on ''
The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...
''. An instrumental
easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...
arrangement by
George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the Beatle ...
, re-titled "Ringo's Theme (This Boy)", was featured in the film '' A Hard Day's Night'' and the
United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...
soundtrack album. This version was also issued as a single, reaching number 53 in the US and number one in Canada. "This Boy" was remastered for compact disc by
George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the Beatle ...
and released in 1988 on the '' Past Masters, Volume One'' compilation. On 9 September 2009, it was re-released on the two CD set '' Past Masters'', as part of the remastering of the original Beatles' catalogue, and was included in '' The Beatles Stereo Box Set'' and in '' The Beatles in Mono'' box set.


Composition

The track's composition was Lennon's attempt to write a tune in the style of
Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...
star
Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. He was the founder and frontman of the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he ...
, and specifically his song " I've Been Good to You", which has similar circular
doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...
chord changes, melody and arrangement. The tune and arrangement also draw from "You Don't Understand Me", a B-side to a Bobby Freeman single.
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
cites the Teddy Bears' 1958 hit " To Know Him Is to Love Him" also as being influential. Lennon, McCartney, and
George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...
joined in singing an intricate three-part close harmony in the verses and refrain, and a similar technique is employed in later Beatles songs, notably " Yes It Is" and " Because". Originally the middle eight was conceived as a guitar solo but altered during the recording process. Written in
D major D major is a major scale based on D (musical note), D, consisting of the pitches D, E (musical note), E, F♯ (musical note), F, G (musical note), G, A (musical note), A, B (musical note), B, and C♯ (musical note), C. Its key signature has two S ...
, the song revolves around a 1950s-style I-vi-ii-V doo-wop sequence in time before moving to the harmonically complex middle eight (G-F7-Bm-D7-G-E7-A-A7) and back again for the final verse and fade-out. William Mann describes the song as "harmonically ... one of their most intriguing, with its chains of pandiatonic clusters".Mann, William (1963). "What Songs the Beatles Sang", ''
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'' (27 December 1963), cited in Everett, Walter (2001). ''The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men Through Rubber Soul'', p.204. Oxford.


Recordings

The Beatles recorded "This Boy" on 17 October 1963, the same day they recorded "I Want To Hold Your Hand", the group's first fan club Christmas single, and a version of " You Really Got a Hold on Me". They recorded fifteen takes of "This Boy" followed by two overdubs. The song was recorded with a rounded ending, although it was faded out during a mixing session on 21 October. Two takes were joined to make the final master, with the edit between the middle eight and the final verse (1:28). Alternative recordings have also been officially released. A live version performed on '' Two of a Kind'' in 1963 was released on '' Anthology 1'' and two incomplete takes from the original recording were released as a track on the single " Free as a Bird".


Ringo's Theme

An instrumental version of "This Boy", orchestrated by
George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the Beatle ...
, is used as the incidental music during
Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, us ...
's
towpath A towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, Working animal, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge. This mod ...
scene in the film '' A Hard Day's Night''. The piece, under the title, "Ringo's Theme (This Boy)", was released as a single—but failed to chart in the UK—on 7 August 1964 with "And I Love Her" on the B-Side, although it did reach number 53 in the American Top 100 later that year. It was also included on Martin's Parlophone album '' Off the Beatle Track'' and the EP ''Music From A Hard Day’s Night'' by the George Martin Orchestra, released 19 February 1965. It was also included on the American '' A Hard Day's Night'' soundtrack album. Vic Flick's lead guitar work can be heard on "Ringo’s Theme", which plays as the Beatles drummer wanders around London on his own.


Chart performance


Personnel

*
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
double-tracked lead vocal, harmony vocal, acoustic guitar *
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
– harmony vocal, bass guitar *
George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...
– harmony vocal, lead guitar *
Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, us ...
– drums ;Instrumental version *George Martin Orchestra featuring Vic Flick on lead guitar.


Notes


References

* * * * * *


External links

* {{Authority control The Beatles songs Doo-wop songs Song recordings produced by George Martin 1963 songs Songs written by Lennon–McCartney Songs published by Northern Songs 1963 singles