Everything about This Boy totally explained
"This Boy" is a song by
The Beatles composed by
John Lennon,and was first released in
November 1963 as the
B-side of the
UK Parlophone single "
I Want to Hold Your Hand". The Beatles performed it live on 16
February 1964 for their second
Ed Sullivan Show appearance in the
USA. It also appears as the third track on side one of US release,
Meet the Beatles!.
Its composition was an attempt by John Lennon at writing a song in the style of
Motown star
Smokey Robinson, specifically his song "I've Been Good To You", which has similar circular
doo-wop chord changes, melody and arrangement, and
Paul McCartney cites
The Teddy Bears 1959 hit “
To Know Him Is To Love Him” as also being influential. Lennon, McCartney, and
George Harrison join together to sing an intricate three-part
close harmony in the verses and refrain (originally, the
middle eight was a conceived as a guitar solo, but altered during the recording process) and a similar song writing technique is exercised in later Beatles songs, such as "
Yes It Is" and "
Because".
An instrumental version of "This Boy", orchestrated by
George Martin, is used as the incidental music during
Ringo Starr's
towpath 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 #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.
Instrumentation
- John Lennon – Acoustic guitar, double-tracked lead vocal
- Paul McCartney – Bass guitar, double-tracked harmony vocal
- George Harrison – Lead guitars, double-tracked harmony vocal
- Ringo Starr – Drums
Recordings
Besides the initial recording, alternate recordings have also been officially released. A live version performed on The Morecambe and Wise Show 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.
Cover versions
At the 2001 John Lennon "Come Together" concert in
New York City,
Rufus Wainwright performed this song with John's son
Sean Lennon and actor/musician
Robert Schwartzman.
Further Information
Get more info on 'This Boy'.
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