Look Who it Was Random video

The Beatles This Boy Bass Cover

2,944 views · Published 28 April 2012 · 2:18 · Indexed 29 September 2026

Channel: Constantine Isslamow · 2012 · Music

Watch on YouTube

"This Boy" is a song by English rock band The Beatles released in November 1963 as the B-side of the British Parlophone single "I Want to Hold Your Hand". The Beatles performed it live on 16 February 1964 for their second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. It also appears as the third track on side one of the American release, Meet The Beatles!. "This Boy" was remastered for compact disc by George Martin 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.

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. 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 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". The song, in D major, revolves around a Fifties-style I-VI-II-V doo-wop sequence in 12/8 time before moving to the harmonically complex middle eight (G-F#7-Bm-D7-G-E7-A-A7) and back again for the final verse and fade-out. 

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 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. Source Wikipedia

    John Lennon -- double-tracked vocal, acoustic guitar
    Paul McCartney -- double-tracked harmony vocal, bass
    George Harrison -- double-tracked harmony vocal, lead guitar
    Ringo Starr -- drums

Copyright Disclaimer:
All copyrighted material is used under the guidelines of "Fair Use" in Title 17 & 107 of The United States Code, and under Articles 29 & 29.1 of The Canadian Copyright Act. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. I do not own any audio; it is only used for criticism, comment, teaching, research and educational purposes. No copyright infringement intended.

More from this channel