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It’s no secret that the Beatles could sing.
As if it weren’t enough that they were brilliant songwriters, they had great voices. (I’m not including Ringo in that statement. I think he’s awesome — one of the best drummers ever. And I couldn’t imagine “With A Little Help From My Friends” or “Yellow Submarine” sung by anyone else. But he’s no vocalist.)
The tight vocal harmony of John, Paul, and George was used in many Beatle songs. But I’ve chosen five tunes that I think best showcased that classic three-part Beatle harmony sound.
“This Boy”
- Recorded: October 17, 1963
- First Released: Nov. 29, 1963 (UK) (B side for “I Want To Hold Your Hand”)
This song was jointly written by John and Paul in one of their famous hotel room writing sessions. (Paul said the song was written when they had “a couple of hours to kill”. It’s amazing how many of their early classics they cranked out with ease.)
Although the lads obviously cared greatly about their lyrics, for “This Boy” the focus was less on the words and more on the harmonies. It was that sound that they were going for. According to McCartney, the song was written initially as a two-part harmony, and then a third part was added for George.
John sings solo in the bridge, giving what I think is one of his best vocal performances. It’s been said that he was inspired by Smokey Robinson.
The Beatles also included “This Boy” as part of their live performances in 1964. Considering how loud those concerts were (due to many thousands of teenagers, screaming their heads off), it’s amazing that they could perform tight vocal harmonies.
But maybe it didn’t matter, since no one could hear them anyway.
“I Feel Fine”
- Recorded: October 18, 1964
