Written by: Lennon-McCartney
Recorded: 1 March 1964
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Norman Smith
Released: 10 July 1964 (UK), 26 June 1964 (US)
George Harrison: vocals, rhythm guitar
John Lennon: backing vocals, rhythm guitar
Paul McCartney: backing vocals, bass
Ringo Starr: drums
Available on:
A Hard Day's Night
I'm Happy Just To Dance With You was written by Lennon and McCartney as George Harrison's vocal spot on the A Hard Day's Night album.
The song was purposefully written with Harrison's vocal range in mind.
We Wrote I'm Happy Just To Dance With You for George in the film. It was a bit of a formula song. We knew that in E if you went to an A flat minor, you could always make a song with those chords; that change pretty much always excited you. This is one of these. Certainly Do You Want To Know A Secret was. This one anyway was a straight co-written song for George. We wouldn't have actually wanted to sing it because it was a bit... The ones that pandered to the fans in truth were our least favourite songs but they were good. They were good for the time. The nice thing about it was to actually pull a song off on a slim little premise like that. A simple little idea. It was songwriting practice.
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
In the studio
I'm Happy Just To Dance With You was recorded on 1 March 1964, The Beatles' first session on a Sunday.
They completed three songs in three hours; the others were Long Tall Sally and I Call Your Name. I'm Happy Just To Dance With You was the first to be recorded that day, and took four takes to get right.
That was written for George to give him a piece of the action.
All We Are Saying, David Sheff
The only known non-EMI version of I'm Happy Just To Dance With You was recorded on 17 July 1964 for the BBC's From Us To You programme. It was taped at the BBC Paris Studio, London, and first broadcast on 3 August.
A bootleg version is also in circulation which features the BBC backing track only, captured without Harrison's multitracked lead vocals.
Related articles:
- Recording: I'm Happy Just To Dance With You, Long Tall Sally, I Call Your Name
- US LP release: Something New
- I Call Your Name
- Do You Wanna Dance?
- Do You Want To Know A Secret
This (http://www.dmbeatles.com/song.php?song=133) page says a "loose-skinned Arabian bongo" were used on the song. WHo is correct?
You're right: Ringo played an Arabian drum during the overdub process (it can be during in the verses).
George doesn't play lead guitar in this one, it's just a simple rhythm part (Lennon played the lead-like rhythm part).
Ian MacDonald, in Revolution In The Head, identified it as an African drum. Do we know for sure it was an Arabian one? Until I can be sure I'll leave Ringo's contribution as just 'drums'.
In his sleeve notes for With The Beatles, Tony Barrow said that Ringo played a "loose-skinned Arabian bongo (don't ask me where he picked that up!)" on Don't Bother Me. I wonder if the DM Beatles site is confusing two songs sung by George Harrison.
Ringo played loose-skin arabian bongo on "Don't bother me". For this one, he played an african drum, the same that George is going to play on "Mr. Moonlight".
In the remaster version of this song, you can hear the drum in question extremely clearly.
It sounds like the same drum they use on Mr Moonlight.
Maybe Ringo borrowed the Arabian Drum from Bob Dylan (Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands).
For sure, there is a different kind of bongo or drum.