Written by: Lennon-McCartney
Recorded: 19 February 1965
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Norman Smith
Released: 6 August 1965 (UK), 13 August 1965 (US)
John Lennon: vocals, acoustic rhythm guitar
Paul McCartney: backing vocals, bass, piano
George Harrison: backing vocals, lead guitar
Ringo Starr: drums, bongos
Available on:
Help!
Co-written by Lennon and McCartney at the former's home in Weybridge, You're Going To Lose That Girl was recorded three days before The Beatles left England to film Help! in the Bahamas.
The group performed the song in a sequence in Help!, filmed at Twickenham Studios where they would later make Let It Be. In the scene, The group mimes to the song in a recording studio environment, presumably intended to represent Abbey Road.
The group's performance is curtailed when the gang chasing Ringo cuts a hole around his drum kit from the room below.
You're Going To Lose That Girl is notable for its key change, a rare occurrence in The Beatles' songs. During the bridge the song shifts from E major to G major.
The vocals are perhaps the most impressive of all on the Help! album, with John Lennon's double tracked lead lines creating call-and-response patterns with McCartney's and Harrison's backing vocals.
The lyrics, too, are quintessential early Lennon, warning an unidentified male of his predatory intentions towards his female lover.
In the studio
The Beatles completed the song during the fifth recording session for Help!, on 19 February 1965. They began by recording just two takes of the backing track, the first of which was a false start.
After the rhythm track was completed a series of overdubs were added. These included lead and backing vocals, Paul McCartney's Steinway grand piano part, Ringo Starr's bongos, and George Harrison's Fender Stratocaster guitar solo.
Related articles:
- Recording: You're Going To Lose That Girl
- Recording: If I Needed Someone, In My Life
- Recording: Ticket To Ride, Another Girl, I Need You
- Recording, mixing: The Word, You Won't See Me, Girl, Wait, I'm Looking Through You
- Recording, mixing: Run For Your Life, We Can Work It Out, The Word, I'm Looking Through You
Actually, "That Means A Lot" was the last song they recorded before they left for the Bahamas, which was recorded the next day (February 20th). It was also intended for the movie "Help!" but was rejected by Dick Lester. "You're Going To Lose That Girl" was the last song they recorded that week that made it in the film, however.
Thanks for clarifying Dave. I did know that - the recording info's all in the history section, though I got it wrong here. I'll reword the article to make it clearer.
An excellent, classy song that sounds as good on the radio today as it did forty five years ago. But gee, I could be talking about nearly any Beatles song with that comment!
It always seemed to my ear that John's 'lose' was a hair longer than Paul and George's backing 'lose'. John: You're gonna loooose that girl'
I Love George's Guitar work here.
That's my song !!!! Very simple, very nice melody, the key change and everything. Just love that song.
Funny how John transmits a kind of agressivity in most of the early love songs that he wrote. Run For Your Life is another notable example.
One of his first girlfriends accuses him of giving her a slap in front of her friends.
There's also You Can't Do that, which is one of the most nakedly aggressive songs he ever wrote.
I was reading an interview from 1971/2 recently where Lennon discussed the fracas with Bob Wooler on Paul's 21st birthday. Lennon said it was the last time he was violent, then added something like "Well, apart from a few times with the wife, of course". This is followed by giggles from Yoko Ono. When I read it I first presumed he was talking about Cynthia, but Yoko's response suggests he might just have been joking. It's difficult to interpret that sort of thing in print, without hearing the actual delivery.