Recorded for the Please Please Me album, ‘Do You Want To Know A Secret’ was written by John Lennon and sung by George Harrison.
I can’t say I wrote it for George. I was in the first apartment I’d ever had that wasn’t shared with fourteen other students – gals and guys at art school. I’d just married Cyn, and Brian Epstein gave us his secret little apartment that he kept in Liverpool for his sexual liaisons separate from his home life. And he let Cyn and I have that apartment.
All We Are Saying, David Sheff
Lennon based the song on ‘Wishing Well’, from Walt Disney’s 1937 animated feature film Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs.
My mother was always… she was a comedienne and a singer. Not professional, but, you know, she used to get up in pubs and things like that. She had a good voice. She could do Kay Starr. She used to do this little tune when I was just a one- or two-year-old… yeah, she was still living with me then… The tune was from the Disney movie – ‘Want to know a secret? Promise not to tell. You are standing by a wishing well.’So, I had this sort of thing in my head and I wrote it and just gave it to George to sing. I thought it would be a good vehicle for him because it only had three notes and he wasn’t the best singer in the world. He has improved a lot since then, but in those days his singing ability was very poor because (a) he hadn’t had the opportunity, and (b) he concentrated more on the guitar. So I wrote that – not for him as I was writing it, but when I had written it, I thought he could do it. It was just written.
All We Are Saying, David Sheff
‘Do You Want To Know A Secret’ was later given to Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas, another group managed by Brian Epstein. Lennon recorded a demo while in a Hamburg nightclub’s toilet; he claimed it was the only place quiet enough to record in. At the end of the demo, now sadly lost, he pulled the lavatory chain.
The Dakotas recorded it at their debut session at Abbey Road on 14 March 1963, and later that year it reached number one in the singles charts.
The Beatles’ recording, meanwhile, was released as a single on 23 March 1964 in the USA, with ‘Thank You Girl’ on the b-side.
In the studio
‘Do You Want To Know A Secret’ was recorded along with nine other Please Please Me songs on 11 February 1963. It was the fourth song to be recorded that day.
‘Do You Want To Know A Secret’ was ‘my song’ on the album. I didn’t like my vocal on it. I didn’t know how to sing; nobody told me how to.
The final version was take six, which also included an overdub of the harmony vocals and two drum sticks being hit together during the middle eight. With the overdubs, this final version became known as take eight.
The Beatles also performed ‘Do You Want To Know A Secret’ six times for BBC radio shows, all within a four-month period.
The first performance was for Here We Go, recorded on 6 March 1963. This was included on the 2013 digital release Bootleg Recordings 1963, as was a version for Saturday Club recorded on 21 May 1963.
Other performances of ‘Do You Want To Know A Secret’ were for On The Scene on 21 March; Side By Side on 1 April; and Pop Go The Beatles on 24 May 1963.
The Beatles’ sixth and final BBC performance of the song was recorded for Pop Go The Beatles on 10 July 1963. It was included on the 2013 album On Air – Live At The BBC Volume 2.
During the backing vocal overdub by John and Paul, Ringo added some drumsticks tapped together (recorded with echo). You can hear them from 1:09 to 1:20.
Thanks – I’ve added it as ‘percussion’ to the line-up.
Why was John Lennon so condescending with George. Obviously George could do backup harmony——–which can be more difficult than singing lead.
I still believe that despite the talent both John and Paul were insecure.
At the onset John didn’t even know guitar chords and George helped. I never read about George putting down John for that.
Not at all insecure. They let George sing at least some songs. Even Ringo.
I think it’s not so much some insecurity John and Paul have, but more of the fact that John was outspoken in his life not only about fellow band mates but his self in general. Also, with George being so humble and reserved to some extant we never really see George “put someone down.”
Also when it comes to backup the only really hard harmony that the fab did was probably Paul’s part which most often than not was the higher range. While George did the mid to low range which was already naturally in his voice and vocal range.
Are you out of your mind? Have you ever heard paperback writer? Or in my life?
I don’t think ‘difficult’ harmony necessarily is a function of range (remember, Paul had to sing the high harmony on ‘All my loving”s third verse, while George took over the melody when doing it live). I hear George adding many third harmony parts that are difficult in their execution, not range.
I assume John sings his melody line, usually (not always) the lowest voice. Paul sings thirds or fourths above him, but it is kind of ‘easy’ to hear, its a natural sounding harmonization. Almost a melody of its own.
If there’s a third vocal part THEN, George somehow has to weave his voice in and out of the other two, avoiding doubling of notes wherever he can. This vocal, if sung by itself would sound very strange and unnatural. George usually nails it, both in the studio, and on most live captures I’ve viewed.
I don’t think he gets enough credit for this contribution to the Beatles’ vocal sound.
(I’ll give John credit for some great harmonies below the melody line, also)
This you tube video artist has isolated the three voices, teaching how to sing each part for ‘This Boy’.
For a real treat, he does the same with ‘Because’.
Well, John never had sufficient tact and never kept his mouth shut when he should have. I think John wanted to keep George “in his place” and made comments about Harrison’s singing abilities to further that. George was not a singer on the same level as John or Paul However, John was never as good a guitarist as George. Harrison’s singing skills improved dramatically (Something, The Inner Light, I Me Mine, While My Guitar Gently Weeps) while John’s skills as a guitarist did not match George’s improvement as a singer. Just my opinion.
Their guitar ability weren’t comparable neither. Harrison by a life…
There is some truth in this. John was offended that when George wrote his book I, Me , Mine, he gave acknowledgement to alt of artistes who inspired him, but never came right out and included John. So he was a bit angry with George, and had unflattering things to say about him in that 1980 inrerview. George was really disturbed to learn this, and so worte his song, ‘All Those Years Ago”. Which he gave to Ringo Starr to record, at first. And then when John was killed, he took the track, wiped Ringo’s vocal, added his own, and sent that to Monserat, where Paul and Ringo were recording what became Tug Of War (?), and that track appeared on George’s Somewhere In England LP.
Being a guitarist myself, I know this much… George was a lead guitarist. John was a rhythm guitarist. There’s a big difference. Lead guitarists can usually do both lead and rhythm, while rhythm guitarists concentrate primarily on rhythm only. John was a very good rhythm guitarist. One thing I like about the Star-Club tapes is how John’s rhythm guitar is very much to the forefront, and his chops are spot-on…
I Agree totally.
John gave George the song to sing.
How is that being insecure?!
Methinks you don’t like John.
I hardly see John’s comments as a put down (who’s the insecure one here?). If anything, he’s being honest about George’s abilities at the time and even explaining them as understandable given George’s experience and focus during that period. Remember that at this early phase of the group’s development and with the ages of the members, John’s status is still quite senior (particularly as the founder and leading creative force). He still thinks of George as a ‘kid’. So, yes, to give him a vocal role beyond harmonizing (as mentioned, no small feat) John and Paul wrote songs they wouldn’t necessarily sing and have George or Ringo sing them (whether they originally intended those songs for them seems to vary).
As to the remark about John’s chord knowledge, you are referring to the Quarrymen period. In fact, John learned more chords from Paul than George, and you can imagine the insecurity John overcame when he invited Paul to join his band. Paul was clearly the superior musician (even a better technical guitarist than George in many instances, though George is easily the most expressive).
I submit that John had every right to make the statements he did. Yes, he lacked tact at times, but then I don’t ever sense malice (well, aside from those jabs at Paul and Linda post-breakup), just brutal honesty. And don’t you think they all were insecure? They are in their early twenties with popular (though not critical for some time) acclaim and who knows if it will go on? By Rubber Soul/Revolver they’re pretty sure of themselves. Many of John’s remarks that come after the breakup are incisive and abrasive based on his bitterness over the complications and conflicts, mainly with Paul. Plus, he’s moved on to his solo career and not fully aware of his accomplishments as a Beatle to where he’s intentionally diminishing them (and his mates’) to shift focus to his current interests.
I have already said this – Paul having his own guitar style does not make him better than George and he has never said that he was better than George. If you watch this video, he makes it clear that George was a bit better than either himself or John on the guitar and he means it in a good way.
You mustn’t take Ian MacDonald or Geoff Emerick’s books seriously, as they had the wrong guitarist to gratuitously denigrate the playing of; besides, George had honed his abilities as a guitarist through hours and hours of practice, listening to American R&B and C&W and playing in the clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg, so he was a very good lead guitarist.
It has to be noted that Paul reluctantly took up the bass guitar as, according to what I read on Quora, as lead guitarist, George was the best guitarist out of the three (him, Paul and John) and so he was never even a candidate for bass while John was the rhythm guitarist and bandleader and he would’ve outright refused to play bass (Paul has confirmed this).
Hello all, long time reader…first time replied
Doesn’t sound condescending to me. Sounds like John refers to George being new to singing and getting better with time and experience. And as a side note, John always seemed humble about his own guitar skills. So I don’t read this as him thumping his chest. Just recalling his thoughts at the time he wrote the song, and reflecting on the changes after as time went on. Kirk out.
George was not new to singing in 1963. According to Mark Lewisohn’s book the pre-recording Beatles of 1960 – 62 featured all three as vocalists – with George getting almost as many shots as John and Paul in singing the mostly covers they were doing then.
I think John in 1980 was still pissed off at George’s book.
This song was released as a single in the U.S. on the VeeJay label. It got as high as #2 on the charts in March of 1964!
I always have the feeling that George fluffs the little guitar lead-in at the beginning, after “I really care”. The version on the Billy J Kramer cover is really crisp and sharp. To my untrained ears it sounds like an edit: maybe George Martin (who I presume produced the Billy JK version, correct me if I’m wrong) regretted not having cleaned up The Beatles’ version…
Is the demo really missing as i’m pretty sure i had this a few years back, downloaded on Limewire. It was this and Bad To Me.
It seems odd that George didn’t like his vocal on here. Maybe that’s a bit of George’s gripe on his vocal role in the group. It sounds like most of his early vocals on ballads. The guitar work on here is among the best on album by him here too. Backing vocals are quite solid too.
I feel kinda bad putting this out here, but I didn’t really get a full grip on this one until I “played” it on Rock Band. I’ve enjoyed it since then.
Great guitar on this song and quite good solid vocals as well. The first time I heard it, I thought it was from later albums like A Hard Day’s Night or Rubber Soul.
Did Billy J sing different words to George? In particular, did he sing “I’m not in love with you”? Who was that aimed at? Brian Epstein who took him to New York even before he took The Beatles? Was Billy J reluctant to record/release it as a single?
Sounds to me like he sang the same lyrics as The Beatles.
I’m pretty sure that Paul doesn’t sing in this song. It sounds like George is doing the high doo-dah-doo part and that’s why they did it as an overdub. I don’t know why they wouldn’t use Paul but it sounds a lot like George IMHO.
I remember reading a lengthy-ish interview with George in a guitar magazine in the 1990s(‘Guitar World’?) in which he said his vocal in ‘While my Guitar Gently Weeps’ is unlistenable, and he was still embarrassed by it. “Sounds like I’m singing in the toilet”, he said.
In the same interview he slagged of John’s guitar playing a bit – something like he found it difficult to play lead over certain bits as John wasn’t the best guitar player in the world and couldn’t keep rythim very well.
Actually, George did not “slag off” John’s guitar playing in the interview nor did he call him a bad guitarist at all and he said that John would do something very interesting in an early version of a song, so he did not actually insult his guitar playing at all.
Here is the interview if you want proof – https://web.archive.org/web/20220205211347/http://www.geocities.ws/pisces2878/OA/GuitarWorldGeorge.html.
I am such a rube – for years, I thought that John sang this song! Perhaps because it is penned by John, it simply sounds like something he would sing. I actually find a lot of similarity in John and George’s voices. I love George and Ringo’s voices. Regardless, this one is one of my kids favorites and very catchy.
Don’t feel bad, Russ – I always thought John sang this too – especially the way he sings, “Ahhm in love with you”, kind of gravelly.
This was one of the first Beatles songs I ever heard. I still have the original 45 with the yellow Vee Jay label!
Even at this early stage George has his own ‘voice’ … I do agree with John in that if George had had more singing time he would’ve been great at that stage. I’m wondering about the ‘insecurity comments’ on John and Paul. Recently read an excerpt when Pete Best was in the group and they were all getting on the bus. The girls were all around Pete, and that steamed the other guys. While of course Ringo definitely brought expertise that Best didn’t have, I wonder if the added factor of cutting off the possibility of another ‘bus event’ happening again had something to do with it. Too bad George didn’t sing this in Ed Sullivan show (or did he?).
I can confirm that he didn’t. 😉
He sang backing vocals and it’s not like they deliberately or arbitrarily denied him a lead vocal on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’.
Okay you may think I’m stupid saying this but I have listened to the alternate takes of this song and it is definitely George singing the high vocal and in take 7 George does an “aahh” and that is 100% him. Also before take 8 George is talking with John about if they should do the Doo rah doos or whatever they are in the first verse and it is clearly John and George then.
In fact, if you listen to this you will see what I mean.
For some reason, they decided to add the backing vocals as well as drum sticks as an overdub.
I don’t know why they did this but at the start of the video, you can hear George talking about which section they should do the backing vocals in. Notice him saying “Well, we’re not doing them in the first verse”. George might be singing because they could have been planning on doing three-part harmony but I can only hear two backing vocals. Maybe Paul’s harmony didn’t really work so they didn’t use it.
I think this is the earliest song that showcases Paul’s dexterity and ease on the bass. Just trips along.
Except during the fadeout, around 1:50, Paul hits a note that doesn’t sound right and has always bothered me.
A sweet and simple song that’s often overlooked. It parallels much of the top 40 pop music happening then. Kind of sing-song and whispy. It could have been sung by a dozen groups at the time. It seems to lack the “Beatle” flavor that was due to happen just around the corner. It’s a good showcase for very young George and probably did as good a job as John or Paul would have done with it.
I don’t think John played guitar on this track, as on the new bootlegs album, the outtake of the song I can only really hear the one guitar and handclaps which would suggest it was john clapping and George playing the guitar, as it was a live performance. Not sure, but that’s just what I think
Actually, according to Walter Everett, George and John are both playing acoustic guitars in different channels (George is in the right channel and John is in the left channel) and it’s highly unlikely that John would’ve not played an instrument on a song he wrote, let alone at this point in time.
John is full of s**t when he says George was a poor vocalist— on the Decca sessions, John sounds tight and scream-y without being musical, and Paul sounds like a terrible Elvis impersonator. George is just himself and does the best lead vocals on “Three cool cats,” “Sheik of araby” and the rest – he just sounds like he’s having fun.
Lennon´s melody in Do You Want to Know a Secret from 1962 is a masterpiece. Lennon underated it. He never realised how wonderful it is. A bittersweet melody that starts and starts, and suddenly it´s away…Many people hear the similarity with Yesterday. The same short start, and then the same upclimbing melody. McCartney composed Yesterday 1964 or 1965. He could unconsciously been influenced by Lennon´s song.
Yes, once again the broken record. EVERYTHING Lennon did was a “masterpiece”, Paul was always in his shadow…..smh.
This is hardly anything approaching a masterpiece. A likeable song – nothing more.
You need to get out now and then, Johan.
Johan-
You must be the life of every part you are invited to.
I’m sure you meant to say ‘the life of every PARTY you are invited to.’
Yes, that too.
I like this song, not the best but not the worst from the Album either,
John was just stating the obvious, even George admits he didn’t know how to sing then, so what’s the big deal?
I play guitars. Have done so for years. And yes I like the beatles and I’m a fan of their arrangements. That said I have difficulty accepting the monotonous and increasingly silly claims that Lennon was a genius creating endless masterpieces (and carrying the other band members on his back, presumably.)
Lennon was — shall we say — heavily influenced with things… e,g. in this tune the descending chords and the ooh-wah-ooh over the top of them are a direct lift from “till there as you.” Think of this tune as being an exercise in how to use the structure and feel in “till there was you,” then repeat it a bunch and there you have it. (The middle 8 of “secret” is not derivative; I suspect this is McCartney.) Remember TTWY was a beatles staple for ages, as was besame mucho. There’s nothing wrong with lifting sequences here and there, mind you, but I tend to think of genius in other terms, such as inventing the things that others lift. Quite difficult, that.
In later years Lennon continued this penchant. For example the entire chord progression in 1980’s “Starting Over” is pretty much a direct lift from “what a wonderful world.” Feel free to look up the chording tab for both and compare for yourself.
And yes I’m aware that there are only 12 notes and there are going to be “similarities” … but my ear generally hears Lennon melodies as derivative, not genius. He was certainly quite clever at it though.
i agree with you, Johan, paul was clearly influenced by “Do you want to now a secret” when he started composing “yesterday”
As someone else said a sweet and simple song. It is a lovely tune. Nice story how John Lennon’s inspiration came from memories of his mothers singing.Obviously he gave it to George to sing.Fits in well to the “Please Please Me” album.
I always thought that bad note at 1:50 was George but now that I think about it it was definitely bass. I have heard an alternate version with that ‘boink’ sound edited out and a cold ending. Should have used that take IMO. Remember that they cut 10 tracks that day (Feb 11) in 1963….TEN tracks in ONE day. Ridiculous really. For an album made on the cheap with indecent haste it is remarkable how good it is.
I have give George some perks for his early harmony work.
I believe adding a harmony on top of a melody is relatively easy
if you have the vocal skill. Comparatively, much harder is adding
a third part in between the high and low vocal part.
Listen to the live versions of “This Boy”, and tell me all three didn’t
nail it!
(and of course, when John or Paul sang a harmony BELOW the
melody line, it was heavenly. … or Everly … )
If you listen closely, you hear that ALL THREE of them sing the melody !!
George starts it out with “Listen, do you want …” and ends with “Closer, ”
Then Paul picks it up with “Let me whisper in your ear” and ends with “…I long to hear.”.
John finishes it up with “I’m in love with You, Ooo ooo ooo ooo …”.
Now, back to George who starts the next refrain …
There ARE three different voices there !! Check it out !!!
( A Beatles SECRET !!! )
It sounds like the same voice to me.
Nico Polo, the three of them absolutely do not sing the melody. It is all George on this one.
The ‘three separated lead voices’ concept would explain why I couldn’t figure out if it was John or Paul, only to read it was George! I just figured with their ‘pancake’ vocals style of copying The Shirelles forced them all into a common voicing structure. Or that George was mimicking the best of John and Paul. Who knows… loved this song since ‘63 when I was 9 years old. It does have that TTWY chord structure, most interesting!!
If you look in the back of the Nicholas Schaffner book “The Beatles Forever” (published in 1977), there’s a list of the “five least favorite Beatles songs.” This was based on a 1972 poll in the Village Voice. Curiously, ‘Do You Want To Know a Secret’ was among the five! I can’t recall which position it held, though. Its company in the ‘five least favorite’ was “Revolution 9”, “Helter Skelter”, “Mr. Moonlight” and “You Know My Name, Look Up The Number”
One of the reasons why Do You Want To Know A Secret is so beautiful is the wonderful tierce interval in “…not TO TELL…”. The same interval that makes If I Fell so beautiful “…if I give MY HEART…” In fact it is exact the same interval in the very beginning of the bird common redstart´s song. Some scholars even claim that human´s music from the beginning was inspired by the birds singing. The birds are able to sing in major scale, in minor scale and in chromatic scale.
I’ve always loved this song. it inspires.
George’s scouse never left him. That’s the charm of this song to me. Scenerio: Young scouser, given a song, tries to sing all proper, and producer says, no, no, your speaking voice is great. Go from there. GH even made fun of it speaking of Let it Down. “Yeah…let yer hur hang all around me.”
I am sure I can hear an organ on this song in the background. I cant see an organ mentioned in the credits. Maybe its just me going mad. 🙂
If you listen closely, you will hear the line that should have gone “I’ve known the secret for a week or two” George actually says “ I’ve known a secret for the week or two”. Just something i’ve Noticed.
Yes, Walrus, I’ve always heard it. And considering that there are no other comments regarding it, I’d say, “Nobody knows, just we two.”
I am glad I am not the only one who thought this was John on lead vocal. Now that I know it is George, it is my favorite of his lead vocals. Don’t know why he did not like it. Seems like he Paul Simon and Linda Ronstadt syndrome – they have an idea of what they wanted and it did not turn out that way. Meanwhile us fans can’t imagine it any better.
Who made MikeP the Paul police of this site. Always bullying those who make statements favoring John. Paul always talked about pinching ideas from songs from other artists including Lennon songs. So it’s not far fetched that Paul pinched from this song to create a likable but overrated song like Yesterday. It’s nothing more than that. Now YOU get out.
Yesterday is “overrated”? Sure. It was only voted the greatest song of the 20th century in the 1999 BBC Listener’s poll, and is the most recorded song ever written. Nothing before or after it written by John or Paul (or George) sounds even remotely like it. I don’t know where people get this stuff from.
John was a phenomenal artist and a very sharp thinker, but he could never write a song like Yesterday. And that may be a main reason people think it’s overrated–because if it’s not in the “John the iconoclast”s style, then there is no way it can be that good.
John’s alternate lyrics (in the studio): “Listen, would you like to hold a penis?”
That would’ve been very inappropriate for release and I have heard audio from the session on YouTube.
There’s some similarity between this song and The Archies’ “Sugar Sugar,” especially the chords and melody of “Listen—“ and “Sugar—“. Charming if slight early song that showcases John’s playful (even “cuddly”) side. Harry Nilsson included this in his “You Can’t Do That” Beatles medley.
What is that vocal blip at 1:28? Bothered me forever. Anyone know why that was kept in? Time constraints?