Little Girl

Written by: Lennon-McCartney
Recorded: 1965

Released: 2 October 2026

Available on:
Rubber Soul (2026 reissue)

A demo recording made by John Lennon in 1965, ‘Little Girl’ remained unreleased until it was included in the 2026 reissues of The Beatles’ Rubber Soul album.

Yeah, it was surprising. It was one of those things that came from the Lennon Estate — I think it was Sean. It was one of those things where they say, ‘Oh, and then there’s this.’

The lyrics of ‘Little Girl’ first appeared in the 2012 book The John Lennon Letters, edited by Hunter Davies. They were written on a postcard featuring the text “郵便はがき” (Yūbin hagaki/postcard), a boxed “年賀” (Nenga/New Year) stamp, and a circular emblem containing the characters 本 (Hon) and 和 (Wa), a traditional abbreviation referring to Japan (Nihon/Nippon).

The Beatles first visited Japan during their final tour in June and July 1966, which indicates that Lennon might have written the lyrics after the recording of Rubber Soul.

When a girl begins to be a problem
Pretty soon the girl must go
When they’re gone you find at last you love them
Pretty soon you want to know
Little girl I’ve come to stay
And this time I just have to say
I love you
If she turns you down you’re rejected
Try again the best you can
Call to see her when it’s least expected
Try again she’ll understand