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From album
Please Please Me
The Beatles · 1963 · Track 5
Details
ÁlbumPlease Please Me
Año1963
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The story behind
When The Beatles decided to include Boys on their debut album, Please Please Me, it was already a song with a history. Originally, it was written by Luther Dixon and Wes Farrell and recorded by the American girl group The Shirelles in 1960. They released it as the B-side of their single Will You Love Me Tomorrow, from Bell Sound studios in New York. For The Beatles, this version was recorded at EMI studios on February 11, 1963, and remarkably, it was done in a single take. This track marks the first time Ringo Starr sang as lead vocalist on a recording with the band, and being the fifth song on the album, it was the first opportunity for many listeners to hear him leading a song. The band didn't stop to consider possible interpretations of the lyrics' content, which talks about "boys," even though they were men singing a song originally performed by women. Paul McCartney commented in 2005 that, at that youthful stage, they simply enjoyed the music without overthinking the implications.
Before Ringo Starr took the microphone for Boys, the song already held a special place in the band's history. During their days at Liverpool's Cavern Club, it was the song the drummer used to perform, and even Pete Best sang it at that time. It was his go-to track for the drummer until 1964. Interestingly, Ringo Starr also sang it during his performances with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, sometimes sharing the stage with Cilla Black. Pete Best, for his part, released his own version in 1965. A live version of Boys was included on the album The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl, originally released in 1977 and reissued in 2016. The recording of that live version dates back to August 23, 1964, and it was the band's first song to be available for digital download and streaming platforms, a week before the full remastered album's release in September 2016.