WhenA Hard Day’s Nightwas filmed in 1964, Beatlemania was in full force. Director Richard Lester used this to his full advantage as he filmed scenes with screaming fans chasing the band through a train station and the streets of London, as well as rabid admirers watching a performance in a television studio. When it came time to film the follow-up, then referred to asEight Arms to Hold You, Lester and producer Walter Shenson took a different approach. They chose locations that were more remote, where they were less likely to be swarmed by Beatlemaniacs. Salisbury Plain, the Swiss Alps, the Bahamas, and Twickenham Studios in London allowed more control for the cast and crew to film sequences with fewer interruptions. As The Beatles’ fame grew, it became harder for each member to lead a normal life. Let’s take a look at the story behind “Another Girl” by The Beatles.
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For I have got another girl, another girl
You’re making me say that I’ve got nobody but you
But as from today, well, I’ve got somebody that’s new
I ain’t no fool, and I don’t take what I don’t want
Republic of Tunisia
Paul McCartney wrote the song while on vacation with his girlfriend Jane Asher. The couple flew to Hammamet, Tunisia, on February 4, 1965, for a 10-day holiday. Since the 1920s, Hammamet has been an artist’s center, previously visited by writers, painters, and dignitaries, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Paul Klee, and Winston Churchill. McCartney and Asher stayed at a villa built by Romanian George Sebastian as guests of the British government. This arrangement allowed for some insulation from the constant hassle of fans. McCartney told author Barry Miles in 1997’sMany Years from Now, “You’d be sitting there having a cup of tea when the Russian delegation would be shown through by the government. You didn’t have any control over that. ‘This is one of our cultural guests.’ ‘Hello, how are you?”
For I have got another girl, another girl
She’s sweeter than all the girls, and I’ve met quite a few
Nobody in all the world can do what she can do
And so I’m telling you this time, you’d better stop
Islamic Tile
An amphitheater was constructed at the villa in 1964, inspiring McCartney to write a song. The bathroom had Islamic tile, and the acoustics were particularly conducive to songwriting. He wrote “Another Girl” in the bathroom.
For I have got another girl
Another girl who will love me ’til the end
Through thick and thin, she will always be my friend
In the Studio
The band began recording the day after McCartney returned from Tunisia, capturing the basic track of “Another Girl” in a single take. They also worked on “Ticket to Ride” and “I Need You.” Track one had McCartney’s bass and Ringo Starr’s drums. Track two contained John Lennon’s electric Fender guitar and George Harrison’s acoustic Gibson guitar. Track three had McCartney’s lead vocals and Harrison and Lennon’s backing vocals. Track four had McCartney’s double-tracked vocal along with more vocals from Lennon, Harrison’s electric Gretsch guitar, and tom-tom drum from Starr. Harrison attempted 10 passes at overdubbing a guitar part before they abandoned it, and McCartney ended up playing a part on his electric Epiphone Casino.
I don’t want to say that I’ve been unhappy with you
But as from today, well, I’ve seen somebody that’s new
I ain’t no fool, and I don’t take what I don’t want
Not Just Filler
“Another Girl” was not a single. It was included in the soundtrack to the movie Help! Beatle fans were anxious to hear any new material. While “Help!” was the single, causing producers to rename the film, the rest of the soundtrack was anything but “fillers.” Explained McCartney, “It’s a bit much to call them fillers because I think they were a bit more than that, and each one of them made it past the Beatles test. We all had to like it. If anyone didn’t like one of our songs, it was vetoed. It could be vetoed by one person. If Ringo said, ‘I don’t like that one,’ we wouldn’t do it, or we’d have to really persuade him.”
For I have got another girl
Another girl who will love me ’til the end
Through thick and thin, she will always be my friend
Mono vs. Stereo
Producer George Martin and engineers Norman Smith and Ken Scott mixed the song for mono on February 18, 1965. Five days later, Smith and Malcolm Davies mixed the stereo version. The filming ofHelp! commenced in the Bahamas on the same day. The location for “Another Girl” was on Balmoral Island, near New Providence Island. While standing on the coral reef, the band lip-synched the song. Throughout the performance, The Beatles are playful, to say the least. McCartney “played” a woman in a bikini as if she were a guitar at one point. The other members switch instruments. Lennon mimes playing the drums, Starr pretends to play guitar, while Harrison holds McCartney’s bass and looks confused.
I don’t want to say that I’ve been unhappy with you
But as from today, well, I’ve seen somebody that’s new
I ain’t no fool, and I don’t take what I don’t want
49 Years Later
On April 28. 2015, McCartney performed the song live for the first time. It was during a concert at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, 49 years after The Beatles had first played the venue in 1966. In a released statement, McCartney said, “It was sensational and quite emotional remembering the first time and then experiencing this fantastic audience tonight.”
For I have got another girl
Another girl
Another girl
Cover Versions
In 1965, Producer George Martin included the song on his instrumental reworking of Beatles hits. The George Martin Orchestra’s album was also entitledHelp!In 2021, another instrumental take was arranged for baroque orchestra and saxophone by Lautten Compagney. It was on the albumTime Travel.
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