“Another Girl”

• Published on 1965
• Author: Lennon/McCartney
• Track 5 on “Help!“

What the Beatles said about “Another Girl”

JOHN 1980: “‘Another Girl’ is Paul.”

PAUL circa-1994: “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.”

Info about “Another Girl”

The song was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The song is addressed to the singer’s girlfriend, who is informed that the singer has found “another girl”.

McCartney wrote the song while holidaying in Hammamet, a resort in Tunisia. With an up-tempo swing-beat that McCartney favoured (“Can’t Buy Me Love“, “She’s a Woman“) it opens with a short refrain, powered by block vocal harmonies, that segues straight into the verse, which is constructed on the blues-mode chord changes the group currently favoured.

The Beatles recorded the song on 15 February 1965, having also worked that day on “Ticket to Ride” and “I Need You“. The backing track was quickly recorded in a single take. George Harrison added a guitar “flourish” at the end which was omitted from the final mix: McCartney added lead guitar the next day. This is one of several Beatles songs recorded at the time on which McCartney played lead guitar in addition to his usual bass.

Four-track recording allowed the group to refine songs’ arrangements in the studio and McCartney often had clear ideas about the guitar lines he wanted. He also contributed lead guitar to “Ticket to Ride” and played an electric guitar duet with Harrison on “The Night Before“. The song was mixed down on 18 February and again on 23 February.

This song features the often-utilized three-part harmonies between Lennon, McCartney and Harrison, but it is one of the only instances in which Lennon sings the highest harmony.

Personnel

• Paul McCartney – double-tracked lead vocal, bass guitar, lead guitar
• John Lennon – harmony vocal, electric rhythm guitar
• George Harrison – harmony vocal, acoustic rhythm guitar
• Ringo Starr – drums