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I Lost My Little Girl

March 06, 2023

"I Lost My Little Girl" is one of the first songs written by Paul McCartney and the first he wrote for guitar. McCartney wrote the song in 1956 or 1957, around the age of 14 or 15, shortly after his mother's death.

"I Lost My Little Girl"
Song by Paul McCartney
from the album Unplugged (The Official Bootleg)
ReleasedMay 20, 1991
RecordedJanuary 25, 1991
GenreRock
Length1:45
LabelParlophone/EMI
Songwriter(s)Paul McCartney
Producer(s)Paul McCartney
Audio sample
"I Lost My Little Girl"

Composition

Some writers, including musicologist Walter Everett, describe the song as McCartney's first composition.[1] McCartney himself has also described it as "the first song I ever wrote".[1] Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn clarifies,

As it was written on the guitar, which he only began playing after rock's breakthrough, and as he always said he wrote the two piano songs ("Call It Suicide" and what would become "When I'm Sixty-Four") before rock arrived, "I Lost My Little Girl" was not his first song but his first guitar song—a distinction he, as the creator, was entitled to make.[2]

McCartney wrote "I Lost My Little Girl" in 1956 or 1957. In his official biography, Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now, McCartney says he wrote the song "when I was fourteen just after I'd lost my mother".[3] In The Beatles: The Biography, Bob Spitz writes McCartney wrote the song in 1956 soon after his mother Mary's death on 29 October 1956 and that, "McCartney remains vague about a correlation between the two events."[4] Writer and research fellow Dave Laing writes McCartney wrote the song sometime between his mother's death and the summer of 1957.[5] Lewisohn writes McCartney wrote the song in late 1957, around the time John Lennon wrote Hello Little Girl.[6] In particular, Lewisohn notes that when McCartney sings the song he includes "a [Buddy] Holly hiccup, pinpointing its creation to post-September 1957,"[2] the month McCartney and Lennon first heard the Crickets' song "That'll Be the Day".[7] Everett agrees with Lewisohn that the Holly-like vocalizations in lines 8–10 of the song likely post-date McCartney's first hearing Holly in late 1957, but contends that those were later additions and that he had already written the rest of the song before that point.[1]

McCartney wrote the song with his first guitar, a Framus Zenith acoustic guitar.[8] In The Beatles Anthology, McCartney recalls, "All my first songs, including that one, were written on the Zenith; songs like 'Michelle' and 'I Saw Her Standing There'. It was on this guitar that I learnt 'Twenty Flight Rock', the song that later got me into the group The Quarry Men."[9] It is unclear whether he wrote the words or the melody first, though there is likely nothing beyond a few verses.[10] In a 1976 interview, McCartney describes it as "A funny little song, a nice little song, a corny little song, based on three chords—G, G7 and C."[11] In a 1991 performance, he clarifies, "I'm gonna play a song which was the first song I ever wrote, when I was fourteen... You see, you take a G [nut-position chord] and you take a G7 and a C, that's all it is really; a bit of F, I must admit."[1]

Lewisohn writes the influence of Buddy Holly in the songs composition is "crystal clear",[10] being "steeped in the Crickets' sound."[12] Everett writes that the song did not originally have a contrasting section with the B-section added later.[1] He also writes that the song is representative of most of the Beatles' earliest compositions in being, "thoroughly diatonic, grounded solidly in the major scale."[13] In interviews, McCartney often expresses embarrassment over his rhyming "girl" with "her hair didn't always curl." Lewisohn writes that the strength of the song instead lies in its melodic counterpoint, indicating McCartney's early skills.[10] In The Beatles Anthology, McCartney says, "I liked the way one melody line went down and the other went up, which I think is called contrary motion. It was a very innocent little song."[9]

After writing the song, McCartney often played it for other people.[10] In a 1989 interview, he recalled, "I liked the idea of being able to say 'I wrote this'".[10] Ian James, a classmate of McCartney's, recalled an early demonstration:

I was in Forthlin Road once when Paul said, "I've written this song." I couldn't imagine what it would be like but we went up to his bedroom and while I stood there he sat on the edge of his bed and played me "I Lost My Little Girl." Whether it was a good tune or not, I was impressed by the fact that he'd written something. I'd never thought about writing a song—I was only interested in playing what had been recorded. He didn't only want to strum to Elvis Presley or Jerry Lee Lewis, he was more interested in creating something himself. That spark was there from the start.[10]

Recording

In the early 1970s rumors circulated about the existence of an early 1962 rehearsal of the Beatles performing "I Lost My Little Girl", amongst several other songs. Everett writes that these rumors have never been substantiated.[14] The earliest known taping of the song[1] is the Beatles performing a version in January 1969 during their Get Back sessions.[15][16][nb 1] John Lennon is on lead vocal while McCartney supplies a repeated sustained upper descant.[1] McCartney recorded another early version on a crude home tape in the mid-1970s.[nb 2] It includes a slightly different melodic line which Everett believes is more historically accurate to the original composition.[1]

McCartney began performing the song on radio, TV and in concert in 1977.[2] On 25 January 1991, McCartney performed the song for a live audience. This performance is captured on his 1991 album, Unplugged (The Official Bootleg).[18]

Personnel

According to The Paul McCartney Project:[19]

Production

Notes

  1. ^ This recording is on the 1991 bootleg, Get Back and 22 Other Songs.[17]
  2. ^ This recording is on the 1992 bootleg The Piano Tape, likely recorded around 1974.[17]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Everett 2001, p. 31.
  2. ^ a b c Lewisohn 2013, p. 818n49.
  3. ^ Miles 1998, p. 21, quoted in Everett 2001, p. 31
  4. ^ Spitz 2005, p. 130.
  5. ^ Laing 2009, p. 22.
  6. ^ Lewisohn 2013, pp. 10, 153.
  7. ^ Lewisohn 2013, p. 147.
  8. ^ Miles 1998, p. 21.
  9. ^ a b The Beatles 2000, p. 20.
  10. ^ a b c d e f Lewisohn 2013, p. 153.
  11. ^ Gambaccini 1976, p. 17, quoted in Lewisohn 2013, p. 153
  12. ^ Lewisohn 2013, p. 10.
  13. ^ Everett 2001, p. 55.
  14. ^ Everett 2001, p. 371n25.
  15. ^ Everett 2001, p. 27.
  16. ^ "Watch the Lost Beatles". NPR's Online Music Show. Retrieved November 1, 2006.
  17. ^ a b Everett 2001, p. 372n38.
  18. ^ Everett 2001, p. 31, 372n38.
  19. ^ "I Lost My Little Girl (song)". The Paul McCartney project. Retrieved 2020-12-02.

Sources

March 06, 2023
lost, little, girl, first, songs, written, paul, mccartney, first, wrote, guitar, mccartney, wrote, song, 1956, 1957, around, shortly, after, mother, death, song, paul, mccartneyfrom, album, unplugged, official, bootleg, releasedmay, 1991recordedjanuary, 1991g. I Lost My Little Girl is one of the first songs written by Paul McCartney and the first he wrote for guitar McCartney wrote the song in 1956 or 1957 around the age of 14 or 15 shortly after his mother s death I Lost My Little Girl Song by Paul McCartneyfrom the album Unplugged The Official Bootleg ReleasedMay 20 1991RecordedJanuary 25 1991GenreRockLength1 45LabelParlophone EMISongwriter s Paul McCartneyProducer s Paul McCartneyAudio sample source source I Lost My Little Girl filehelp Contents 1 Composition 2 Recording 3 Personnel 4 Notes 5 References 5 1 SourcesComposition EditSome writers including musicologist Walter Everett describe the song as McCartney s first composition 1 McCartney himself has also described it as the first song I ever wrote 1 Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn clarifies As it was written on the guitar which he only began playing after rock s breakthrough and as he always said he wrote the two piano songs Call It Suicide and what would become When I m Sixty Four before rock arrived I Lost My Little Girl was not his first song but his first guitar song a distinction he as the creator was entitled to make 2 McCartney wrote I Lost My Little Girl in 1956 or 1957 In his official biography Paul McCartney Many Years from Now McCartney says he wrote the song when I was fourteen just after I d lost my mother 3 In The Beatles The Biography Bob Spitz writes McCartney wrote the song in 1956 soon after his mother Mary s death on 29 October 1956 and that McCartney remains vague about a correlation between the two events 4 Writer and research fellow Dave Laing writes McCartney wrote the song sometime between his mother s death and the summer of 1957 5 Lewisohn writes McCartney wrote the song in late 1957 around the time John Lennon wrote Hello Little Girl 6 In particular Lewisohn notes that when McCartney sings the song he includes a Buddy Holly hiccup pinpointing its creation to post September 1957 2 the month McCartney and Lennon first heard the Crickets song That ll Be the Day 7 Everett agrees with Lewisohn that the Holly like vocalizations in lines 8 10 of the song likely post date McCartney s first hearing Holly in late 1957 but contends that those were later additions and that he had already written the rest of the song before that point 1 McCartney wrote the song with his first guitar a Framus Zenith acoustic guitar 8 In The Beatles Anthology McCartney recalls All my first songs including that one were written on the Zenith songs like Michelle and I Saw Her Standing There It was on this guitar that I learnt Twenty Flight Rock the song that later got me into the group The Quarry Men 9 It is unclear whether he wrote the words or the melody first though there is likely nothing beyond a few verses 10 In a 1976 interview McCartney describes it as A funny little song a nice little song a corny little song based on three chords G G7 and C 11 In a 1991 performance he clarifies I m gonna play a song which was the first song I ever wrote when I was fourteen You see you take a G nut position chord and you take a G7 and a C that s all it is really a bit of F I must admit 1 Lewisohn writes the influence of Buddy Holly in the songs composition is crystal clear 10 being steeped in the Crickets sound 12 Everett writes that the song did not originally have a contrasting section with the B section added later 1 He also writes that the song is representative of most of the Beatles earliest compositions in being thoroughly diatonic grounded solidly in the major scale 13 In interviews McCartney often expresses embarrassment over his rhyming girl with her hair didn t always curl Lewisohn writes that the strength of the song instead lies in its melodic counterpoint indicating McCartney s early skills 10 In The Beatles Anthology McCartney says I liked the way one melody line went down and the other went up which I think is called contrary motion It was a very innocent little song 9 After writing the song McCartney often played it for other people 10 In a 1989 interview he recalled I liked the idea of being able to say I wrote this 10 Ian James a classmate of McCartney s recalled an early demonstration I was in Forthlin Road once when Paul said I ve written this song I couldn t imagine what it would be like but we went up to his bedroom and while I stood there he sat on the edge of his bed and played me I Lost My Little Girl Whether it was a good tune or not I was impressed by the fact that he d written something I d never thought about writing a song I was only interested in playing what had been recorded He didn t only want to strum to Elvis Presley or Jerry Lee Lewis he was more interested in creating something himself That spark was there from the start 10 Recording EditIn the early 1970s rumors circulated about the existence of an early 1962 rehearsal of the Beatles performing I Lost My Little Girl amongst several other songs Everett writes that these rumors have never been substantiated 14 The earliest known taping of the song 1 is the Beatles performing a version in January 1969 during their Get Back sessions 15 16 nb 1 John Lennon is on lead vocal while McCartney supplies a repeated sustained upper descant 1 McCartney recorded another early version on a crude home tape in the mid 1970s nb 2 It includes a slightly different melodic line which Everett believes is more historically accurate to the original composition 1 McCartney began performing the song on radio TV and in concert in 1977 2 On 25 January 1991 McCartney performed the song for a live audience This performance is captured on his 1991 album Unplugged The Official Bootleg 18 Personnel EditAccording to The Paul McCartney Project 19 Paul McCartney vocals acoustic guitar Linda McCartney backing vocals Robbie McIntosh backing vocals Hamish Stuart acoustic bass backing vocals Paul Wickens shaker Blair Cunningham drumsProduction Geoff Emerick mixing engineer recording engineer Eddie Klein assistant engineer Gary Stewart assistant engineer Peter Craigie assistant engineer Gary Bradshaw monitor engineerNotes Edit This recording is on the 1991 bootleg Get Back and 22 Other Songs 17 This recording is on the 1992 bootleg The Piano Tape likely recorded around 1974 17 References Edit a b c d e f g h Everett 2001 p 31 a b c Lewisohn 2013 p 818n49 Miles 1998 p 21 quoted in Everett 2001 p 31 Spitz 2005 p 130 Laing 2009 p 22 Lewisohn 2013 pp 10 153 Lewisohn 2013 p 147 Miles 1998 p 21 a b The Beatles 2000 p 20 a b c d e f Lewisohn 2013 p 153 Gambaccini 1976 p 17 quoted in Lewisohn 2013 p 153 Lewisohn 2013 p 10 Everett 2001 p 55 Everett 2001 p 371n25 Everett 2001 p 27 Watch the Lost Beatles NPR s Online Music Show Retrieved November 1 2006 a b Everett 2001 p 372n38 Everett 2001 p 31 372n38 I Lost My Little Girl song The Paul McCartney project Retrieved 2020 12 02 Sources Edit The Beatles 2000 The Beatles Anthology San Francisco Chronicle Books ISBN 978 0 8118 2684 6 Retrieved 4 February 2021 Everett Walter 2001 The Beatles As Musicians The Quarry Men through Rubber Soul Oxford and New York Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 514105 4 Retrieved 4 February 2021 Gambaccini Paul 1976 Paul McCartney in His Own Words London Omnibus Press ISBN 978 0 825 63063 7 Laing Dave 2009 Six boys six Beatles the formative years 1950 1962 In Womack Kenneth ed The Cambridge Companion to the Beatles Cambridge Cambridge University Press pp 9 32 ISBN 978 0 521 68976 2 Lewisohn Mark 2013 The Beatles All These Years Volume One Tune In Crown Archetype ISBN 978 1 4000 8305 3 Miles Barry 1998 Paul McCartney Many Years from Now London Secker amp Warburg ISBN 978 0 436 28022 1 Spitz Bob 2005 The Beatles The Biography Little Brown and Company ISBN 978 0 316 80352 6 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title I Lost My Little Girl amp oldid 1127122673, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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