You're Going to Lose That Girl

You're Going to Lose That Girl came out on the album Help! in 1965. (The US title was, technically speaking, "You're Gonna Lose That Girl".) It is a collaboration of the Lennon/McCartney team, written at Lennon's house in Weybridge. It was the last song to be recorded before the Beatles took time off to go to the Bahamas to make the film version of Help!

The lyrics imply a bit of intrigue. The singer warns that if his friend doesn't treat his girlfriend well, he (the singer) may just snake her away from him. The structure is the familiar "call-and-response" format used successfully and often by the Beatles in their early period. Lennon makes the statement, and Harrison and McCartney answer him. The rhythm is early Beatles rock (more like a Chubby Checker-like twist beat). The music is pure doo-wop, in the familiar territory of E major. The music then moves somewhat unexpectedly to G major in the bridge. This innovation was a hint of creative tonal changes the Beatles were later to adopt in many other original compositions. Thus, the song is perhaps the last clear example of the early Beatles style, but with some transitional features.

Recording occurred on February 19, 1965. Take 1 was a false start. Take 2 was definitive. Because the group had four-track recording available to them, they could fill out the base track with overdubs. John's voice is double-tracked. Paul added piano, and Ringo added bongos. Thus, You're Going to Lost That Girl represents the beginning of a move away from the conventional instrumentation of the group to something richer and more varied.

The good-humored comedy of the Beatles can be seen in the version of this song portrayed in the film of Help! An intruder (from a gang that chases Ringo in the film) saws a hole in the floor from below, encircling Ringo's drum set. As the producer calls for a re-take, due to a bad buzz sound, the drums disappear.