The Beatles – “Boys” Live

The Beatles – “Boys” Live | Society Of Rock Videos

What A Bundle Of Joy!

“Boys” was written by Luther Dixon and Wes Farrell. It was originally performed by the American girl group The Shirelles. The Beatles’ cover version was recorded in just one take at the Abbey Road Studios. This was actually Ringo Starr’s first recording where he was the lead vocalist. From 1961, it became a staple on the band’s live repertoire.

In an October 2005 Rolling Stone interview, Paul McCartney stated: “Any one of us could hold the audience. Ringo would do ‘Boys’, which was a fan favourite with the crowd.

Before Ringo joined the group, it was Pete Best who sang this track. He eventually released his own version in 1965. Though The Beatles made some changes regarding the gender pronouns, they really weren’t bothered by the lyrics or that the words were about boys.

McCartney also said: “Ringo always used to do a song in the show. Back then he had ‘Boys’. It was a little embarrassing because it went, ‘I’m talking about boys – yeah, yeah – boys’. It was a Shirelles hit and they were girls singing it, but we never thought we should call it Girls, just because Ringo was a boy. We just sang it the way they’d sung it and never considered any implications.”

Love how Ringo performed this with lots of energy!

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