John Lennon slammed poor Beatle in dispute over song | Music News

The monitor, sung by George Harrison, was written in 1962, but John and Paul had contrasting tales about its inception.

Speaking about it in a 1980 interview, John mentioned: “My mother was always… she was a comedienne and a singer. Not professional, but, you know, she used to get up in pubs and things like that. She had a good voice. She could do Kay Starr.

“She used to do this little tune when I used to be just a one- or two-year-old… yeah, she was still dwelling with me then… The tune was from the Disney film – ‘Want to know a secret? Promise not to inform. You are standing by a wishing properly.”

In reflection on a slice of Beatles history, Lennon mused about one particular track, saying: “So, I had this type of factor in my head and I wrote it and just gave it to George to sing. I assumed it will be a good vehicle for him because it only had three notes and he wasn’t the best singer in the world.”

He further commented on Harrison’s early vocal talents, noting: “He has improved a lot since then, but in those days his singing capability was very poor because (a) he hadn’t had the chance, and (b) he concentrated more on the guitar.”

Lennon elaborated on his writing process: “So I wrote that – not for him as I used to be writing it, but when I had written it, I assumed he may do it. It was just written.”

However, McCartney recalls the song’s creation with a different take, asserting: “It was a ’50–50 collaboration written to order’ for George to sing.”

The storied track came into being during The Beatles’ epic ‘Please Please Me’ single-day session in London at the historic date of February 11, 1963 — the day they recorded their groundbreaking debut album.

Within the dynamic of that recording session, Harrison led with the vocal and helmed the lead guitar, while his bandmates, Paul and John, joined in on backing vocals and additional guitar, with Ringo Starr setting the rhythm on drums.

Harrison himself shared his thoughts on his performance, candidly admitting: “‘Do You Want To Know A Secret’ was ‘my song’ on the album. I did not like my vocal on it. I did not know how to sing; no person instructed me how to.”

Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, a Merseyside ensemble under the steering of the Beatles’ supervisor Brian Epstein, also put their stamp on the tune, recording it at Abbey Road Studios in 1963, which subsequently soared to the highest of the singles charts later that 12 months.