SPRING 2026 MUS 354 Unit 1: In the Beginning (1958 - 1963) LECTURE 10 SCRIPTS: LATE 1963
Arizona State University
Unit 1: In the Beginning (1958 - 1963)
Lecture 10: Late 1963
, Audio Lecture
Featured Songs
• "This Boy"
• "I Want to Hold Your Hand"
Clip:
On December 7th, 1963, all four Beatles appeared on the BBC TV show Jukebox Jury, voting on
songs as a guest panel. Then on December 14th, the Beatles' song, "I Wanna Hold Your Hand,"
begins a five-week stay at number one in the United Kingdom. "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" was
backed by "This Boy" on the B-side, and we'll study them in reverse order.
"This Boy," released on the B-side, was not released as a single in America, but instead appeared on
Capitol's Meet the Beatles album, which came in January of 64. John wrote it. He said, "It's just my
attempt at writing one of those three-part harmony Smokey Robinson songs. Nothing more than the
rich sound and harmony."
George Harrison comments, "If you listen to the middle 8 of This Boy, it was John trying to do
Smokey." Recorded October 17th of 63 with George lead guitar, harmony vocal, Ringo drums. The
Beatles continued to play this song through 63/64, Lennon Palladium, Ed Sullivan Show
Washington Coliseum and Carnegie Hall Concerts.
There's a wonderful instrumental version of this called Ringo's Theme which Warren orchestrates
it and used it behind the scenes in The Beatles' first film Hard Day's Night when Ringo was
wandering by a riverbank. John said there was a period when I thought I didn't write melodies that
Paul just wrote those and I wrote straight shouting rock n' roll. Of course, when I think of some of
my early songs like In My Life or This Boy, I was writing melody with the best of them.
On the verse for this song, we have good old three-part harmony: John on bottom, George on
middle, Paul on top. But when they hit the bridge, detailing as John moves into a slow vocal with
continuous textures behind him, what we call vocal pads or background textures of oos and ahs that
seem to move slowly behind a lead vocal. This song is in 12/8 feel: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.
The same chorus sequence of rhythm changes from "I've Got Rhythm" referred to as before. Ringo's
version was recorded live on the United Kingdom Comedy TV show. It's the emotion John lends this
song specifically at the bridge. I mentioned Wilford Miller's great book on The Beatles, Twilight of
Arizona State University
Unit 1: In the Beginning (1958 - 1963)
Lecture 10: Late 1963
, Audio Lecture
Featured Songs
• "This Boy"
• "I Want to Hold Your Hand"
Clip:
On December 7th, 1963, all four Beatles appeared on the BBC TV show Jukebox Jury, voting on
songs as a guest panel. Then on December 14th, the Beatles' song, "I Wanna Hold Your Hand,"
begins a five-week stay at number one in the United Kingdom. "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" was
backed by "This Boy" on the B-side, and we'll study them in reverse order.
"This Boy," released on the B-side, was not released as a single in America, but instead appeared on
Capitol's Meet the Beatles album, which came in January of 64. John wrote it. He said, "It's just my
attempt at writing one of those three-part harmony Smokey Robinson songs. Nothing more than the
rich sound and harmony."
George Harrison comments, "If you listen to the middle 8 of This Boy, it was John trying to do
Smokey." Recorded October 17th of 63 with George lead guitar, harmony vocal, Ringo drums. The
Beatles continued to play this song through 63/64, Lennon Palladium, Ed Sullivan Show
Washington Coliseum and Carnegie Hall Concerts.
There's a wonderful instrumental version of this called Ringo's Theme which Warren orchestrates
it and used it behind the scenes in The Beatles' first film Hard Day's Night when Ringo was
wandering by a riverbank. John said there was a period when I thought I didn't write melodies that
Paul just wrote those and I wrote straight shouting rock n' roll. Of course, when I think of some of
my early songs like In My Life or This Boy, I was writing melody with the best of them.
On the verse for this song, we have good old three-part harmony: John on bottom, George on
middle, Paul on top. But when they hit the bridge, detailing as John moves into a slow vocal with
continuous textures behind him, what we call vocal pads or background textures of oos and ahs that
seem to move slowly behind a lead vocal. This song is in 12/8 feel: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.
The same chorus sequence of rhythm changes from "I've Got Rhythm" referred to as before. Ringo's
version was recorded live on the United Kingdom Comedy TV show. It's the emotion John lends this
song specifically at the bridge. I mentioned Wilford Miller's great book on The Beatles, Twilight of
