When it came to finding different approaches to their songwriting, The Beatles possessed a bottomless bag of tricks. They could take a well-trodden subject and, with a little twist, find a new way into it to make it sound novel.
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On “You’re Going to Lose That Girl,” an invigorating piece of R&B-tinged pop found on the Help! soundtrack, they came up with a clever, sassy way to sing about a love triangle. John Lennon, as lead singer, falls somewhere between giving a friendly warning and threatening a hostile takeover as he addresses a guy who might be taking a girl for granted.
“Girl” Problems
When it came time to write the music for The Beatles’ second film, which would be entitled Help! when released in 1965, it seemed like the quartet had recharged their creative batteries. After giving over a good chunk of their previous record (Beatles for Sale) to cover songs, this time around there would be only two such tracks out of 14.
The originals included two written by George Harrison, the first time he’d written for the group since a single song on their second album (With the Beatles) in 1963. As usual, the bulk of the record belonged to the songwriting partnership of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, whose work took another leap forward on the record.
“You’re Going to Lose That Girl,” which was recorded just before the band had to head out and start filming the movie, used a strategy the pair had dabbled in before. On their smash 1963 hit single “She Loves You,” they changed up the typical first-person perspective approach and wrote from the point of view of a friend advising someone how to proceed in a romantic relationship.
They sort of do the same on “You’re Going to Lose That Girl.” But this time around, there’s a bit of menace in the advice. The narrator of the song is trying to get the guy he’s addressing to treat his girlfriend better. To drive home his point, he threatens to step in and woo the girl himself if things don’t change.
Analyzing the Lyrics of “You’re Going to Lose That Girl”
Trying to parse lyrics separate from the music can only get you so far. It’s important to hear how they play out in the context of what’s surrounding them. That’s evident in “You’re Going to Lose that Girl,” where so much of the song’s impact derives from the call-and-response, Motown-style backing vocals of Paul McCartney and George Harrison.
They’re along to sort of second the emotion (to borrow a Motown phrase) being delivered by lead singer John Lennon. For example, when Lennon tells this poor sap, You’ll be the lonely one, if he doesn’t wise up, the two chime in with, You’re not the only one, suggesting the sad fate of others who’ve made similar relationship mistakes.
What’s fascinating about these lyrics is to think of them if they were delivered not by some random guy, but by an actual Beatle. Chances are he could follow through on his promises, since a not-insignificant portion of the female world, circa 1965, wouldn’t have minded being wooed by a member of the Fab Four.
It’s also interesting to debate whether this narrator is stepping over the line a bit. When he sings, I’ll make a point of taking her away from you, it sounds a bit more proactive than reactive. Granted, he follows that up with the qualifying The way you treat her, what else can I do? But the point remains that it almost seems like he hopes his advice will fail, and he’ll get the chance to take the other fellow’s place.
“You’re Going to Lose That Girl” is one of those Beatles songs where you kind of can’t believe it wasn’t a single, considering how catchy and taut it is. In any case, it’s a good example of the group using their image to imbue subtext into a song that wouldn’t have sounded quite the same coming from any other band.
Photo by Cyrus Andrews/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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