Rediscovered Treasure: A Previously Unheard John Lennon Track Surfaces!
even after more than sixty years of Beatlemania, the Beatles continue to astonish their fans wiht unexpected revelations.
Mark your calendars for October 2, as the much-anticipated Rubber Soul Special Edition will feature a never-before-heard song by John Lennon. Titled “Little Girl,” this home demo was unearthed from a tape reel in Lennon’s personal collection, and its existence was so obscure that it had never even been rumored before.
According to a preview by Rolling Stone, the track is described as “a delicate, beautiful, bittersweet little tune.” The recording showcases only Lennon’s voice accompanied by his acoustic guitar, presenting a heartfelt love song that starkly contrasts with another Lennon piece from the Rubber Soul sessions, the darker “run for Your Life,” which also mentions “Little Girl.”
(Image credit: CBS via Getty Images)
Giles Martin, the producer behind the project, expressed his astonishment at the song’s unexpected discovery.
“It came from the Lennon Estate – I believe it was Sean who found it,” he shared with Rolling Stone. “It was one of those moments where they said, ‘Oh, and there’s this to.’”
“I frequently enough wonder if people are already aware of these finds or if they’re floating around on YouTube,” he continued. “I frequently stumble upon something and think, ‘This is incredible!’ only to be told, ‘Yeah, it’s on YouTube. Everyone knows about it.’ I’m usually the last to find out.”
In this case, however, it truly is a hidden treasure. The song was pieced together by Martin from two segments of a Lennon tape reel, culminating in a 2:17 recording.
Martin believes that such discoveries cater to the fans’ relentless craving for unheard Beatles material.
“Beyond just being another song that could have made the album, there’s an unquenchable thirst for more,” he noted. “But it’s essential to appreciate all the sketches before unveiling the final artwork.”
“There’s an unquenchable thirst for more.”
– Giles Martin
While the precise origins of ”Little Girl” remain elusive, martin and his team have inferred that it dates back no earlier than the summer of 1965, as it incorporates a modified hook from Paul McCartney that later appeared in the Help! track “I’ve Just Seen a face.”
Tho, the song’s emergence from obscurity is not entirely surprising, considering the chaotic nature of the Rubber Soul recording sessions. Much of the album was crafted in London after the band’s U.S. tour in August 1965, with their recent experiences with Bob dylan still influencing their creativity.
Brian Epstein, their manager, and producer George Martin had agreed that releasing another album in time for Christmas would be beneficial, even though Help! had just hit the shelves weeks prior. The band rushed to create new material,with many songs arriving at Abbey Road in incomplete states. Given these frantic conditions, it’s not far-fetched to think that one composition could have slipped through the cracks, despite the extensive documentation of the Beatles’ career.
Several songs from those sessions have already been salvaged, including the bluesy instrumental “12-Bar Original,” which eventually made its way onto Anthology 2.
(Image credit: Mark Hayward Archive/Getty Images)
As reported by Rolling Stone,many of the lyrics in the demo are placeholders,filled with phrases like “I love you” and “la la la,” suggesting that Lennon was exploring the song’s direction in real-time. Speculation about the inspiration behind the enigmatic little girl ranges from a postcard sent by a Japanese admirer to a reference to Brian Wilson’s “The Little Girl I Once Knew.”
The unanswered questions surrounding the track only enhance its allure, underscoring the remarkable reality that, even over fifty years after Beatlemania and the band’s dissolution, the beatles’ legacy continues to yield genuine surprises.
“Little Girl” is not the first Lennon demo to emerge long after its creation,and judging by this latest revelation,it certainly won’t be the last.
