Little Child: Introduction
“Little Child” is an early Fab Four song from their 1994 album, “With The Beatles.” John Lennon sings the lead vocal, while Paul McCartney sings the lower harmony. However, Paul McCartney says this song was just an “album filler.”
In Detail
- Release Date: November 22, 1963 (mono), November 30, 1963 (stereo)
- Recorded: September 11 & 12, then October 3, 1963
- Studio: Abbey Road Studios
- Genre: Rock and roll
- Track Duration: 1:48
- Record Label: Parlophone
- Songwriters: Lennon-McCartney
- Producer: George Martin
- Engineer: Norman Smith
Performers And Instruments
- John Lennon: vocal, rhythm guitar and harmonica
- Paul McCartney: vocal, piano, and also the bass guitar
- George Harrison: guitar
- Ringo Starr: drums, additional drums (percussion)
Where To Find “Little Child”
The only way to get a hold of this song is by purchasing the following album:
Little Child: Background
Written as a joint effort between Paul McCartney and John Lennon, “Little Child” was originally for Ringo Starr to sing.
“Little Child was another effort of Paul and I to write a song for somebody. It was probably Ringo.”
John Lennon
All We Are Saying, David Sheff
“Little Child was a work job. Certain songs were inspirational, and you just followed that. Certain other songs were, ‘Right, come on, two hours, song for Ringo for the album’.”
Paul McCartney
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
However, Ringo Starr didn’t actually sing “Little Child.” Instead, John Lennon took it on while Starr got to do “I Wanna Be Your Man” as his song for the “With The Beatles” album.
Inspiration
Elton Hayes was a British balladeer and actor who also sang “Whistle My Love”***. It becomes clear where part of the inspiration for the song came from during an interview:
“‘I’m so sad and lonely‘, that little bit came from a line: ‘Whistle, my love, and I will come to thee, I’ll always find you‘. It’s actually not the same tune, but in my mind it was a quote from Elton Hayes.”
Paul McCartney
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
The Beatles would also use the phrase “sad and lonely” in their song “Bad To Me” as well as “Act Naturally.” Be that as it may, The Beatles never sang “Little Child” at any of their gigs. This is a shame because the song is so good and a fine example of a fun rock and roll track, especially since there is a nice little harmonica solo from John Lennon.
*** You can hear “Whistle My Love” in the 1952 Walt Disney film “The Story of Robin Hood & His Merrie Men.”
Recording Studio
The Beatles began recording “Little Child” on September 11, 1963, in the EMI Studios, London, during the 2.30pm–6.00pm session. They only recorded two takes that day, but they recorded a further 16 takes the next day. Much overdubbing occurred with the harmonica and piano pieces.
For such a simple song, they spent such a long time getting it right. In fact, they returned to the song again and recorded a further 3 takes on the 3rd of October. For a “work song” or an “album filler,” this was a long time for this period in their career.
The fact that the song was originally for Ringo Starr suggests that John Lennon overdubbed his vocal piece. This could possibly explain why the recording took so long.
Although John Lennon sings, even harmonising with himself, Paul McCartney does feature at the end of the song with “Oh Yeah!”
Take A Listen To “Little Child”
Finally, have a listen to this song, its a remastered version. Then, let us know your thoughts below.
