Do You Want To Know A Secret (Lennon/McCartney)
Do You Want To Know A Secret was written by John to his first wife Cynthia shortly after she became pregnant with their son Julian. The song was influenced by a song from “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” in which Snow White sings, “Wanna know a secret? Promise not to tell? We are standing by a wishing well.” The demo of Do You Want To Know A Secret was recorded by John in the bathroom, and a toilet can be heard flushing in the background.
Quotes
“The idea came from this thing my mother used to sing to me when I was one or two years old, when she was still living with me. It was from a Disney movie: “Do you want to know a secret? Promise not to tell/You are standing by a wishing well.” So, with that in my head, I wrote the song and just gave it to George to sing. I thought it would be a good vehicle for him, because it had only three notes and he wasn’t the best singer in the world. He has improved a lot since then; but in those days, his ability was very poor. I gave it to him just to give him a piece of the action. That’s another reason why I was hurt by his book.” – John Lennon, Playboy, 1980
BBC Performances
See THERE WILL BE A SHOW TONIGHT: The BBC Performances for complete information on BBC performances and recordings
- Teenager’s Turn (Here We Go) – recorded March 6, 1963, broadcast March 12, 1963 and released on Bootleg Recordings 1963 (2013)
- On The Scene – recorded March 21, 1963, broadcast March 28, 1963
- Side By Side – recorded April 1, 1963, broadcast April 22, 1963
- Saturday Club – recorded May 21, 1963, broadcast May 25, 1963 and released on Bootleg Recordings 1963 (2013)
- Pop Go The Beatles – recorded May 25, 1963, broadcast June 4, 1963
- Pop Go The Beatles – recorded July 10, 1963, broadcast July 30, 1963 and released on On Air: Live At The BBC Volume 2 (2013)
Personnel
- George Harrison – lead vocals, acoustic guitar (right channel)
- John Lennon – acoustic guitar (left channel), backing vocals
- Paul McCartney – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Ringo Starr – drums, tapped drumsticks
Release history
- Twist And Shout (EP) (1963)
- Please Please Me (1963)
- The Beatles Ballads – 20 Original Tracks (1980)
- On Air: Live At The BBC Volume 2 (2013) [live at the BBC, July 1963]
- Bootleg Recordings 1963 (2014) [track 2, take 7]
- Bootleg Recordings 1963 (2014) [live at the BBC, January 1963]
- Bootleg Recordings 1963 (2014) [live at the BBC, March 1963]
