What John Lennon Thought of the Beach Boys’ ‘The Little Girl I Once Knew’
The Beach Boys and the Beatles often supported one another musically, with Paul McCartney sharing a friendship with Brian Wilson. John Lennon even shared his thoughts on āThe Little Girl I Once Knew,ā calling it a āgreat arrangement.ā Hereās what we know about this Wilson original track.
The Beach Boys released āThe Little Girl I Once Knewā in 1965
Later added to Spirit of America, this was the last Beach Boys track produced before their critically acclaimed album Pet Sounds. What made āThe Little Girl I Once Knewā unique, at the time, was two dramatic periods of near-silence. As a result, this wasnāt a preferred radio track.Ā
According to Vancouver Signature Sounds, āin the mid-ā60ās radio stations preferred to avoid dead air time. Consequently, the song was poorly received by radio stations, which may account for its relatively low chart rating among the Beach Boys other singles of the period.āĀ
This track was added to 50 Big Ones: Greatest Hits, earning thousands of Spotify plays. On the music streaming platform, Brian Wilson is credited as the sole songwriter and producer for āThe Little Girl I Once Knew.ā
John Lennon shared his thoughts on āThe Little Girl I Once Knewā by the Beach Boys
This song caught the attention of one Beatles songwriter ā the artist behind āGive Peace a Chanceā and āImagine,ā Lennon.
āThis [āThe Little Girl I Once Knewā] is the greatest! Turn it up, turn it right up,ā Lennon said, according to Brian Wilsonās website. āItās got to be a hit. Itās the greatest record Iāve heard for weeks. Itās fantastic. I hope it will be a hit. Itās all Brian Wilson. He just uses the voices as instruments. You keep waiting for the fabulous breaks. Great arrangement.ā
Lennon wouldnāt be the only Beatle who commended the Beach Boys on their original arrangements. As a bass player, McCartney shared his admiration for the bass part in Pet Sounds.
McCartney and Brian Wilson stayed in touch, even playing unreleased music for one another. One day, McCartney visited the Wilson home to share āSheās Leaving Homeā ā an original song from 1967ās Sgt. Pepperās Lonely Hearts Club Band. Wilsonās wife cried after hearing the original.Ā
What is the Beach Boysā āThe Little Girl I Once Knewā about?
Sheās not the little girl he once knew. Most Beach Boysā songs deal with summer, surf, and cars. āThe Little Girl I Once Knewā details a āgirl next doorā romance between the narrator and a girl. Growing up, the speaker had no interest in this person. As she matured, the narrator realized he had feelings for her.
āWe met when she was younger,ā the first verse states. āThen I had no eyes for her / A few years went by and I saw her / Now Iām gonna try for her.ā