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Overview
A boy is a young male human. The term is commonly used for a child or an adolescent. When a male human reaches adulthood, they are usually described as a man. [Wikipedia]
Background
Boys is a song by The Beatles, written by Dixon–Farrell and led on vocal by Ringo Starr. Shirelles cover, Ringo's first lead vocal — gender pronouns left unchanged. Within the catalogue, its cover thread connects it to Anna (Go to Him), Chains, Baby It's You; its ringo-vocal thread connects it to I Wanna Be Your Man, Honey Don't, Act Naturally; its rocker thread connects it to I Saw Her Standing There, Twist and Shout, It Won't Be Long. A cover of The Shirelles' 1960 hit, 'Boys' was recordedwith Ringo Starr providing lead vocals, one of only two confirmed lead vocal appearances by the drummer in the Beatlemania era. The song's upbeat vocal-group arrangement showcased Ringo's rhythmic sensibility and straightforward delivery, offering a contrast to the harmonic complexity of Lennon-McCartney compositions (Lewisohn 1988, p.25).
What's distinctive
One of 11 songs led primarily by Ringo. A non-original — one of 23 cover versions in the canon. Recorded approximately 8 of 67 into the Beatlemania (1962–1964) sessions. Take count: 16 (highest take number documented in Lewisohn (1988)).Opening line — "I been told when a boy kiss a girl…" (brief identification excerpt; full lyrics © Sony Music Publishing — see Genius link in References.)
Pattern analysis
Recording
The session work falls within the band's Beatlemania (1962–1964) period, recorded 11 Feb 1963 at EMI Studios, Abbey Road. George Martin produced; Norman Smith engineered. For session-by-session detail, see Mark Lewisohn's account on p.6 of The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions (excerpt below). Recording from take 1, 'Boys' demonstrates how effectively the Beatles could capture established arrangements on first attempt when the song was already familiar from American radio and club performance. The rapid take acceptance reflects both the group's tight arrangement discipline and the relative straightforwardness of female-to-male vocal gender reversal in pop arrangement. No overdubs or post-production complications are documented (Lewisohn 1988, p.25).
| Studio | EMI Studios, Abbey Road — predominantly Studio Two |
|---|---|
| Tape machine | Twin-track BTR-2 (1962); Studer J37 four-track from late-1963 |
| Console | REDD.37 / REDD.51 valve consoles |
| Microphones | Neumann U47, U48; AKG D19 (drums); STC 4038 (overheads) |
| Outboard / effects | EMI RS124 compressor (Altec 436B mod), EMT 140 plate reverb, STEED tape echo |
| Guitars | Rickenbacker 325 (Lennon), Gretsch Country Gent / Tennessean (Harrison), Höfner 500/1 violin bass (McCartney), Ludwig Oyster Black Pearl kit (Starr) |
| Amplifiers | Vox AC30 (TB & non-Top-Boost variants) |
| Producer | George Martin |
| Engineer / 2nd | Norman Smith • Richard Langham, Geoff Emerick (2nd) |
| Estimated takes | 16 (highest take number documented in Lewisohn (1988)) |
Legacy & release history
In the canonical discography it appears on the LP Please Please Me. Mono and stereo histories vary by era — see the dedicated section below. Ringo Starr lead vocals appear in only 2 canon songs, both in Beatlemania, making this track and 'With a Little Help from My Friends' extraordinarily rare as drummer-led recordings. As a Shirelles cover, it provided gender-reversed reinterpretation of American vocal-group material, establishing the Beatles' facility with transposition and arrangement adaptation for radio hits (Lewisohn 1988, p.25).
Mono & stereo
- Mixed primarily in mono at Abbey Road; the Beatles attended only the mono mixes through Sgt Pepper.
- Stereo mixes from this period were prepared (often without the band present) and are now considered secondary by purists.
Documented alternate versions
No documented alternate versions.
Released on
- Please Please Me — LP, 22 March 1963
Cross-references
Other songs sharing themes (cover, ringo-vocal, rocker)
Other songs led by the same vocalist
Other songs from this era
coverringo-vocalrocker
References & external databases
On screen with the same title
Film, TV, and other screen works whose primary title matches this song. Some are direct cultural references (the 1965 Beatles film, the 2019 Danny Boyle feature). Many are coincidental title shares -- worth knowing about but not claiming as soundtrack appearances. Sorted by IMDB vote count.
- Boys (2014, TV movie) IMDB 7.4 · 17,779 votes [IMDB]
- Boys (2003, film) IMDB 7.2 · 4,473 votes [IMDB]
- Boys (1996, film) IMDB 4.9 · 3,981 votes [IMDB]
- Boys (2013, TV episode) IMDB 7.5 · 825 votes [IMDB]
- Boys (1992, film) IMDB 5.2 · 318 votes [IMDB]
- Boys (2022, TV series) IMDB 6.2 · 311 votes [IMDB]
- Boys (1977, film) IMDB 6.4 · 300 votes [IMDB]
- Boys (2015, TV series) IMDB 6.8 · 292 votes [IMDB]
- Boys (2016, short film) IMDB 6.4 · 231 votes [IMDB]
- Boys (2021, film) IMDB 5.2 · 126 votes [IMDB]
Source: IMDB public dataset (title.basics.tsv + title.ratings.tsv) joined locally. Includes titles with sufficient vote counts to indicate cultural visibility.
Frequently asked
Who wrote Boys?
“Boys” was written by Dixon–Farrell.
Who sings lead on Boys?
The lead vocal on “Boys” is by Ringo Starr.
When was Boys recorded?
“Boys” was recorded 11 Feb 1963 at EMI Studios, Abbey Road.
How many takes did Boys require?
Mark Lewisohn's session log documents up to 16 numbered takes for “Boys”.