TL;RD:
- John Lennon said that The Beatles’ “Hello Little Girl” was inspired by an old song his mother used to sing.
- John called the song “very Freudian.”
- Paul McCartney didn’t think the song’s lyrics were very good.
John Lennon said The Beatles‘ “hello little girlhe was inspired by his mother, Julia Lennon. She later described the tune as “very Freudian”. In particular, Paul McCartney revealed his attitude towards a 1960s group that covered the song.
John Lennon said that The Beatles’ ‘Hello Little Girl’ was inspired by an old song that fascinated him for a long time.
During a 1980 interview in the book Everything We Say: The Last Great Interview with John Lennon and Yoko OnoJohn was asked about the song “Hello Little Girl”. “That was me,” he said.
“That was actually my first song,” he added. “’When I see you every day I go mmm hmm, hi girl.’ I remembered a song from the 30’s or 40’s that was [singing] ‘You’re lovely, you’re delicious and da da da. Isn’t it a shame you’re so giddy? [Laughing] That always fascinated me for some reason or another.”
John said that the song was also personal. “He is also connected to my mother.” he added he. “It’s all very Freudian. She used to sing that one. So I made ‘Hello Little Girl’ out of that.”
Paul McCartney spoke about a comedy troupe who did a cover of The Beatles’ ‘Hello Little Girl’
A band called The Fourmost recorded “Hello Little Girl” and another Lennon-McCartney song called “I’m in love.” In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: many years from now, Paul discussed the two tracks. “Unfortunately, the words are not too wonderful,” he opined.
“They’re kind of average, but The Fourmost were eager to have a hit and they were really good friends of ours,” Paul recalled. “They were more of a comedy group, a really really fun cabaret act, and when it came to making a record and being serious on a TV show, they were always giggling and giggling.”
Paul McCartney discussed why he thought The Fourmost never became a hugely successful band.
Paul said that he did not believe that The Fourmost were the type of band destined for great commercial success. He felt that they were too humorous. Notably, when The Fourmost stopped making hits, they used their notoriety to become a cabaret act.
The Beatles recorded their own version of “Hello Little Girl.” Ultimately, it was released on the 1995 compilation album. anthology 1. The song did not receive as much attention as other songs on the Anthology albums, such asfree as a bird” or “True love”.
“Hello Little Girl” wasn’t a hit but it has an interesting connection to John’s mother.