Fretful Friday

The song "This Boy" has been a longtime favorite of mine. Though a lot of critics dismiss it as "early Beatles fluff", I think it was one of the first songs that showed us the magic of what was to come.

Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney in a hotel room, "This Boy" was the result of their desire to write a close-harmony song. Especially for John, a particular inspiration was the Smokey Robinson and the Miracles song “I’ve Been Good To You,” which has a similar chord pattern, melody and arrangement.

"This Boy" was the first song John and Paul wrote with a three-part harmony.
With John playing his now-iconic Gibson J160E, here they are performing it during their second appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show: