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Released in 1963

Do You Want To Know A Secret

Written by Lennon - McCartney

Last updated on May 21, 2021

Album This song officially appears on the Please Please Me (Mono) LP.

Timeline This song was officially released in 1963

Master album

Related sessions

This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:

From Wikipedia:

“Do You Want to Know a Secret?” is a song by English rock group the Beatles from the 1963 album Please Please Me, sung by George Harrison. In the United States, it was the first top ten song to feature Harrison as a lead singer, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard chart in 1964 as a single released by Vee-Jay, VJ 587. The song reached the No. 1 position on Billboard in 1981 and No. 2 in the United Kingdom in a cover version by Stars on 45 as part of a medley.

Composition

“Do You Want to Know a Secret?“, written in autumn 1962, was primarily composed by John Lennon but credited to Lennon–McCartney.The song was inspired by “I’m Wishing“, a tune from Walt Disney’s 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs which Lennon’s mother, Julia Lennon, would sing to him as a child. The first two lines of the song in Disney’s movie (“Want to know a secret? Promise not to tell?“) come right after the opening lyrics (“You’ll never know how much I really love you… You’ll never know how much I really care…“). McCartney has said it was a “50–50 collaboration written to order“, i.e., for Harrison to sing, but Lennon, who always claimed the song as his own, explained in a 1980 interview that he had realized as soon as he had finished writing the song that it best suited Harrison.

Recording

In 1980, Lennon said that he gave “Do You Want to Know a Secret?” to Harrison to sing because “it only had three notes and he wasn’t the best singer in the world“, but added “he has improved a lot since then.” Harrison sang two songs on Please Please Me, this song by Lennon–McCartney and “Chains” by Goffin/King. “Don’t Bother Me” from With The Beatles, was the first Beatles song composed solely by Harrison.

The song was recorded during a ten-hour session on 11 February 1963 along with nine other songs for Please Please Me.

Single release

“Do You Want to Know a Secret?” was released a year later as a single by Vee-Jay in the United States on 23 March 1964, reaching the number two spot behind another Beatles song, “Can’t Buy Me Love” in Billboard, reaching number three on the Cash Box chart, but reaching number one for two weeks in the chart published by the Teletheatre Research Institute. In the U.S., it was the most successful Beatles song on which Harrison sang lead vocal until “Something” peaked at #1 as part of a double-sided number one hit with “Come Together” in 1969.

From The Usenet Guide to Beatles Recording Variations:

[a] mono 25 Feb 1963.
UK: Parlophone PMC 1202 Please Please Me 1963.
US: Vee Jay VJLP 1062 Introducing 1963, Vee Jay VJ 587 single 1964.
CD: EMI CDP 7 46435 2 Please Please Me 1987.

[b] stereo 25 Feb 1963.
UK: Parlophone PCS 3042 Please Please Me 1963.
US: Vee Jay VJSR 1062 Introducing 1963.

[b1] stereo remixed from [b] 1965, by Capitol.
US: Capitol ST 2309 The Early 1965.

[b2] mono made from [b] 1965, by Capitol.
US: Capitol T 2309 The Early 1965.

Lyrics

You'll never know how much I really love you

You'll never know how much I really care

Listen

Do you want to know a secret

Do you promise not to tell, whoa oh, oh

Closer

Let me whisper in your ear

Say the words you long to hear

I'm in love with you

Listen

Do you want to know a secret

Do you promise not to tell, whoa oh, oh

Closer

Let me whisper in your ear

Say the words you long to hear

I'm in love with you

I've known the secret for a week or two

Nobody knows, just we two

Listen

Do you want to know a secret

Do you promise not to tell, whoa oh, oh

Closer

Let me whisper in your ear

Say the words you long to hear

I'm in love with you

Officially appears on

See all official recordings containing “Do You Want To Know A Secret”

Bootlegs

See all bootlegs containing “Do You Want To Know A Secret”

Live performances

“Do You Want To Know A Secret” has been played in 50 concerts and 1 soundchecks.

Latest concerts where “Do You Want To Know A Secret” has been played

See all concerts where “Do You Want To Know A Secret” has been played

Paul McCartney writing

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