"Girl Don't Tell Me" is a song written by Brian Wilson for the American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...

, released on July 5, 1965, on the album ''

Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) ''Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)'' is the ninth studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released on July 5, 1965, on Capitol. The band's previous album, ''The Beach Boys Today!'' (released March 1965), represented a departure for the ...

''. It was later included as the B-side of the group's single "

Barbara Ann "Barbara Ann" is a song written by Fred Fassert that was first recorded by the Regents as "Barbara-Ann". Their version was released in 1961 and reached number 13 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. The more famous version was recorded by the ...

", which was released on December 20, 1965.

Origins

Brian Wilson wrote the song in early 1965 while on honeymoon with Marilyn. He recalled that "a whole song came to me. It was 'Girl Don't Tell Me.' I didn't have any way to get it down. But I just heard the whole thing up there, from start to finish, and I remembered it well enough to go later and write down the lyrics on a piece of paper."

Recording

The Beach Boys recorded "Girl Don't Tell Me" on April 30, 1965, at

United Western Recorders United Western Recorders was a two-building recording studio complex in Hollywood that was one of the most successful independent recording studios of the 1960s. The complex merged neighboring studios United Recording Corp. on 6050 Sunset Boule ...

. Chuck Britz was the engineer. It was one of the first songs to feature Carl Wilson as lead vocalist and is one of the few Beach Boys tracks from the era to feature no backing vocals. Beach Boys biographer

David Leaf David Leaf (born April 20, 1952) is a Peabody and WGAW award-winning writer, director, and producer, known for his associations with Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys since the late 1970s. Leaf's 1978 biography ''The Beach Boys and the California ...

has likened "Girl Don't Tell Me" to

the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

' 1965 single " Ticket to Ride", in terms of its guitar breaks, drum fills and vocal delivery. Brian Wilson cited this as an example of how each new Beatles release over this period inspired him as a songwriter, and how, with "Girl Don't Tell Me", "I even tried writing a Beatles song." He said that Carl's drawn-out phrasing over the words "you'll write" was taken from "Ticket to Ride". It has been claimed that Brian intended to submit "Girl Don't Tell Me" to the Beatles.

Reception

'' Cash Box'' described it as a "pretty, medium-paced tale of remorse."

Personnel

Sourced from Musician's Union AFM contract sheets and surviving session audio, documented by Craig Slowinski. ;The Beach Boys *

Bruce Johnston Bruce Arthur Johnston (born Benjamin Baldwin; June 27, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who is a member of the Beach Boys. Johnston also collaborated on many records with Terry Melcher (his bandmate in Bru ...

– celesta * Brian Wilson – bass guitar * Carl Wilson – lead vocals, 12-string guitar, acoustic guitar *

Dennis Wilson Dennis Carl Wilson (December 4, 1944 – December 28, 1983) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He is best remembered as their drummer and as the middle brother of bandmates Brian and Carl Wilson. ...

– drums ;Additional musicians *Ron Swallow – tambourine

Covers

References

{{authority control 1965 songs The Beach Boys songs Songs written by Brian Wilson Song recordings produced by Brian Wilson