In 1963, John Lennon gave George Harrison a song to sing. It was hardly a compliment

John Lennon wrote “Do You Want to Know a Secret” for George Harrison to sing, believing its simple melody would suit a singer he considered inexperienced. The choice gave Harrison a prominent vocal moment on the Beatles’ debut album and helped establish him as more than the group’s guitarist.

The song keeps its arrangement gentle, with Lennon and McCartney providing backing vocals that complement Harrison’s restrained delivery. Lennon later said it had only three notes and that Harrison was a poor singer at the time, though he acknowledged that Harrison improved; released as a US single in 1964, it reached number two on the Billboard chart.