"Boys"
At first glance, the drum pattern in “Boys” might seem straightforward when written on paper, but it actually draws from a rich musical tradition rooted in early rock and roll and the Merseybeat style that shaped much of the Beatles’ early work. The groove centers around the backbeat—a rhythmic emphasis on beats two and four in a 4/4 time signature. Ringo delivers this feel by striking the snare drum on beats two and four, a hallmark of popular music from the 1950s onward. What makes the drum part in “Boys” especially interesting is the addition of a second snare hit on the “and” of beat two, creating a syncopated rhythm. In rhythmic terms, syncopation occurs when an accent is placed on a normally weak part of the beat—such as an offbeat eighth note—shifting the listener’s sense of pulse and generating rhythmic tension. This placement on the offbeat “and” not only breaks up the regular backbeat but also adds a propulsive lift that keeps the song’s energy constantly pushing forward.
The second snare hit itself has a deep history in rhythm and blues drumming from the 1940s and 1950s, where off-beat accents were used to build tension and rhythmic interest. By the time the Merseybeat scene was flourishing in the early 1960s, drummers such as Ringo had adopted this approach to add subtle rhythmic complexity without losing the driving pulse that kept dance floors moving. This syncopated backbeat became a hallmark of the Merseybeat sound.
As a cover, the Beatles’ version of “Boys” closely follows the original by the Shirelles. However, what distinguishes their take is the faster tempo and Ringo’s slightly open hi-hat, which lends a sharper, more intense drive to the beat. Rather than closing the cymbals tightly, he often kept them slightly open, playing quarter notes in a loose, figure-eight motion. Instead of striking straight down, Ringo would hit across the top cymbal at a slight angle, producing a smoother, more gliding contact. This approach gave the hi-hat a swishing or sizzling quality, adding both texture and motion to the beat. The effect was not unlike transforming the hi-hat into a ride cymbal, imparting a gentle swing feel that contrasted sharply with the rigid, straight-up-and-down quarter notes common in rock drumming at the time. The result was a groove that breathed, shimmered, and subtly propelled the music forward. The hi-hat maintains steady straight eighth notes throughout the chorus, offering a consistent pulse that anchors the groove. At the end of the chorus, the drums lead into the next verse with a distinctive fill. This fill is primarily composed of sixteenth- note hits, creating a rapid, energetic flourish that emphasizes beat 1 of the upcoming verse. However, on beat 4, the fill shifts to eighth-note snare hits, producing a sense of anticipation and building tension just before the groove returns on the accented downbeat of the next verse.