Beatles fans who dive into the members’ solo years–a rocky but rewarding road to trek down–know all about John Lennon’s infamous “lost weekend” period in the mid-70s, in which he got drunk all the time, had an affair that was arranged by his own wife, and accosted a waitress while wearing a Kotex pad on his forehead.

The 70s were a simpler time.

 

But it wasn’t the only time when John got into some severe shenanigans. The early Beatles records in 1962 and 1963 make up what one brilliant writer once dubbed “the stolen harmonica fortnight.” (Spoiler alert: it was me, and it just happened now. You witnessed history right there.) As discussed previously, John Lennon stole a harmonica while in the Netherlands, and he really got his no-money’s worth because a buttload of the songs they recorded during this period made use of the pilfered pipe. “Little Child” is one of those, a catchy and charming rocker that nonetheless quickly found itself obsolete, as the Beatles evolved so much as songwriters in the next few months that a song like “Little Child” would no longer serve much of a purpose. I’m thankful that they moved away from these sort of songs, but I’m also thankful that for a brief period they made them part of their repertoire. A solid representative for the stolen harmonica fortnight.