"Girl" is considered one of The Beatles' more melancholic and complex love songs, appearing on their 1965 album Rubber Soul. John Lennon described the "girl" in the lyrics as an archetypal figure he was searching for. He also stated that certain lines, such as "Was she told when she was young that pain would lead to pleasure," were a comment on Christianity, which he opposed at the time. The song's instrumentation draws parallels to Greek music, adding to its unique texture. It plays like a contemplative search for an ideal, tinged with a questioning spirit.