I'll Be Back (song)
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| “I'll Be Back” | ||
|---|---|---|
| Song by The Beatles | ||
| Album | A Hard Day's Night | |
| Released | 10 July 1964 | |
| Recorded | Abbey Road Studios 1 June 1964 |
|
| Genre | Rock | |
| Length | 02:20 | |
| Label | Apple Records | |
| Writer | Lennon/McCartney | |
| Producer | George Martin | |
"I'll Be Back" is a John Lennon composition[1][2] credited to Lennon & McCartney, and recorded by The Beatles for the soundtrack LP to their film "A Hard Day's Night".
Lennon ostensibly created the song around the chords (but not the melody) of Del Shannon's "Runaway"[3] which had been a UK hit in April 1961. Author Bill Harry wrote: "He [Lennon] just reworked the chords of the Shannon number and came up with a completely different song".[4]
With its heart-rending lyric and flamenco style acoustic guitars, "I'll Be Back" has a tragic air. The song oscillates between major and minor keys, appears to have two different bridges (transition themes) and does not have a chorus. The fade-out ending is unexpectedly sudden, seeming to arrive half a verse prematurely. [5] Music journalist Robert Sandall wrote in Mojo Magazine: "'I'll Be Back' was the early Beatles at their most prophetic. This grasp of how to colour arrangements in darker or more muted tones foreshadowed an inner journey they eventually undertook in three albums' time, on Rubber Soul".[6]
Producer George Martin preferred to open and close Beatles albums (and sides) using dominant material. He wrote: "Another principle of mine when assembling an album was always to go out on a side strongly, placing the weaker material towards the end but then going out with a bang".[7] With this in mind, "I'll Be Back", with its subdued perspective, could be considered an unexpected choice as the album closer. As author Ian MacDonald points out: "Fading away in tonal ambiguity at the end of A Hard Day’s Night, it was a surprisingly downbeat farewell and a token of coming maturity".[8]
The Anthology 1 CD includes an early take of the song in 6/8 time, before John Lennon fumbles over the words in the bridge, complaining on the take that "it's too hard to sing." A subsequent take, also included on Anthology, is performed in the 4/4 time used in the final take.
[edit] Credits
- John Lennon – lead vocal, acoustic guitar
- Paul McCartney – backing vocals, acoustic guitar, bass guitar
- George Harrison – backing vocals, acoustic guitar
- Ringo Starr – drums
[edit] Cover Versions
The Canadian band Peter Randall and the Raindogs perfomed what critics called "a letter perfect rendition" on their 1994 self-titled debut.
[edit] References
- ^ Bill Harry The Ultimate Beatles Encyclopedia p.321
- ^ Ian MacDonald Revolution In The Head p.106
- ^ Ian MacDonald Revolution in the Head p.106
- ^ Bill Harry The Ultimate Beatles Encyclopedia p.321
- ^ Ian MacDonald Revolution in the Head p.106
- ^ Mojo Special Limited Edition 1000 days of Beatlemania p.113
- ^ George Martin Summer Of Love p.149
- ^ Ian MacDonald Revolution in the Head p.106
