I Call Your Name
| "I Call Your Name" | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by The Beatles | ||||||||||||
| Released | 19 June 1964 | |||||||||||
| Recorded | 1 March 1964 | |||||||||||
| Genre | Rock[1] | |||||||||||
| Length | 2:09 | |||||||||||
| Producer | George Martin | |||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| "I Call Your Name" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas | |
| A-side | "Bad to Me" |
| B-side | "I Call Your Name" |
| Released | 26 July 1963 |
| Recorded | 26 June 1963 (both sides) |
| Genre | Rock |
| Label | Parlophone R5049 |
| Writer(s) | Lennon–McCartney |
| Producer(s) | George Martin |
"I Call Your Name" is a song written primarily by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney.[2] It was released in the US on The Beatles' Second Album on 16 May 1964 and in the UK on the Long Tall Sally EP on 19 June 1964.
Overview
Lennon wrote the song prior to the formation of the Beatles.[2] In 1963, he gave the song to Billy J. Kramer of The Dakotas, another Liverpool band who were signed to Parlophone by George Martin. Kramer released it as the B-side of the single "Bad to Me", another Lennon–McCartney composition.[3]
Lennon was reportedly dissatisfied with the Dakotas' arrangement of his song as well as its position as the single's B-side, so the Beatles recorded their own version.[4] The song features George Harrison playing the Rickenbacker 360/12 guitar, offering the distinctive sound of the famous guitar to the world for the first time.[5]
The opening guitar riff differs slightly between the mono and stereo mixes. The cowbell also starts earlier in the mono mix. It first appeared in the United States on the Capitol Records release The Beatles' Second Album, appearing later in the United Kingdom on the EP Long Tall Sally.[6]
The song's instrumental bridge is the Beatles' first attempt at ska.[3]
The song was never added to the 1964 film A Hard Day's Night because director Richard Lester rejected it for sounding too similar to "You Can't Do That," which was recorded five days prior and featured on the non-soundtrack side of the album release.
"I Call Your Name" was re-released in 1988 on the compilation album Past Masters.
The Beatles recorded the song for the BBC radio programme Saturday Club on 31 March 1964 (transmitted 4 April 1964). However, this performance has not been commercially released.
Personnel
- John Lennon – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Paul McCartney – bass guitar
- George Harrison – 12 string lead guitar
- Ringo Starr – drums, cowbell
- George Martin – producer
- Norman Smith – engineer
- Personnel per Ian MacDonald[7]
Covers
- The Mamas & the Papas covered "I Call Your Name" in 1966 on their debut album If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears. Cass Elliot whispers "John... John" during the instrumental break, a little tip of the hat to her crush on John Lennon.[8] The group closes the song with, "I call your name... ye-ah!"[9] The Beatles were well known for the phrase "Yeah, yeah, yeah" from "She Loves You".
- Starr recorded a version of the song for a television special marking the 10th anniversary of Lennon's death and the 50th anniversary of his birth. The track, produced by Jeff Lynne, features a supergroup composed of Lynne, Tom Petty, Joe Walsh and Jim Keltner.
Notes
- ↑ "The Beatles - I Call Your Name - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
- 1 2 Sheff 2000, pp. 169–170.
- 1 2 Lewisohn 1988, p. 41.
- ↑ Gilliland 1969, show 28, track 5.
- ↑ Eriksson, Björn (1999). "The Beatles and their Rickenbacker Guitars". Rickbeat.com. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
- ↑ Lewisohn 1988, p. 200.
- ↑ MacDonald 2005, p. 114.
- ↑ "Speech at Monterey". Casselliot.com. 20 October 2009. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- ↑ Gilliland 1969, show 36, track 5.
References
- Gilliland, John (1969). "The Rubberization of Soul: The great pop music renaissance.". Pop Chronicles. Digital.library.unt.edu.
- Lewisohn, Mark (1988). The Beatles Recording Sessions. New York: Harmony Books. ISBN 0-517-57066-1.
- MacDonald, Ian (2005). Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties (Second Revised ed.). London: Pimlico (Rand). ISBN 1-84413-828-3.
- Miles, Barry (1997). Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now. New York: Henry Holt & Company. ISBN 0-8050-5249-6.
- Sheff, David (2000). All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-25464-4.
