If I Needed Someone
Written by: George HarrisonRecorded: October 16 and 18, 1965 (Studio 2, Abbey Road Studios, London, England)
Mixed: October 25 and 26, 1965
Length: 2:19
Takes: 1
Musicians:
John Lennon: harmony vocal, rhythm guitar (1961 Sonic Blue Fender Stratocaster)
Paul McCartney: harmony vocal, bass guitar (1961 Hofner 500/1)
George Harrison: lead vocal (double-tracked), lead guitar (1964 Rickenbacker "Fire-glo" 360-12)
Ringo Starr: drums (Ludwig)
Available on: (CDs in bold)
Rubber Soul (UK: Parlophone PMC 1267; PCS 3075; US: Capitol (S)T 2442; Parlophone CDP 7 46440 2)
"Yesterday"... And Today (US: Capitol (S)T 2553)
History:
- "If I Needed Someone" was written by George Harrison as a musical response to his recent association with folk-rock icons the Byrds, who had also taken a great deal of their inspiration from earlier Beatles songs like "What You're Doing." During their 1965 US tour, the Beatles visited Los Angeles' World Pacific Studios and met the group, and member David Crosby taught George some tricks on sitar. (Contrary to legend, Harrison had already learned the basics from folkie Shawn Phillips.) When the song was released, George asked Beatles publicist Derek Taylor to send a note along to Byrds leader Roger McGuinn, acknowledging the similarity of the main guitar riff of "Someone" to McGuinn's "She Don't Care About Time" and the group's cover of Pete Seeger's "The Bells Of Rhymney." In staying very close to its main chord and using a mixolydian scale for the harmony, it also suggests the droning Indian influences steadily creeping into Harrison's compositions.
- The lyrics of this song are representative of the change in the Beatles' outlook and also of its era: tender but ambivalent, they have suggested to more than one listener a song to a groupie or some other attempt by the singer to juggle two affairs at once: "Had you come some other day / Then it might not have been like this / But you see now I’m too much in love."
- The basic track for "If I Needed Someone" was laid down in one take during the third session for Rubber Soul, just after work was completed on the single "Day Tripper." Two days later overdubs were added, just before work began on "In My Life." Though George later described the song as being written in D, he actually plays it in A, using a capo (almost certainly the first time any Beatle had used one).
Live versions: June 24, 1966 (Circus-Krone-Bau, Munich, Germany), June 25, 1966 (Grugahalle, Essen, Germany), June 26, 1966 (Ernst Merck Halle, Hamburg, Germany), June 30 - July 2, 1966 (Budokan Hall, Tokyo, Japan), July 4, 1966 (Rizal Memorial Football Stadium, Manila, Philippines), August 12, 1966 (International Amphitheatre, Chicago, IL), August 13, 1966 (Olympia Stadium, Detroit, MI), August 14, 1966 (Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, OH), August 15, 1966 (Washington Stadium, Washington, DC), August 16, 1966 (Philadelphia Stadium, Philadelphia, PA), August 17, 1966 (Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada), August 18, 1966 (Suffolk Downs Racecourse, Boston, MA), August 19, 1966 (Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, TN), August 21, 1966 (Crosley Field, Cincinnati, OH), August 21, 1966 (Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO), August 23, 1966 (Shea Stadium, New York, NY), August 25, 1966 (Seattle Coliseum, Seattle, WA), August 28, 1966 (Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA), August 30, 1966 (Candlestick Park, San Francisco, CA)
Trivia:
- The Hollies were the first to cover this song, in a version that was released almost immediately after the Beatles' and which made it to #20 on the UK charts. George, perhaps miffed that his band had not released the original version as a single, publicly declared the cover "rubbish." Leader Graham Nash responded that perhaps Harrison should renounce his proceeds from their version and give them instead to charity. (He didn't.)
- Despite it being listed in some reference books, there is no evidence of a harmonium being played on this track.
- This is the only Harrison composition ever performed by the Beatles on stage. George would perform the song solo during his last tour of Japan in 1991; a version can be heard on the tour souvenir CD Live In Japan.
