I Will
| "I Will" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Label from Philippine single, released in 1968 with "Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da" as the A-side |
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| Song by the Beatles from the album The Beatles | ||||
| Released | 22 November 1968 | |||
| Recorded | 16 September 1968 | |||
| Genre | Pop, acoustic | |||
| Length | 1:44 | |||
| Label | Apple Records | |||
| Writer | Lennon–McCartney | |||
| Producer | George Martin | |||
| The Beatles track listing | ||||
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"I Will" is a song by the Beatles that was released on The Beatles. It was written by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon–McCartney) and features him on lead vocal, guitar, and "vocal bass". In the Philippines, it was released by Apple as the b-side of the "Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da" single in 1968.
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Background [edit]
"I Will" was one of the songs worked on by the Beatles and their associates while in Rishikesh, India. Although the music came together fairly easily, the words were worked on in India, and remained unfinished even as recording began back in London.[citation needed]
Recording [edit]
This quiet song required 67 takes,[1] and George Harrison did not play (during The Beatles sessions, the Beatles often recorded in separate studios).[2] The 'vocal bass' comes in during the second verse of the song in the monaural version, but is featured from the beginning in the stereo version.[citation needed]
During take 19 of "I Will", McCartney ad-libbed an untitled and uncopyrighted song[1] (referred to as "Can you take me back?" by author Ian MacDonald), a 28-second segment of which ended up on side 4 of the album The Beatles as what MacDonald described as “a sinister introduction to "Revolution 9"”.[2] Also ad-libbed by McCartney was "Los Paranoias", released, together with take 1 of "I Will", in 1996 on Anthology 3.[citation needed]
Anthology [edit]
In the televised documentary The Beatles Anthology, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr are shown relaxing on a blanket outside. Starr asks McCartney what he wrote in India and McCartney answers, "I Will." Then Harrison begins playing this on his ukulele while he and McCartney harmonize with it.[citation needed]
Personnel [edit]
- Paul McCartney – vocal, acoustic guitar, "vocal bass"
- John Lennon – percussion, cymbals, maracas
- Ringo Starr – bongos
- Personnel per Ian MacDonald.[2]
Appearances in other media [edit]
- The song was sung in the 1994 romantic movie Love Affair, starring Annette Bening and Warren Beatty.
- In 1995, Alison Krauss recorded a cover of the song for her album Now That I've Found You: A Collection.
- Garrison Keillor sang the song in an episode of the radio show A Prairie Home Companion.
- James Taylor & Carly Simon's son, Ben Taylor recorded the song for the 1995 movie Bye Bye Love and his recording is also on the original soundtrack album.
- Filipino acoustic singer Nyoy Volante covered the song on his 2008 album, Heartstrings.
- Jonathan Coulton covered the song in his album Thing a Week Two.
- Tim Curry did a reggae version of the song on his first album, Read My Lips (Tim Curry album).
Notes [edit]
- ^ a b Lewisohn 1988, p. 155.
- ^ a b c MacDonald 2005, p. 315.
References [edit]
- 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 (2nd revised ed.). London: Pimlico. ISBN 1-84413-828-3.
External links [edit]
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