"I Will" is a song by the English
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
, from their 1968 double album ''
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
'' (also known as "the White Album"). It was written by
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
(credited to
Lennon–McCartney) and features him on lead vocal, guitar, and "vocal
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
".
Background
"I Will" was one of the songs composed 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. McCartney recalled that while in Rishikesh he and
Donovan
Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world mus ...
had written a set of lyrics with a "moon" theme, but he found them inadequate and so replaced them with "very simple words, straight love-song words". Donovan could not recall writing any of the early lyrics for the song but said that he possibly assisted McCartney with the "shape of the chords", in keeping with the "descending movements" in his own melodies.
McCartney also commented on "I Will": "It's still one of my favourite melodies that I've written. You just occasionally get lucky with a melody and it becomes rather complete and I think this is one of them; quite a complete tune."
Recording
Recording for "I Will" took place at
EMI Studios in London on 16 September 1968, with McCartney completing overdubs the following day. The basic track required 67 takes.
George Harrison
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
was not present at the session.
During take 19, McCartney ad-libbed an untitled song. Referred to as "Can you take me back?", a 28-second segment of this ended up on side four of ''The Beatles'', at the end of "
Cry Baby Cry", as what author
Ian MacDonald described as "a sinister introduction to '
Revolution 9'".
In take 29, McCartney, as an ad-lib, sung "won't" in place of "will" during the first verse before
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
replies, "Yes you will." McCartney chuckles after this ad-lib and then the song ends at this point. This take was included in the expanded box set of ''The Beatles'' released in 2018.
Release and reception
Apple Records released ''The Beatles'' on 22 November 1968, with "I Will" sequenced as the penultimate track on side two, between "
Why Don't We Do It in the Road?" and "
Julia". During an interview for
Radio Luxembourg to promote the release, McCartney emphasised the wide range of musical styles found on the double album. He said that "I Will" was a legacy of the Beatles having had to satisfy requests for styles such as
rhumba
Rhumba, also known as ballroom rumba, is a genre of ballroom music and dance that appeared in the East Coast of the United States during the 1930s. It combined American big band music with Afro-Cuban rhythms, primarily the son cubano, but also co ...
during their pre-fame years
in Hamburg.
Author Jonathan Gould identifies "I Will" as an effective "demure punchline" to the sexual suggestiveness of "Why Don't We Do It in the Road?", and similar in mood and form to McCartney's 1966 song "
Here, There and Everywhere
"Here, There and Everywhere" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1966 album ''Revolver''. A love ballad, it was written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. McCartney includes it among his personal favour ...
". He also views it as lacking in genuine emotion, however, due to the lyrics and musical arrangement, and concludes: "This is one of the few instances in which the restraint Paul typically brought to his ballad singing blanches into something that sounds like simple indifference. 'Who knows how long I've loved you?' he asks, and it's tempting to think, 'Who cares?'"
Howard Sounes
Howard Sounes (born 1965) is a British author, journalist and biographer.
Biography
Born in Welling, South East London, Sounes began his journalistic career as a staff reporter for the ''Sunday Mirror''. He broke major stories, including one ...
welcomes the diversification of McCartney's non-rock White Album contributions such as "
Martha My Dear
"Martha My Dear" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 eponymous double album ''The Beatles'' (also known as the "White Album"). Credited to Lennon–McCartney, the song was written solely by Paul McCartney inspired in t ...
" and "
Honey Pie
"Honey Pie" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, from their 1968 eponymous double album ''The Beatles'' (also known as "the White Album"). The song was written entirely by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnersh ...
" but he says of "I Will": "
texemplified Paul's weakness for the soft-centred love song. The melody was catchy, but the lyric, about loving his beloved forever and ever, etc., was the sickliest cliché, a taste of what was to come."
Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of its release, Jacob Stolworthy of ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' listed "I Will" at number 12 in his ranking of the White Album's 30 tracks. He called the song "crystalline proof that no one can write a love song as effortlessly as McCartney", adding that McCartney’s selection of it among his personal favourites is a tough choice to argue with.
The song was sung in the 1994 film ''
Love Affair'', starring
Annette Bening and
Warren Beatty
Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker, whose career spans over six decades. He was nominated for 15 Academy Awards, including four for Best Actor, four for Best Picture, two for Best Director, ...
.
Personnel
According to Ian MacDonald:
*
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
– lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitars, "vocal bass"
*
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
– percussion,
maracas
*
Ringo Starr
Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...
–
bongos,
cymbals
References
Sources
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External links
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{{authority control
The Beatles songs
Diana Ross songs
Song recordings produced by George Martin
Songs written by Lennon–McCartney
Songs published by Northern Songs
Apple Records singles
1968 songs
1968 singles
English folk songs