It Won't Be Long
| "It Won't Be Long" | |
|---|---|
Merseybeat, rock | |
| Length | 2:13 |
| Label | Parlophone |
| Songwriter(s) | Lennon–McCartney |
| Producer(s) | George Martin |
"It Won't Be Long" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, released as the opening track on their second UK album With the Beatles (1963), and was the first original song recorded for it.[1] Although credited to Lennon–McCartney, it was primarily a composition by John Lennon, with Paul McCartney assisting with the lyrics and arrangement.[2]
Composition
John Lennon claimed that he wrote the song in 1971 and 1980. In the 1990s Paul McCartney described the song as dominated by Lennon, but written in collaboration, stating: "John mainly sang it so I expect that it was his original idea but we both sat down and wrote it together."[2][3] The chorus is a play on the words "be long" and "belong".[4]
The song features early Beatles trademarks such as call-and-response yeah-yeahs and scaling guitar
John Lennon, in one of his final interviews, told Playboy magazine that the song was the beginning of a wider audience for Beatles music than the youthful throngs that had fervently followed them from their Liverpool clubbing days. "It was only after a critic for the [London] Times said we put 'Aeolian cadences' in 'It Won't Be Long' that the middle classes started listening to us. ... To this day, I have no idea what 'Aeolian cadences' are. They sound like exotic birds."[6] In fact, the critic, William Mann, had written this about the song "Not a Second Time."[7] Rolling Stone stated that "It Won't Be Long" was "the kind of song Bob Dylan had in mind when he wrote that Beatles chords were 'outrageous, just outrageous.'"[8] With its composers not being versed in musical theory, the song incorporates chords it "shouldn't", being in the key of E but veering off into D, C and F♯, and "a hybrid of D and Bm".[9]
Recording and release
The Beatles recorded this song on 30 July 1963 in two sessions. The first session was in the morning, where they recorded 10 takes. The second session was in the afternoon, where they recorded seven more takes. The final product was a combination of takes 17 and 21, put together on 21 August.[1]
The original release in the UK was on With the Beatles, 22 November 1963. In the US, "It Won't Be Long" first appeared on Meet the Beatles!, released 20 January 1964.[10]
The song was never performed live or at any of the group's BBC sessions, although they did
Personnel
According to Ian MacDonald:[5]
- double-tracked vocal, rhythm guitar
- Paul McCartney – backing vocal, bass
- George Harrison – backing vocal, lead guitar
- Ringo Starr – drums
- George Martin – producer
- engineer
Notes
- ^ a b Lewisohn 1988, p. 34.
- ^ a b Miles 1998, p. 152.
- ^ Compton 2017, p. 59.
- ^ a b MacDonald 2005, p. 92.
- ^ a b MacDonald 2005, p. 91.
- ^ "John Lennon Interview: Playboy 1980 (Page 3)". Beatlesinterviews.org. Retrieved 2011-08-21.
- ^ "The Beatles - Not A Second Time - History and Information". Oldies.about.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2011-08-21.
- ^ "53 - 'It Won't Be Long'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 19 June 2012.
- ISBN 0-385-31377-2.
- ^ Lewisohn 1988, pp. 200–201.
References
- Compton, Todd (2017). Who Wrote the Beatle Songs? A History of Lennon-McCartney. Pahreah Press. ISBN 978-0-9988997-0-1.
- "It Won't Be Long". The Beatles Bible. 2009. Retrieved 14 April 2009.
- ISBN 0-600-55798-7.
- ISBN 1-84413-828-3.
- ISBN 0-7493-8658-4.
