Written by: Lennon-McCartney
Recorded: 1 March 1964
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Norman Smith
Released: 19 June 1964 (UK), 10 April 1964 (US)
John Lennon: vocals, rhythm guitar
Paul McCartney: bass
George Harrison: lead guitar
Ringo Starr: drums, cowbell
Available on:
Past Masters
One of John Lennon's earliest compositions, I Call Your Name was the only Lennon-McCartney original on the Long Tall Sally EP. It was likely held off the A Hard Day's Night album due to the similar use of cowbell in You Can't Do That.
It was given first to Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas, another Brian Epstein-managed act, who released it as the b-side to their single Bad To Me, another Lennon-McCartney song, in July 1963.
That was my song. When there was no Beatles and no group. I just had it around. It was my effort as a kind of blues originally, and then I wrote the middle eight just to stick it in the album when it came out years later. The first part had been written before Hamburg even. It was one of my first attempts at a song.
All We Are Saying, David Sheff
Musically the song is perhaps most interesting for its guitar solo, during which The Beatles fall into a ska rhythm. Lennon in particular particularly loved ska and reggae in later years, although in 1964 it was largely unknown outside Jamaica.
According to Paul McCartney, I Call Your Name was written in Lennon's aunt Mimi's house in Menlove Avenue, Liverpool.
We worked on it together, but it was John's idea. When I look back at some of these lyrics, I think, Wait a minute. What did he mean? 'I call your name but you're not there.' Is it his mother? His father? I must admit I didn't really see that as we wrote it because we were just a couple of young guys writing. You didn't look behind it at the time, it was only later you started analysing things.
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
In the studio
I Call Your Name was recorded on 1 March 1964, the same day The Beatles recorded I'm Happy Just To Dance With You and Long Tall Sally, all within a three-hour session.
I Call Your Name was the second song of the day to be taped. Why the group decided to resurrect the song almost a year after Billy J Kramer had recorded it is unknown, but John Lennon captured by the studio microphones before take one, asking: "Do you think it's a bit much doing Billy J's intro and solo? 'Cause it's our song anyroad, innit?"
The Beatles recorded the song in seven takes. Another Lennon vocal and cowbell by Starr was added to the last of these, and the ska section was later edited in from take five.
could’ve used a bit more cowbell
An oddly underappreciated song, this is actually one of my favorite early Beatles songs. I think I began to pay more attention to it when I heard The Mamas and Papa’s cover. If an estimable songwriter like John Phillips appreciates a song enough to cover it, there must be something to it. Paul’s bass is great too.
A great rendition by Mamas & Papas. My favorite part is the closing where they bring the music to a dead stop and then hit you with their wall of voices.
Call me crazy, but at the 1:27 mark on the Mamas and Papas version a female voice whispers “John”. It sounds just like May Pang’s whispered “John” on #9 Dream.
I just read an interview with Michelle Phillips and she verfied that Cass Elliot
did whisper “I love you John ” in their version of I call your name. She was a major John Lennon fan
I originally had the American mono Second Album, and some years later when after I played it until it turn white I purchased the Stereo Version. I appeared to me that the opening licks of this song were different between the two versions. We know the Beatles made two versions of some of their earlier stuff (Stereo and Mono) Can anyone verify this?
Almost 3 years later, how’s that for a delayed comment? I agree that the opening part is different between stereo and mono. The fourth guitar note is more pronounced and discrete in the stereo version. In the mono version, George’s guitar slides into the fourth note. I’ll have to dig out Lewisohn’s book to really verify it. I Call Your Name is in my top 5–just love it.
The more obvious difference is the cowbell. On the original UK mono mix, the cowbell starts immediately after the first guitar notes. The UK stereo has the cowbell delayed until John sings “…(^) but you’re not there”. A third version, on the original US stereo ‘Second Album'(and it’s NOT on the new box set!, they missed it!) has the cowbell start at John’s “I (^) call your name”
the guitar intro is a little tentative and paul also has a little bass flub. that’s why they edited in a different take.
you are right – they are different. Actually the Mono version is played at a slower pace too. I prefer the mono version on this song – when it is slightly slow, you can really here the pain in Lennon voice. It sounds bluesy’er with that hint of country – luv luv this song!
As is often the case in Many Years From Now, what was originally John’s song becomes merely his idea. Paul wrote it with him of course, before there was a group which would be pre-1957. He wonders what John meant by the lyrics. He ought to know since he helped write them. Or maybe Paul’s suggesting his contribution was the music, John’s early effort at the blues.
Rachel:
Paul explicitly says “We WORKED on it together”, so he’s not even saying he co-“wrote” it.
You say it yourself: Maybe he just worked on the arrangement.
Please keep your bias towards John out of your analysis.
That’s what Paul is doing, he doesn’t make a single claim in that book that sounds pretentious to me.
There’s not even a second vocal on “I call you name”, meaning Paul very probably didn’t write any of it.
And he never claimed he did.
Read Paul’s quote again. He cites a line in the song and says, “I must admit I didn’t really see that as we wrote it…”
Well, he explicitly says John wrote the lyrics and he (Paul) didn’t catch their meaning. How much more obvious can it get?
I wasn’t there, I don’t know who did what, in some cases even the guys don’t remember it.
For me Paul saying “as we wrote it” can absolutely mean “as we were working on it”.
He’s not singing at all in this, so he didn’t make a major contribution.
And he doesn’t claim it. He says “It was John’s idea”.
It’s YOU reading into this “Oh, John had the basic idea, but I did the real work”.
Which is not remotely what Paul is saying.
I agree. Paul, as in this case, often gives the ‘impression’ that his contributions to some of John’s songs are greater than in fact they were.
Sometimes though, Paul doesn’t take enough credit for himself.
The same could be said of John about his memories of his contributions to some of Paul’s songs. I’m thinking ‘Eleanor Rigby’
Bottom line they were fantastically generous, gifted and suited collaborators. But they were also fiercely competitive ………….and Paul still is.
There were several points in the late ’50s when Paul and John knew and worked with each other but there was no group.
Also, John EXPLICITLY says he wrote the middle part later for the recording, and Paul certainly could have worked on that. You’re one of these people that just looks for something – anything – to slag-off someone you don’t like, in this case Paul. (Do you also know that John was notable for getting details wrong AND embellishing his stories to make himself look better?)
One of the best classical song of Beatles. It can be heard all over.
George’s counter melody with the Ricky 12 string brings this tune to the top of the list.
I believe George got the 12 string handed to him a few years after this song
Seems like it was handed to him (actually, first to John) very early February 1964 (8th maybe 9th), before this song was recorded (March 1, 1964 according to this current Bible page).
One source – Guitar World:
http://www.guitarworld.com/beatles-secret-weapon-george-harrison-s-1963-rickenbacker-36012
John said himself that he had written most of the song in his pre-Beatles days, but it still needed some work (notably the “middle eight”) to make it complete. When it came time to make the original structure a complete song, John surely taught it to Paul, and let Paul write the bassline for it. That is what Paul meant by “working on it with John”, which is what he actually said in the book. He didn’t take credit as a co-writer. Give the guy a break, and stop creating drama and controversy where there is none,
In the time 1963-1965, or before Yesterday 1965, Lennon was the dominant composer in the Beatles. And that is very, very embarrasing for McCatney. Sometimes he is bluffing and claimed the composed a song that Lennon had composed. But mostly this: If Lennon composed the melody and McCartney helped a little with the harmonies, McCartney said we “wroted it together” in a way that the establishment interpreted is as a co-composition, and that was what McCartney intended, a PR genius.
After MacDonald´s book Revolution in the Head 1994, McCartney stoped a lot of his half lies.
When did Paul tell you he was very, very embarrassed about John being the dominant composer in the Beatles in the time 1963-1965 or before Yesterday 1965?
I have never read or heard that comment anywhere or from any other source, and I’d be interested in learning more about it.
Robert, you will never get a response from Johan. He never supplies quotes or credible sources for his drivel- he simply spews it and runs.
I’ve chosen to ignore his posts now and not even bother- nothing of value there.
Mike-I know. Rarely did he reply to my counter comments but I got so tired of his one sided bashing and his repetitive comments that I thought I had nothing to lose by stating my side. I know I am not the only one who felt this way about his bias. He hasn’t contributed anything in quite a while so I figure he shared what he needed to say and is content to leave it at that. I am too unless he returns with more of the same old stuff.
Entirely too much analyzing what everyone remembers from 50 years ago. Nit picky,,omg
the chord progression is really nice for being a first attempt kinda song. It’s very enjoyable, it’s amazing how good they were in the early days, without any musical knowledge or anybody guiding their steps as later did George Martin. They did just by ear, instinct and good taste.
Well if it didn’t make the cut for A Hard Days Night it should have made the cut for the next album. Here in Aus land would have been Beatles for Sale. Great track.
Great song! That beat during the solo goes away from a typical Beatles formula, so to say. Paul’s bass is great as well. You can feel Jonh’s anguish singing to the one gone away. One of those jewels in the catalogue which are not well known and that proves the band’s strength in those years and the ones to come.
Speaking of ska, Millie Small’s version of “My Boy Lollipop” was a UK hit in 1964. Might that have been an influence?
It totally makes sense that he wrote the bridge many years later – taking something that was decent from, as he says, his earliest experiments in songwriting and then writing a new part after becoming a master at song craft. The quality of the middle eight over the verses is striking. A Hard Day’s Night is among Lennon’s highest peaks of creativity, just churning out great tune after tune. So it’s no wonder that for me, when I listen to the song, I’m always waiting for “I don’t know who can! I’m not gonna make it” and my favorite – “I’m not that kind of maa-ooh-aan”. Such a great hook.
I agreed that Paul generously inserts himself into many of John songs and never seems to give John the same when it comes to his songs. Its not a matter of bias it’s Paul’s subtle tone in his recollections, They were both geniuses for sure but only Paul lovers defend him in this area. For this song Paul could have said – That’s John’s song that he wrote before the Beatles and I helped with the middle eight years later. Instead he says it in a way where his role seems greater than it may be.
Primrose Lane. I Call Your Name. SKA instrumentals on both.
LOL! Wow…….I do hear a similar “shuffle” thing there.
I think we’re both getting a bit old in that we even remember that song!
In my mind Call Your Name is definitely directed toward Cynthia or “Cyn” as he called her; think about it. The topic came up when Paul penned Hey Jude … if John ever wrote a song for her. Well, this is it. The only debatable thing is whether it was John’s subconscious at work as he applied…C.Y.N.
I also believe Cynthia factored into “In My Life” to some degree.