If I Fell
| "If I Fell" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US picture sleeve (reverse) | ||||
| Single by the Beatles | ||||
| from the album A Hard Day's Night | ||||
| A-side | "And I Love Her" | |||
| Released | 20 July 1964 | |||
| Recorded | 27 February 1964 | |||
| Studio | EMI, London | |||
| Genre | Pop[1] | |||
| Length | 2:22 | |||
| Label | Capitol (US) | |||
| Songwriter | Lennon–McCartney | |||
| Producer | George Martin | |||
| The Beatles US singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"If I Fell" is a song by English rock band the Beatles which first appeared in 1964 on the album A Hard Day's Night in the United Kingdom and United States, and on the North American album Something New. It was written primarily by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney.[2][3] "That's my first attempt at a ballad proper. ... It shows that I wrote sentimental love ballads way back when", Lennon stated in his 1980 Playboy interview. Paul McCartney stated that he contributed to the song: "We wrote 'If I Fell' together."[4]
Recording and performance
[edit]Lennon and McCartney shared a single microphone "for their Everly Brothers-like close harmonies".[5]
Like much of the Beatles' early work, the song was released in two different mixes for mono and stereo. Lennon's opening vocal is single-tracked in mono but double-tracked in the stereo mix.
Single releases
[edit]"If I Fell" was released as the B-side of the US single "And I Love Her" on Capitol 5235. As the B-side, it reached number 53 on the Billboard Hot 100.[6] It reached number 28 in Canada.[7] The song was also released as a single in Norway, where it reached number one.[8]
In the UK, it was released on 4 December 1964 as the A-side of a single (b/w "Tell Me Why") on Parlophone DP 562. The single was intended for export, but some retailers sold it in the UK anyway.[9] It did not chart there and is generally not considered an "official" UK single.
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1964–1965) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Italy (Musica e dischi)[10] | 38 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[11] | 3 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[11] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[12] | 53 |
| West Germany (Media Control)[11] | 25 |
Personnel
[edit]According to Ian MacDonald,[13] except where noted:
- John Lennon – double-tracked vocal,[14] acoustic rhythm guitar
- Paul McCartney – double-tracked vocal,[14] bass
- George Harrison – twelve-string lead guitar[15]
- Ringo Starr – drums
Notes
[edit]- ^ Ingham 2003, p. 32.
- ^ Miles 1997, p. 162–163.
- ^ MacDonald 2007, p. 112.
- ^ Compton 2017, p. 81.
- ^ "26 -- 'If I Fell'". Rolling Stone. 100 Greatest Beatles Songs.
- ^ "'The Beatles' Billboard Hot 100". Billboard.
- ^ "Item: 9282 - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ VG-lista 2009.
- ^ "If I Fell". beatlesbible.com. 15 March 2008. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
- ^ "Hit per Interprete". HPI.
- ^ a b c "The Beatles – If I Fell". hitparade.ch.
- ^ "The Beatles Chart History". Billboard.
- ^ MacDonald 2007, p. 111.
- ^ a b Winn 2008, p. 158.
- ^ Everett 2001, p. 230.
References
[edit]- Compton, Todd (2017). Who Wrote the Beatle Songs? A History of Lennon-McCartney. Pahreah Press. ISBN 978-0-9988997-0-1.
- Everett, Walter (2001). The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men through Rubber Soul. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-514105-4.
- Fontenont, Robert (2008). "If I Fell". About.com. Archived from the original on 20 April 2009. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
- MacDonald, Ian (2007). Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties (Third ed.). Chicago: Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1-55652-733-3.
- Miles, Barry (1997). Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now. New York: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 0-8050-5249-6.
- "TOPP 20 SINGLE UKE 49, 1964". VG-lista. 2009. Archived from the original on 18 April 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2009.
- "BBC Four Programmes - ...Sings The Beatles". BBC. 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
- Ingham, Chris (2003). The Rough Guide to the Beatles. Rough Guides. ISBN 1-84353-140-2.
- Winn, John C. (2008). Way Beyond Compare: The Beatles' Recorded Legacy, Volume One, 1957–1965. New York: Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-0-307-45157-6.
External links
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