I Call Your Name
From BeatlesWiki
I Call Your Name is a song off The Beatles' 1964 EP Long Tall Sally. It was written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon/McCartney. It was first recorded by Billy J Kramer in 1963.
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Writing
I Call Your Name was one of John Lennon's earliest compositions and the only one written by one of The Beatles on the Long Tall Sally EP. Lennon recalled in 1980, "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." Paul McCartney recalls writing the song with Lennon at his Aunt Mimi's home on Menlove Avenue in Liverpool. McCartney remembers, "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."
Billy J Kramer version
Before recording their own version, The Beatles let Billy J Kramer, another act managed by Brian Epstein, record his own version. Kramer released it as the B-Side to Bad To Me, another Lennon song, in July 1963.
Recording
The Beatles recorded their version of I Call Your Name on March 1, 1964, in the same session that they recorded I'm Happy Just To Dance With You and Long Tall Sally. I Call Your Name was the second song to be taped that day. It is unclear why the band decided to record the song a year after giving it to Billy J Kramer, but Lennon is heard saying before Take 1, "Do you think it's a bit much doing Billy J's intro and solo? 'Cause it's our song anyroad, innit?" The song was recorded in seven takes. Another Lennon lead vocal and a cowbell part were added to the last of these, and the guitar solo was taken from Take 5.
Recording Sessions
- March 1, 1964: Recording Session. Songs Recorded: I'm Happy Just To Dance With You, Long Tall Sally, and I Call Your Name. →
- June 4, 1964: Recording and Mixing session. Songs Recorded: Slow Down. Songs Mixed: Long Tall Sally, Matchbox, I Call Your Name, Slow Down, When I Get Home, Any Time At All, and I'll Cry Instead. →
Personnel
The Beatles
- Lead Vocals: John Lennon
- Rythm Guitar: John Lennon
- Bass: Paul McCartney
- Lead Guitar: George Harrison
- Drums: Ringo Starr
- Cowbell: Ringo Starr
Production
- Producer: George Martin
- Engineer: Norman Smith
Available Versions
The Beatles
- Edit of Take 7 and Take 5, March 1, 1964, (Long Tall Sally, Past Masters Volume 1)
- Saturday Club BBC Radio Rerecording, March 31, 1964, (Bootlegs)
Ringo Starr
- Live on John Lennon tribute, March 1990, (John Lennon tribute TV special, Bootlegs)
Available On
- The Beatles' Second Album, 1964.
- Long Tall Sally, 1964.
- Rock 'N' Roll Music, 1976.
- Rarities UK edition, 1978.
- Past Masters Voume 1, 1988.
