When I Get Home

From BeatlesWiki

When I Get Home is a song off The Beatles' 1964 album A Hard Day's Night. It was written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon/McCartney.

Writing

The lyrics' impatient theme may have had something to do with The Beatles' hectic schedule at the time, where they had no free time. The song was influenced by Motown, US soul, and R&B. John recalled in 1980, "That's me again... another Wilson Pickett, Motown sound... a four-in-the-bar cowbell song."

Recording

The song was recorded in eleven takes on June 2, 1964. Earlier that day, they had worked on Things We Said Today and Any Time At All. The session for When I Get Home lasted from seven to ten PM that day, right after recording Any Time At All. After When I Get Home was finished, the A Hard Day's Night LP was finished. During this session, tape operator Ken Scott began working for The Beatles at seventeen years old. Scott recalls, "At that time four-track tape machines were so large that there was no room for them in the control room. They were sited along the corridor and the only contact you had with the session was via a talkback system. On this particular evening The Beatles were playing back their latest recordings to a few friends who had come in. George Martin was giving me directions over the talkback and at one point I heard him say "home". So I put the tapes away, switched off the power, put my coat on and left the room. As I was walking along the corridor I saw George standing in the doorway. 'Well,' he said, 'is the tape lined up yet?' 'I'm sorry?' 'Is the tape of When I Get Home ready yet?' 'Aah, hang on George, I'll just check and see.' I ran up that corridor, flicked all the switches and put the tape back on as fast as lightning, acting nonchalantly as if nothing was wrong!" On June 4, the song was mixed into mono, although this mix ended up being unused. On June 22, new mono and stereo mixes were made, both of which were used.