I'll Be on My Way
| "I'll Be on My Way" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas | |
| A-side | "Do You Want to Know a Secret (UK) From A Window (US)" |
| Released | 26 April 1963 |
| Length | 1:40 |
| Label | Parlophone (UK) Imperial (US) |
| Songwriter(s) | Lennon–McCartney |
| Producer(s) | George Martin |
| "I'll Be on My Way" | |
|---|---|
| Song by the Beatles | |
| from the album Live at the BBC | |
| Released | 30 November 1994 |
| Recorded | 4 April 1963 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 1:58 |
| Label | Apple Records |
| Songwriter(s) | Lennon–McCartney |
| Producer(s) | Bryant Marriott, George Martin (Executive Producer) |
"I'll Be on My Way" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, which was first released on 26 April 1963 by Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas as the b-side of their single "Do You Want to Know a Secret", a song also written by Lennon–McCartney. The single reached number two in the UK charts while "From Me to You" by the Beatles was occupying the number 1 position. According to Lennon, the song was written by McCartney: "This was early Paul."[1] However, there is good evidence that Lennon also contributed to the song. Author Todd Compton attributes it to "McCartney–Lennon."[2] The Beatles recorded a version of the song, first released in 1994 on the Live at the BBC compilation.
Background
In 1980 Lennon said "that's Paul on the voids [joys] of driving through the country."[3]
"I'll Be on My Way" is considered to be the first song that Lennon and McCartney "gave away,"[4] and the Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas' version of the song is included on the EMI album The Songs Lennon and McCartney Gave Away.[5]
In 1963, the Beatles and Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas were both acts managed by Brian Epstein, with George Martin as their producer.
The song may have been influenced by the musical and lyrical style of Buddy Holly. The persona forces a happy-go-lucky view on his break-up to make himself feel better, similar in character to Holly's 1959 song "It Doesn't Matter Anymore."
As of July 2019, Paul McCartney's MPL Music and John Lennon's Lenono Music owns the copyright on that song along with "Please Please Me," "Ask Me Why," "Love Me Do," "P.S. I Love You," and "Do You Want To Know A Secret."
Recording
This song was recorded by the Beatles on 4 April 1963 at the BBC Paris Theatre, London, and broadcast on the BBC radio show Side by Side on 24 June 1963. This is the only known recording of "I'll Be on My Way" by the Beatles; it features joint lead vocals by McCartney and Lennon, and can be heard on the Beatles' album Live at the BBC, where it is the only previously unreleased original song.[6]
Notes
- ^ Cadogan 2008.
- ^ Compton 2017, pp. 48–49.
- ^ Sheff 2000, p. 170.
- ^ Calkin 2002a.
- ^ Calkin 2002b.
- ^ The Beatles Bible 2008.
References
- Cadogan, Patrick (2008). The Revolutionary Artist: John Lennon's Radical Years. Lulu. ISBN 978-1-4357-1863-0.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Calkin, Graham (2002a). "Collaborations: Do You Want to Know a Secret". JPGR. Retrieved 29 October 2006.
{{cite web}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Calkin, Graham (2002b). "Collaborations: The Songs Lennon and McCartney Gave Away". JPGR. Retrieved 29 October 2006.
{{cite web}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Compton, Todd (2017). Who Wrote the Beatle Songs? A History of Lennon-McCartney. Pahreah Press. ISBN 978-0-9988997-0-1.
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- Sheff, David (2000). All We Are Saying. St Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-25464-4.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - "I'll Be On My Way". The Beatles Bible. 2008. Retrieved 15 September 2008.