WCSX Classic Cuts : If I Needed Someone
WCSX Classic Cuts
The Beatles: “If I Needed Someone”
The Hook: A case of The Byrds influencing The Beatles.
Album: Rubber Soul (in Britain), Yesterday and Today (in the U.S.)
Year: 1965
Writer: George Harrison
Stats: Not released as a single by the Fab Four. However, a cover version by The Hollies was released in Britain on the same day as the Beatles’ Rubber Soul album and made the Top 20 there.
Background: “If I Needed Someone” is the first and only song written by George Harrison that he performed in concert with The Beatles. In fact, he sang it 50 years ago today (August 29th, 1966) at their final concert ever, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Harrison spoke about writing it in an interview from the ’80s.
The late George Harrison on his Beatles composition “If I Needed Someone.” OC:…of thing. :18
“It was just purely based upon that Rickenbacker 12-string sound. And I think as The Byrds were influenced by The Beatles, so we were influenced by The Byrds, y’know. And they had that album out with ‘[Mr.] Tambourine Man’ and that’s where I learnt that, from an idea of doing that kind of thing.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTtmZ7D77hA