Song · The Beatles
“If I Needed Someone” by The Beatles
From the album Rubber Soul (1965)
“If I Needed Someone” by The Beatles appears on 1 radio countdown from 1 station in 2004. It was first released in 1965 on the album Rubber Soul. Its best result is #742 on the WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #7,309 indie & aaa song of all time.
George Harrison wrote "If I Needed Someone" and sings lead on it, and it landed on Rubber Soul on December 3, 1965. It's the Beatles and the Byrds trading ideas: Harrison built its jangling riff on the one Roger McGuinn played in the Byrds' "The Bells of Rhymney", and he plays a 12-string Rickenbacker, the guitar the Byrds had picked up to chase his sound in A Hard Day's Night.
He wrote it for Pattie Boyd, the model he married in January 1966, though the words hedge enough to read like a note to a passing fancy. Three-part harmonies with John Lennon and Paul McCartney, a drone and a Mixolydian tilt that show his budding interest in Indian classical music: many heard it as his best song yet, and it made the set for their 1965 UK tour, the one Harrison song the Beatles ever played live.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 742 | WXPN | WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) | 885 |
Comments
Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "If I Needed Someone" by The Beatles.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.