Yeah, I'm going to recap The Beatles relatively short, often tumultuous, and yet hugely consequential career in a paragraph--name one other band where you can reel off the band members' first names (John, Paul, George, and Ringo) and everyone knows who you're talking about. So I'll just recite a number of fun facts. The Beatles have sold over 800 million records and are the all-time best selling music artist in history (this means that approximately one out of every ten people on the entire planet has bought a Beatles record). Their twenty #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 is still a record, and they still have more #1 albums in the U.K. (15) than any other artist. They won seven Grammy Awards and an Academy Award. They had five albums in the top 14 of Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest LP's of all time (Dylan had two and no other artist managed more than one in the first fourteen), and were listed as one of Time magazine's most influential people of the twentieth century. Not only was the band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but through the years each individual member has been selected as well. Of their thirteen core studio albums (some had different titles and song selections in the U.S.), eleven went to number one in the U.K. and twelve went to number one in the U.S. Whew...and that's just barely scratching the surface.
"I Will" was released on their album The Beatles (usually called "The White Album" for its stark white cover) in 1968. It was not released as a single, as none of the songs on the album were released as singles (though many received much airplay on album oriented radio stations). Surprisingly enough, The White Album was not well-received critically when it was first released, though as time passed more came to consider it as one of their best (it was #10 on the Rolling Stone list noted above).
One minute, forty-six seconds. That's how long "I Will" lasts, and Paul McCartney is still able to pack a whole lot of punches into such a short piece. There are few people in pop music who can create a melody better than Paul McCartney once could, and there aren't many who can sing so sweetly, either--and he does both to perfection in this little ditty. Though I've never been able to figure out if the song is written for a lover or only one hoped for, it's still a nice jaunt down Pop Music Lane. McCartney has a boucy little guitar jangle, the drums complement both the vocals and the melody exquisitely (and are played by John Lennon), and Ringo Starr puts the cherry on top with his bongo playing. You might also hear a hint of bass guitar--guess again! McCartney actually does that with his voice--a man of too many talents. It took McCartney 67 takes to get the song the way he wanted it, and his finished product is a piece of pop heaven from one of the greatest bands to ever grace our world.
Lyric Sheet: "And when at last I find you/Your song will fill the air/Sing it loud so I can hear you/Make it easy to be near you..."
Enjoy:
Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee
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