I Need You

"Recording" the song in the film Help!

1965 is the year in which George Harrison began writing his own compositions for the remainder of his career as a member of the Beatles.  He had previously only had one solo composition recorded by the group - Don't Bother Me on their second album With the Beatles in '63.  He did produce a demo of a song called You Know What to Do at the final session for A Hard Day's Night in 1964, but it remained forgotten until the Anthology series in the 1990's.

When it came time to record a fresh batch of songs for their second film, Harrison boldly showed up with two contenders - You Like Me Too Much and I Need You.  Director Richard Lester chose the latter number as George's spotlight.

The recording of I Need You began on February 15th, 1965, after the group had first worked on songs by John and Paul.  Producer George Martin actually kept personal handwritten notes of this particular session which reveal that John played drums as Ringo tapped on the back of an acoustic guitar.  George played another acoustic guitar and Paul played bass.  It only took this lineup five takes to get it right.  All overdubs were added on February 16th, including George's double-tracked lead vocal, occasional harmony vocals by Paul, backing vocals by George, John and Paul, plus Ringo playing cowbell during the bridges.

The most interesting overdub was George's lead guitar work played with the assistance of his newest toy.  At the time, it was referred to as a tone pedal, but it soon became popularly known as a wah wah pedal.  George liked the effect it produced so much that he used it a second time later in the day on John's song Yes It Is.

In the film Help!, the boys are pictured supposedly recording the song out in the wind on Salisbury Plain with tanks and troops all around protecting them from those who want to steal Ringo's ring.  I find the incongruity of seeing the peace-loving band surrounded by weapons of war shocking even today.  They are, by the way, miming with their usual instruments, with Ringo on drums and John on his electric guitar.  After this, they never performed the song again during the remainder of their career.

I Need You appears on both the UK and US versions of the album Help!  It later surfaced only one more time on the collection Love Songs in 1977.