If I Fell
1964 single by the Beatles
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"If I Fell" is a song by English rock band the Beatles which first appeared in 1964 on the album A Hard Day's Night in the United Kingdom and United States, and on the North American album Something New. It was written primarily by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney.[2][3] "That's my first attempt at a ballad proper. ... It shows that I wrote sentimental love ballads way back when", Lennon stated in his 1980 Playboy interview. Paul McCartney stated much later that he contributed to the song: "We wrote 'If I Fell' together."[4]
| "If I Fell" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
US picture sleeve (reverse) | ||||
| Single by the Beatles | ||||
| from the album A Hard Day's Night | ||||
| A-side | "And I Love Her" | |||
| Released | 20 July 1964 | |||
| Recorded | 27 February 1964 | |||
| Studio | EMI, London | |||
| Genre | Pop[1] | |||
| Length | 2:22 | |||
| Label | Capitol (US) | |||
| Songwriter | Lennon–McCartney | |||
| Producer | George Martin | |||
| The Beatles US singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Recording and performance
Lennon and McCartney shared a single microphone "for their Everly Brothers-like close harmonies".[5]
Like much of the Beatles' early work, the song was released in two different mixes for mono and stereo. Lennon's opening vocal is single-tracked in mono but double-tracked in the stereo mix.
Single releases
"If I Fell" was released as the B-side of the US single "And I Love Her" on Capitol 5235. As the B-side, it reached number 53 on the Billboard Hot 100.[6] It reached number 28 in Canada.[7] The song was also released as a single in Norway, where it reached number one.[8]
In the UK, it was released on 4 December 1964 as the A-side of a single (b/w "Tell Me Why") on Parlophone DP 562. The single was intended for export, but some retailers sold it in the UK anyway.[9] It did not chart there and is generally not considered an "official" UK single.
Charts
| Chart (1964–1965) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Italy (Musica e dischi)[10] | 38 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[11] | 3 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[11] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[12] | 53 |
| West Germany (Media Control)[11] | 25 |
Personnel
According to Ian MacDonald,[13] except where noted:
- John Lennon – double-tracked vocal,[14] acoustic rhythm guitar
- Paul McCartney – double-tracked vocal,[14] bass
- George Harrison – twelve-string lead guitar[15]
- Ringo Starr – drums
