I Will

AUTHORSHIP McCartney (1.00)
McCARTNEY: "I was doing a song, 'I Will', that I had as a melody for quite a long time but I didn't have lyrics to it. I remember sitting around with Donovan, and maybe a couple of other people. We were just sitting around one evening after our day of meditation and I played him this one and he liked it and we were trying to write some words. We kicked around a few lyrics, something about the moon, but they weren't very satisfactory and I thought the melody was better than the words so I didn't use them. I kept searching for better words and I wrote my own set in the end; very simple words, straight love-song words really. I think they're quite effective. It's still one of my favourite melodies that I've written. You just occasionally get lucky with a melody and it becomes rather complete and I think this is one of them; quite a complete tune." Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now

DONOVAN: "I don't think I helped with the lyrics. He is very productive and will always take over the writing in a jam. From listening to the lyrics now, I can hear that Paul no doubt threw together the words for this tune when he got to the studio after India. I may have helped with the shape of the chords and encouraged the imagery from tunes I wrote then in India. The descending movements of my songs may have encouraged Paul to write differently." Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now

RECORDED
September 16, 1968, at Abbey Road. Sixty-seven takes were recorded, not all complete versions. The sixty-fifth was considered best, and more instruments and vocals were overdubbed on it September 17.

INSTRUMENTATION
McCARTNEY: bass, acoustic guitar, lead vocal (occasionally double-tracked)
LENNON: maracas
STARR: drums, bongos