I'll Be on My Way

John Lennon explained "I'll Be on My Way" "was early Paul."[1] Credited to Lennon–McCartney, Paul McCartney wrote the song in the first half of 1959.[2] Author Todd Compton attributes it to "McCartney–Lennon."[3] McCartney wrote the song on his first guitar, a Framus Zenith acoustic guitar.[4] In The Beatles Anthology, McCartney recalls, "All my first songs... were written on the Zenith; songs like 'Michelle' and 'I Saw Her Standing There'. It was on this guitar that I learnt 'Twenty Flight Rock', the song that later got me into the group The Quarry Men."[5] When first written, the song had little beyond its melody.[6] The song was fleshed out years later after the Beatles added it to their live repertoire.[6][nb 1]

The song is heavily inspired by Buddy Holly. Musicologist and writer Ian MacDonald writes, "Played a little faster, the song reveals its debt to Buddy Holly's simple three-chords schemes. (Imagine each chorus finishing 'I'll be on my way ah-hey-hey'.)"[8] Everett agrees, writing the song "has strong Holly ties, especially in the duet refrain,"[9] as does Lewisohn who calls the song "Hollyesque."[6] The rising and falling chromatic line of the guitar intro comes from the Crickets' cover of "Don't Ever Change",[10] especially the augmented E chord.[6] After measure 11, McCartney's vocal part moves to a descant in parallel thirds above Lennon's, a technique derivative of Holly's normal double-tracked vocal patterns.[10]

Though Lennon sang the lead vocal as a harmony duet with McCartney, he never liked the song.[6] Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn writes that while performing it, "when they got to the line 'this way will I go'—[Lennon] pulled a crip face and hunched himself Quasimodo-like around the microphone. Paul had no choice but to ride the laughter."[11]

McCartney made a demo of the song prior to Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas recording it.[10] Dakotas guitarist Mike Maxfield claims that he still owns the acetate and that all of the Beatles play on it, though this claim has never been substantiated.[12]

The Beatles recorded the song on 4 April 1963 at the BBC Paris Theatre, London, and broadcast on the BBC radio show Side by Side on 24 June 1963.[8] Everett writes that George Harrison's guitar solo features "the clash of bent unison double-stops",[13] similar to those of Scotty Moore in Elvis Presley's "Just Because" and "Jailhouse Rock" and in Jerry Lee Lewis's "Livin' Lovin' Wreck".[14]

Everett suggests the Beatles recorded a rendition of the song only to help promote Kramer's record.[10] The Beatles released their version on the 1994 album Live at the BBC.[8][15] It is the only song on the album that was previously unreleased.[16]

MacDonald describes the lyrics and music as "almost derisively naive".[8] Lewisohn singles out the lyric "When the June light turns to moonlight" as the kind Lennon and McCartney "usually spurned" in others.[17] McCartney reflected on the work in his official biography, Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now, saying "It's a little bit too June-moon for me, but these were very early songs and they worked out quite well."[18] In 1980, John Lennon said of the song, "That's Paul, through and through. Doesn't it sound like him? Tra la la la la [laughs]. Yeah, that's Paul on the voids (joys) of driving through the country."[19] Everett writes the "this way I will go" lyrics, "are too closely related, in an innocent way, to those of "I'll Follow the Sun."[10] He concludes that the chord transitions are ultimately uninteresting.[10]

According to Ian MacDonald:[8]

• John Lennon – lead vocal, acoustic guitar
• Paul McCartney – harmony vocal, bass
• George Harrison – lead guitar
• Ringo Starr – drums

Kramer and the Dakotas recorded "I'll Be On My Way" on 14 and 21 March 1963.[20]

Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas released their cover of the song as the B-side of their hit debut single, "Do You Want to Know a Secret"[8] on 26 April 1963.[21] The record held at #2 nationally in the U.K., second to the Beatles' "From Me To You".[22] This version of the song is included on the 1979 EMI album The Songs Lennon and McCartney Gave Away.[23]