Released: December 3, 1965
Appears on: Rubber Soul
Lead vocal: George Harrison
"If I Needed Someone" has some of the most interesting lyrics on Rubber Soul. George provides the album with another biting, nasty track. The lyrics are drenched with interesting imagery. "Carve your number on my wall and maybe you will get a call from me,If I needed someone..." I love that line because its so direct. The singer tells us that he doesn't particularly need anyone, but if that ever happens, leave your number because I might call you. He never tells the girl that she is number one on his list. During the fantastic middle-eight, the singer even reveals that she was late: "Had you come some other day, then it might not have been like this. Can't you see now, I'm too much in love?"
Musically, the song is structured similar to songs by The Byrds. The group's lead guitarist Roger McQuinn was first influenced by seeing George's 12-string Rickenbacker in A Hard Day's Night, which lead to most the the Byrds' songs having a distinct, jangly guitar sound. George was then, in-turn, influenced into using this effect as the main driving force of the guitar sound of a song. If you listen to the intro of "If I Needed Someone" and then listen to virtually any Byrds song, you'll hear the direct influence.
"If I Needed Someone" is definitely a great George track that leads right into the last song on the record.
Ironically enough, despite being influenced by the inventors of the folk/rock sound, the track was cut from the American Rubber Soul and did not surface until Yesterday And Today. Other than that, the song has never appeared anywhere but Rubber Soul.
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