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10.44pm
1 November 2012
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Is it my imagination, or is Harrison’s electric guitar slightly out of tune in the song “I Need You “? Maybe that’s an unavoidable effect of that reverb he’s doing (with John’s help at the volume control). When I try to accompany the song just strumming or fingerpicking with my acoustic guitar, the song seems to mess up my tuning — I find myself constantly tightening or loosening certain strings, and I can’t get it right!
This doesn’t happen with other Beatles songs, or with any other songs I like to play along to.
Also, I’m not sure about one of the chords provided by “e-chords” website at one point, at that ingenious turnaround George wrote —
“…and feeling like this, I just can’t go on anymore…”
— but let me ramp up to it:
Oh yes you told me (A to D)
You don’t want my lovin’ anymore (E to A)
That’s when it hurt me (A to D)
And feeling like this, (E) I
just can’t go on any (B7)
more (E)…
[then back to A again]
My problem is with that E chord at “And feeling like this” — the rest seems to work fine.
Anyone think there’s a different chord at that juncture?
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10.53pm
26 March 2012
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Sounds fine to me!
The only thing I would change there to be more authentic to the song is to move from A to A7 after “you don’t want my loving anymore.”
EDIT: actually, the B7 on “just can’t go on any” should be a Bm.
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5.23am
1 November 2012
Offline Ben Ramon said EDIT: actually, the B7 on “just can’t go on any” should be a Bm.
I don’t think so, because the singing melody at that point is changing key by incorporating the note D#, which is the major 3rd in B major
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9.29am
26 March 2012
Offline I see what you mean but it doesn’t sound like a D# to me that George sings on “just”, rather a slightly sharp D. D-C#B-D#C-B-D, with a Bm chord over the top.
Although, to be fair, it sounds fine both ways, and the B7 is admittedly more interesting.
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5.25pm
1 November 2012
Offline I must disagree. I’ll parse the notes word by word, syllable by syllable:
Oh–yes–you–told–me (A to D)
c#–b–a–b–a
You don’t want my lovin’ anymore (E to A)
a–d–c#–b–c#–b–a–b–c#
That’s when it hurt me (A to D)
c#–b–a–b–a
And feeling like this, (E)
a–d–c#–b–c#
I just can’t go on any (B7) more (E)…
a–e–d#–c#–e–d#–c#–e…
Harrison ingeniously does three things here:
1) He’s modulating the key from A major to E major and back to A at the end (the key of A includes the D chord; the key of E includes the B chord)
2) when he sings “and feeling like this” he’s stressing the d note while playing the E chord, which makes the listener feel like it’s E7 and still in the key of A
3) when he rises up to “I just can’t go on anymore” he’s singing the E note quickly followed by going down and up the D# to C# to D# — stressing the E note even though he’s playing a B7 chord, where the E note would be a “sus4” but here has a slightly dissonant quality that makes the listener feel like they need to resolve it with an E chord in the key of E — which he does for a fleeting moment at “more” — which, however, leads back to A (since the E chord can pivot in two roles, either as its own dominant chord, resting on A and B chords, or as the third chord in the key of A that traditionally leads back to A — which he does here).
P.S.: Elsewhere in the song, when he dips down to the G natural note in A7, he’s flirting with a key change in the opposite direction, down to D major.
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5.43pm
6 July 2016
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I don’t know about the tuning but can anyone else hear timing issues in this song. It sounds all over the place to me. The Beatles always set very high standards with their quality control but it sounds like they really rushed this (perhaps because it was a George song?). Particularly listen to the acoustic rhythm guitar and the drums. I’m not sure which is out of time but they are not locked in together. There also other elements which are not quite together. I still love the song though.
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6.35pm
26 January 2017
Offline I think the slightly “off” sections are intentional. I think it is a cool choice, it doesn’t ruin the song it makes it more memorable for me.
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10.48am
Moderators
15 February 2015
Offline @Leppo I would concur with @sir walter raleigh in that the timing discrepancies were intentional, though it does sound a little clunky to my ears. The Fabs and particularly George would do much better with odd tempos later (I’m looking at you, Love You To and Good Morning Good Morning ).
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12.14pm
8 January 2015
Offline Yeah that middle section is classic Harrison, it’s very bluesy and a sign of things to come. I think the off-tempo is really an issue with the volume pedal guitar experiment that didn’t come off. The main beat is determined, a bit obscured by the acoustic guitar (mono version), but the volume pedal is just a bit off beat, and most unwisely goes for extra points at the end and is a bit messy. The Heartbreakers version in Concert For George is much looser and flowing.
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9.09pm
Moderators
15 February 2015
Offline ewe2 said
I think the off-tempo is really an issue with the volume pedal guitar experiment that didn’t come off. The main beat is determined, a bit obscured by the acoustic guitar (mono version), but the volume pedal is just a bit off beat, and most unwisely goes for extra points at the end and is a bit messy.
See also ‘Yes It Is ‘ for slightly-off-beat volume-pedal guitar work. I’d liken it to trying to stay in pitch when playing slide guitar for the first time, before you get used to it.
The Heartbreakers version in Concert For George is much looser and flowing.
Well, forty years of technology advancements and all that… 
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12.17am
8 January 2015
Offline Silly Girl said
Well, forty years of technology advancements and all that…
No, I just mean the way the rhythm is played is much better. It sounds too stiff on the original.
It’s almost like Petty is singing with a volume pedal 😀 Note the nice way the mid section is handled. I love the understated bass too.
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2.37pm
6 July 2016
Offline Silly Girl said
@Leppo I would concur with @sir walter raleigh in that the timing discrepancies were intentional, though it does sound a little clunky to my ears. The Fabs and particularly George would do much better with odd tempos later (I’m looking at you, Love You To and Good Morning Good Morning ).
You might be right with regards to the pedal guitar but to me the drums seem to go out of time with the acoustic rhythm guitar or vice versa. I don’t know if Ringo speeds up or John slows down. I’m not sure which stereo version I was listening to but it was in the left channel.
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5.36am
22 September 2014
Offline I agree that the timing sounds better on the Heartbreakers’ tribute, but isn’t Tom’s singing frequently flat? Maybe it’s because every time I hear him, I can’t help feeling that he’s Dylan with Pattie’s hair. 
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8.38am
Moderators
15 February 2015
Offline georgiewood snarked
I agree that the timing sounds better on the Heartbreakers’ tribute, but isn’t Tom’s singing frequently flat? Maybe it’s because every time I hear him, I can’t help feeling that he’s Dylan with Pattie’s hair.
Very funny 
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1.30pm
24 March 2014
Offline Leppo said
You might be right with regards to the pedal guitar but to me the drums seem to go out of time with the acoustic rhythm guitar or vice versa. I don’t know if Ringo speeds up or John slows down. I’m not sure which stereo version I was listening to but it was in the left channel.
That’s how great they were, they all went out of time at once when needed.
"I Need You by George Harrison"
4.35pm
Members
18 March 2013
Offline I’m listening to this track right now and thinking about why the song was written. George said that he could only write about things that were personally happening to him, not like Paul who could write about a genie granting wishes across galaxies and somehow make it to #1.
The lyrics suggest Pattie (who was his girlfriend at the time of composition) and him had a fight, and that she was going to breakup with him.
Said you had a thing or two to tell me.
How was I to know
You would upset me?
I didn’t realize
As I looked in your eyes
You told me, oh yes, you told me you don’t want my lovin’ anymore.
I wonder what the circumstances behind it were or whether George’s imagination finally sparked and he came up with an imaginary breakup. They seemed to have a pretty much whirlwind relationship and it wasn’t until they got married after a year and a half together that they realised they weren’t very compatible romantically-speaking.
Could somebody tell me what his notes for it were in ‘I, Me, Mine’? My copy is back home, it’s probably nothing remarkable but it’d be nice to know.
From a girly point-of-view how could you break-up with somebody if they’re going to write you such a heart-melting tune as I Need You ? It’s impossible 
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Make Love, Not Wardrobes!
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5.09pm
15 November 2018
Offline Unless I’m mistaken, George didn’t talk about I Need You at all in I Me Mine . It was one of two songs that he skipped entirely, the other being You Like Me Too Much . (It’s possible I’m misremembering, though).
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- - -
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2018:
2019: 
2020:
5.13pm
Members
18 March 2013
Offline ^That’s interesting, I’ve only read IMM once and that was in 2013/2014 so it’s been a while. I can’t remember much about it but I do seem to recall I Need You missing now that you mention it.
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***
Make Love, Not Wardrobes!
***
"Stop throwing jelly beans at me"- George Harrison
5.15pm
15 November 2018
Offline All I’ve ever read of it is the little preview available online, but I’ve read about the absence of I Need You in other places. Strange, I know, but 
Love one another.
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2018: 2019: 2020:
5.35pm
17 October 2013
Offline AppleScruffJunior said
I’m listening to this track right now and thinking about why the song was written. George said that he could only write about things that were personally happening to him, not like Paul who could write about a genie granting wishes across galaxies and somehow make it to #1.The lyrics suggest Pattie (who was his girlfriend at the time of composition) and him had a fight, and that she was going to breakup with him.
Said you had a thing or two to tell me.
How was I to know
You would upset me?
I didn’t realize
As I looked in your eyes
You told me, oh yes, you told me you don’t want my lovin’ anymore.
I wonder what the circumstances behind it were or whether George’s imagination finally sparked and he came up with an imaginary breakup. They seemed to have a pretty much whirlwind relationship and it wasn’t until they got married after a year and a half together that they realised they weren’t very compatible romantically-speaking.
Could somebody tell me what his notes for it were in ‘I, Me, Mine’? My copy is back home, it’s probably nothing remarkable but it’d be nice to know.
From a girly point-of-view how could you break-up with somebody if they’re going to write you such a heart-melting tune as I Need You ? It’s impossible
I don’t have an answer to your question about the song……But there’s an arc, (if not to every), to most love affaires……Or marriages. They get better and better until they …level out and descend from the ‘tippy top’ heights. They might level out at some pretty high level and both lives are forever enriched……Or like so many relationships they end up being based on fear and compromise.
Love is the most powerful force in the world….. You can’t take that it will last forever for granted…….Except for the love your parents will always feel for you.
Interestingly that love isn’t based on ‘Need’…You need your children that’s true but something else is at work……
I’m glad George had Dani……I bet he was very proud.
Did George ever write a ‘Beautiful Boy’ type song about him?
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