I'll Follow the Sun is een van de oudste Lennon-McCartney liedjes.[3] McCartney schreef het nummer in 1959 in het huis van zijn ouders aan Forthlin Road in Liverpool, nadat hij hersteld was van de griep.[2] Hoewel het een van de oudste nummers uit het repertoire van The Beatles was, speelden ze I'll Follow the Sun zelden tijdens optredens. Volgens McCartney kwam dit omdat het nummer niet goed genoeg was en niet goed paste bij het rock-'n-roll- en R&B-imago dat The Beatles in hun beginjaren hadden.[2] Onder de druk van het moeten afleveren van een nieuw album voor het einde van het jaar en bij gebrek aan beter materiaal, werd het nummer alsnog opgenomen voor Beatles for Sale.
Op 18 oktober 1964 namen The Beatles I'll Follow the Sun op in de Abbey Road Studios in Londen.[4] Er werden acht takes van het nummer opgenomen door The Beatles. Pas in de laatste take werd de elektrische gitaarsolo toegevoegd aan het nummer, in de eerdere takes was steeds een solo op akoestische gitaar te horen.[4] Op I'll Follow the Sun speelt Ringo Starr niet zoals gebruikelijk op drums, maar tikt hij op zijn knieën. Volgens McCartney werd dit bedacht omdat The Beatles niet wilden dat al hun nummers hetzelfde klonken, zodat ze constant op zoek waren naar andere vormen van instrumentatie.[5]
Bronnen, noten en/of referenties
| 1961: | Ain't She Sweet · Cry for a Shadow · My Bonnie · If You Love Me, Baby · When the Saints Go Marching In · Why · Nobody's Child |
| 1962: | Like Dreamers Do · The Sheik of Araby · To Know Her Is to Love Her · Take Good Care of My Baby · Memphis, Tennessee · Sure to Fall · Hello Little Girl · Three Cool Cats · Crying, Waiting, Hoping · Love of the Loved · September in the Rain · Bésame mucho · Searchin' · Sweet Georgia Brown · How Do You Do It? |
| Please Please Me (1963): | I Saw Her Standing There · Misery · Anna (Go to Him) · Chains · Boys · Ask Me Why · Please Please Me · Love Me Do · P.S. I Love You · Baby It's You · Do You Want to Know a Secret · A Taste of Honey · There's a Place · Twist and Shout |
| With the Beatles (1963): | It Won't Be Long · All I've Got to Do · All My Loving · Don't Bother Me · Little Child · Till There Was You · Please Mr. Postman · Roll Over Beethoven · Hold Me Tight · You Really Got a Hold on Me · I Wanna Be Your Man · Devil in Her Heart · Not a Second Time · Money (That's What I Want) |
| 1963: | I Want to Hold Your Hand · This Boy · From Me to You · Thank You Girl · She Loves You · I'll Get You |
| A Hard Day's Night (1964): | A Hard Day's Night · I Should Have Known Better · If I Fell · I'm Happy Just to Dance with You · And I Love Her · Tell Me Why · Can't Buy Me Love · Any Time at All · I'll Cry Instead · Things We Said Today · When I Get Home · You Can't Do That · I'll Be Back |
| Beatles for Sale (1964): | No Reply · I'm a Loser · Baby's in Black · Rock and Roll Music · I'll Follow the Sun · Mr. Moonlight · Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! · Eight Days a Week · Words of Love · Honey Don't · Every Little Thing · I Don't Want to Spoil the Party · What You're Doing · Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby |
| 1964: | Komm', gib mir deine Hand · Sie liebt dich · Slow Down · Matchbox · Long Tall Sally · I Call Your Name · I Feel Fine · She's a Woman |
| Help! (1965): | Help! · The Night Before · You've Got to Hide Your Love Away · I Need You · Another Girl · You're Going to Lose That Girl · Ticket to Ride · Act Naturally · It's Only Love · You Like Me Too Much · Tell Me What You See · I've Just Seen a Face · Yesterday · Dizzy Miss Lizzy |
| Rubber Soul (1965): | Drive My Car · Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) · You Won't See Me · Nowhere Man · Think for Yourself · The Word · Michelle · What Goes On · Girl · I'm Looking Through You · In My Life · Wait · If I Needed Someone · Run for Your Life |
| 1965: | Bad boy · Day Tripper · We Can Work It Out · Yes It Is · I'm Down |
| Revolver (1966): | Taxman · Eleanor Rigby · I'm Only Sleeping · Love You To · Here, There and Everywhere · Yellow Submarine · She Said She Said · Good Day Sunshine · And Your Bird Can Sing · For No One · Doctor Robert · I Want to Tell You · Got to Get You into My Life · Tomorrow Never Knows |
| 1966: | Paperback Writer · Rain |
| Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967): | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band · With a Little Help from My Friends · Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds · Getting Better · Fixing a Hole · She's Leaving Home · Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! · Within You Without You · When I'm Sixty-Four · Lovely Rita · Good Morning Good Morning · Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) · A Day in the Life |
| Magical Mystery Tour (1967): | Magical Mystery Tour · The Fool on the Hill · Flying · Blue Jay Way · Your Mother Should Know · I Am the Walrus · Hello, Goodbye · Strawberry Fields Forever · Penny Lane · Baby, You're a Rich Man · All You Need Is Love |
| The Beatles (1968): | Back in the U.S.S.R. · Dear Prudence · Glass Onion · Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da · Wild Honey Pie · The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill · While My Guitar Gently Weeps · Happiness Is a Warm Gun · Martha My Dear · I'm So Tired · Blackbird · Piggies · Rocky Raccoon · Don't Pass Me By · Why Don't We Do It in the Road? · I Will · Julia · Birthday · Yer Blues · Mother Nature's Son · Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey · Sexy Sadie · Helter Skelter · Long, Long, Long · Revolution 1 · Honey Pie · Savoy Truffle · Cry Baby Cry · Revolution 9 · Good Night |
| 1968: | Lady Madonna · The Inner Light · Hey Jude · Revolution |
| Yellow Submarine (1969): | Only a Northern Song · All Together Now · Hey Bulldog · It's All Too Much |
| Abbey Road (1969): | Come Together · Something · Maxwell's Silver Hammer · Oh! Darling · Octopus's Garden · I Want You (She's So Heavy) · Here Comes the Sun · Because · You Never Give Me Your Money · Sun King · Mean Mr. Mustard · Polythene Pam · She Came In through the Bathroom Window · Golden Slumbers · Carry That Weight · The End · Her Majesty |
| 1969: | Don't Let Me Down · The Ballad of John and Yoko · Old Brown Shoe |
| Let It Be (1970): | Two of Us · Dig a Pony · Across the Universe · I Me Mine · Dig It · Let It Be · Maggie Mae · I've Got a Feeling · One After 909 · The Long and Winding Road · For You Blue · Get Back |
| 1970: | You Know My Name (Look Up the Number) |
| 1982: | The Beatles' Movie Medley |
| Live at the BBC (1994): | I Got a Woman · Too Much Monkey Business · Keep Your Hands Off My Baby · I'll Be on My Way · Young Blood · A Shot of Rhythm and Blues · Some Other Guy · That's All Right · Carol · Soldier of Love · Clarabella · I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You) · The Honeymoon Song · Johnny B. Goode · Lucille · Sweet Little Sixteen · Lonesome Tears in My Eyes · Nothin' Shakin' · The Hippy Hippy Shake · Glad All Over · I Just Don't Understand · So How Come (No One Loves Me) · I Forgot to Remember to Forget · I Got to Find My Baby · Ooh! My Soul · Don't Ever Change |
| Anthology 1 (1995): | Free as a Bird · That'll Be the Day · In Spite of All the Danger · Hallelujah I Love Her So · You'll Be Mine · Cayenne · Lend Me Your Comb · Moonlight Bay · Shout · You Know What to Do · Leave My Kitten Alone |
| 1995: | Christmas Time (Is Here Again) |
| Anthology 2 (1996): | Real Love · If You've Got Trouble · That Means a Lot · 12-Bar Original |
| Anthology 3 (1996): | A Beginning · Junk · Not Guilty · What's the New Mary Jane · Step Inside Love/Los Paranoias · Teddy Boy · Rip It Up/Shake, Rattle and Roll/Blue Suede Shoes · All Things Must Pass · Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues · Come and Get It |
| On Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2 (2013): | I'm Talking About You · Beautiful Dreamer |
| The Beatles Bootleg Recordings 1963 (2013): | Bad to Me · I'm in Love |
| The Beatles: 50th Anniversary Edition (2018): | Sour Milk Sea · Child of Nature · Circles · Saint Louis Blues · (You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care · Blue Moon · Can You Take Me Back? |
| Abbey Road: 50th Anniversary Edition (2019): | Goodbye |
| Let It Be: Special Edition (2021): | Fancy My Chances with You · Wake Up Little Susie · Gimme Some Truth · The Walk · Without a Song · Save the Last Dance for Me |
| 2023: | Now and Then |
