The Early Beatles Lyric That Was Already “Imagining”

The early Beatles’ songs might seem simple compared to the material they produced as their career advanced. They grew as songwriters as they gathered more life experience and exposure to other influences.

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But even those seemingly simple ditties in the beginning occasionally provided a glimpse of something more profound. “I’ll Get You”, released in 1963, partially anticipated a solo classic by one member of the band that arrived some eight years down the road.

Big-Time B-Side

In defense of the relative simplicity of The Beatles’ early work, they didn’t have a ton of time for depth. Their first few years of recording required them to knock off two albums a year, plus several singles. They had to do all this while keeping up a relentless touring schedule and making copious personal appearances.

“I’ll Get You” was initially intended to be an A-side to one of those singles in 1963. Eventually, the group decided against it. They released it instead as the B-side to “She Loves You”, the song that vaulted Beatlemania in England to another dimension.

But that doesn’t mean that the song lacks charm or quality. The vocal sharing between John Lennon and Paul McCartney is unique, as they bounce back and forth between singing in unison and harmonizing. A couple of surprising chord changes appear. And the three-part harmonies in the middle eight are stellar, even with Lennon singing the wrong line at one point.

On top of that, the lyrics, which on the surface seem like a straightforward declaration of intent by a suitor to the girl of his dreams, hint at more complex themes. Paul McCartney explained how in his book The Lyrics: 1956 To The Present:

“The word and idea of ‘imagine’ is something John would repurpose in his own song ‘Imagine’. It’s also a bit like the opening of ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’, with its exhortation to ‘Picture yourself…’ So it’s a filmic thing, as well as a literary thing. When I say ‘literary’, I think of the imagined world of Lewis Carroll that John and I both loved so much.”

Examining the Lyrics of “I’ll Get You”

It’s all about the visualization in “I’ll Get You”. The narrator believes he can overcome any reticence from this girl by getting her to picture what could be if they’re together. “Imagine I’m in love with you,” he begins. It’s a neat little mind game because he is obviously in love with her already. He’s just trying to get her to join him and make the reverie a reality.

“It’s not like me to pretend,” he promises, but this could also be a put-on. After all, the middle eight comes around, and he’s suddenly a confident lothario instead of a tentative suitor.

“Well, there’s gonna be a time / When I’m gonna change your mind / So you might as well resign yourself to me.”

We also need to worry a bit about this guy being obsessed, as he admits he envisions her “night and day.” Perhaps there’s a bit of innuendo in there as well. When he sings, “When I think about you, I can say / I’m never, never, never, never blue,” it’s fair to wonder why he’s so happy.

In any case, “I’ll Get You” manages to take a basic premise and inject it with just enough quirkiness to make you think twice about its meaning. Not bad for a B-side from a group without a lot of time to spare.

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