If I Needed Someone (The Hollies)

19 JANUARY 1966


The Hollies’ version of the Beatles ‘If I Needed Someone’ (from the ‘Rubber Soul’ album) was at its peak UK chart position of #20.

George Harrison, who wrote this song, publicly criticised it, saying: 
'They’ve spoilt it. The Hollies are all right musically, but the way they do their records, they sound like session men who’ve just got together in a studio without ever seeing each other before.'
Graham Nash of the Hollies replied by saying: 
'Not only do these comments disappoint and hurt us, but we are sick of everything the Beatles say or do being taken as law. The thing that hurts us most is George Harrison’s knock at us as musicians. And I would like to ask this. If we have made such a disgusting mess of his brainchild song, will he give all the royalties from our record to charity?'
Harrison’s criticism was probably a bit harsh, given that his own standard as a singer/songwriter (to this point) was no better than merely ‘alright’. ‘If I Needed Someone’ was his first decent songwriting effort (in my opinion), and even then he nicked the guitar hook from the Byrds’ ‘Bells of Rhymney’. Still, the Hollies' version does sound a little bit under-produced and failed to hit their usual Top 10 placing on the charts. They would, however, be releasing much better material later in the year.

B-side: 'I've Got a Way of My Own'
Recorded: 17 November 1965, EMI Studios, London
Released: 3 December 1965
Highest chart positions: #20 (UK)
Length: 2:19
Label: Parlophone
Writer: George Harrison
Producer: Ron Richards

 If I Needed Someone (The Hollies)