You'll Be Mine

You'll Be Mine is a true Lennon/McCartney song from the early days, in fact, the first recording ever that was attributed to the partnership. It is a short, satirical treatment of the style of the Ink Spots. Paul sings with his deep voice, and then he shifts into a shrill falsetto. The lyrics are about a guy trying to "get" his girl in some vague way. Lennon adds a spoken middle part, a feature almost required in songs from the 1950's era. He employs his most sonorous bass timbre, a la the Ink Spots and other doo-wop groups. John's love of nonsense is patent from his use of the phrase "National Health Eyeball" in the middle of this section. The song grows more and more noisy and wild, collapsing at the end into laughing. It is clearly more fun than art.

The surviving recording of You'll Be Mine was made in a bathroom in Paul McCartney's family home in Liverpool and dates back to 1960. It includes Stu Sutcliffe on bass, the only surviving recording of his contribution to the group. There is no percussion. Recording quality is poor, and the "over-the-top" vocals make the lyrics hard to catch. A clip from this recording is played slowly during Revolution 9. The track, which is only one minute and thirty-eight seconds long, can be heard in the Anthology 1 collection, released in 1995, thirty-five years after it was recorded.