If I fell in love with you
Would you promise to be true
and help me understand
‘Cause I’ve been in love before
And I found that love was more
Than just holding hands.
If I give my heart to you
I must be sure
From the very start
That you would love me more than her
If I trust in you, oh please
Don’t run and hide
If I love you too, Oh please
Don’t hurt my pride like her
Cause I couldn’t stand the pain
And I
Would be sad if our new love
Was in vain
So I hope you see that I
Would love to love you
And that she will cry
When she learns we are two
Cause I couldn’t stand the pain
And I
Would be sad if our new love
Was in vain.
So I hope you see that I
would love to love you
And that she will cry
When she learns that we are two
If I fell in love with you.
Press the hyperlink above to hear John’s 1980 interview with Playboy, and a great recording of the song.
“If I fell” popped into my mind today. I listened to a recording, read a few articles about the meaning and history of the song, and fell down a rabbit hole. Intrigued by the the point of view in the song, further reading enlightened me about the true songwriter of “If I fell.” I knew Paul and John went back and forth about who wrote what, but after reading The Beatle’s Bible I formed the opinion that the writing of the song is John’s, even though Paul tried to claim partnership in the writing. John gave Paul credit for the harmony. There are endless discussions on what John wrote, and what belongs to Paul.
Original songwriter aside, in listening to “If I fell,” I realized the point of view is a girl evidenced by the use of the direct object ‘me,’ of the speaker, juxtaposed with ‘than her,’ in the second stanza.
“If I give my heart to you
I must be sure
From the very start
That you would love me more than her”
John himself said that the song was about a girl, but not Cyn his first wife. He also said it was semi-autobiographical, but not consciously. The song is not only ‘about’ a girl, but from the girl’s point of view, especially in the stanza above. In the rest of the song the speaker could be changing to the guy’s point of view. He may be saying if he accepts her heart and they become two, that the second girl’s heart will be broken, and she (the other girl) will ‘cry.’ The interpretation could go both ways. It may be the girl who wants to love this man, who is speaking, but fears the pain not only for herself, but for the other girl as well.
I always loved Lennon’s Album “Imagine,’ but after reading more about this song, I came to respect, as a person, the songwriter, John Lennon. I don’t think it comes naturally for a man to write from a lover’s point of view. The idea that the song came to him unconsciously shows sincerity, and the ability to relate to the repercussions of having a non-Platonic relationship with two girls at once, especially when this duality poses a greater issue for girls, than it does for guys.
“If I fell,” sung by John and Paul is a beautiful ballad with a memorable melody. Its music came to me unconsciously just like it came to John, when he wrote it, and in that process the meaning of the words was clearer to me. John begins the singing of the song, which convinces me that he is the original songwriter, and the person who imagined the emotion from the girl’s point of view. “If I fell” is a masterful composition, simply told, that captures the puzzle of Love, and human feelings, especially in romantic relationships.
I chose a feature image from Liverpool, (home of the Beatles) of the “Lovelocks” hanging along the pier. The locks attest to many relationships, in love. I like to imagine the girl walking by, maybe listening to, “If I fell.”
On Tiffany Creek 