View source for I'm Down

{{Short description|1965 single by the Beatles}}
{{good article}}
{{about|the song by the Beatles|the song by Aaliyah|Age Ain't Nothing but a Number|the memoir by Mishna Wolff|I'm Down (book)}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox song
| name        = I'm Down
| cover       = Beatles I'm down single reversed.jpg
| alt         = B-side label of the "Help!" single
| caption     = US picture sleeve (reverse)
| type        = single
| artist      = [[the Beatles]]
| A-side      = [[Help! (song)|Help!]]
| released    = {{Start date|1965|7|19|df=y}}
| recorded    = {{Start date|1965|6|14|df=y}}
| studio      = [[Abbey Road Studios|EMI]], London
| genre       = [[Rock and roll]]
| length      = 2:32
| label       = *[[Capitol Records|Capitol]] (US)
*[[Parlophone]] (UK)
| writer      = [[Lennon–McCartney]]
| producer    = [[George Martin]]
| chronology  = [[The Beatles]] UK
| prev_title  = [[Ticket to Ride (song)|Ticket to Ride]]
| prev_year   = 1965
| title       = [[Help! (song)|Help!]]
| title2      = I'm Down
| next_title  = [[We Can Work It Out]]
| next_title2 = [[Day Tripper]]
| next_year   = 1965
| misc        = {{Extra chronology
 | artist     = [[The Beatles]] US
 | type       = single
 | prev_title = [[Ticket to Ride (song)|Ticket to Ride]]
 | prev_year  = 1965
 | title      = [[Help! (song)|Help!]]
 | title2      = I'm Down
 | year       = 1965
 | next_title = [[Yesterday (Beatles song)|Yesterday]]
 | next_year  = 1965
}}
}}

"'''I'm Down'''" is a song by the English [[Rock music|rock]] band [[the Beatles]], written by [[Paul McCartney]] and credited to [[Lennon–McCartney]]. It was released on a non-album single as the [[B-side]] to "[[Help! (song)|Help!]]" in July 1965. The song originated in McCartney's attempt to write a song in the style of [[Little Richard]], whose song "[[Long Tall Sally]]" the band regularly covered.

Inspired by 1950s [[Rhythm & blues|R&B]] and [[rock and roll]] numbers, the song's lyrics sing of an unrequited love, but rather than a lament are instead performed in a hysterical, "celebratory frenzy"{{sfn|Riley|2002|p=135}} of self assuredness. Some commentators interpret the song's tone as partially [[parody|parodic]]. Melodically uncomplicated, the composition uses only three basic [[chord (music)|chord]]s. The Beatles recorded "I'm Down" during sessions for their album ''[[Help!]]'' in June 1965. The first song by the band to incorporate a [[Vox Continental]] electric organ, [[John Lennon]] plays the instrument in the style of [[Jerry Lee Lewis]], doing [[glissando]]s with his elbow. In the decade following its release, the song became a comparative rarity among the band's recordings. It has subsequently appeared on compilation albums such as ''[[Rock 'n' Roll Music (album)|Rock 'n' Roll Music]]''; the UK edition of ''[[Rarities (1978 The Beatles album)|Rarities]]''; ''[[Past Masters|Past Masters, Volume One]]'' and ''[[Mono Masters]]''.

"I'm Down" has received praise from several music critics and musicologists, with several mentioning McCartney's strong vocal and the band's raucous performance. The Beatles regularly performed the song during their 1965 and 1966 tours as the closing number, including an especially chaotic performance in August 1965 depicted in the documentary ''[[The Beatles at Shea Stadium]]''. [[Beastie Boys]] and [[Aerosmith]] are among the artists that have covered the song.

== Background and composition ==

{{quote box|quote= I could do [[Little Richard]]'s voice, which is a wild, hoarse, screaming thing, it's like an out-of-body experience. You have to leave your current sensibilities and go about a foot above your head to sing it.{{nbsp}}... A lot of people were fans of Little Richard so I used to sing his stuff but there came a point when I wanted one of my own, so I wrote "I'm Down".{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=201}} |source=– [[Paul McCartney]], 1997|width=25%|align=left|style=padding:8px;}}

In November 1963, [[Paul McCartney]] moved into the family home of his girlfriend, [[Jane Asher]], located at 57 [[Wimpole Street]] in [[central London]].{{sfn|Miles|1998|pp=103–104}} He later recalled writing "I'm Down" in the family music room in the basement of the house.{{sfn|Miles|1998|pp=104–105, 200}} Written in the style of [[Little Richard]], the song began as an attempt to replace "[[Twist and Shout#The Beatles version|Twist and Shout]]" and "[[Long Tall Sally#The Beatles version|Long Tall Sally]]" as the closing number of [[the Beatles]]' concert tour [[set list]].{{sfn|Everett|2001|p=300}}  In an October 1964 interview, McCartney explained that he and [[John Lennon]] had been trying for years to write a song like "Long Tall Sally", and that the closest they had come was with their song "[[I Saw Her Standing There]]". Comparing the writing process of Little Richard-like songs to [[Abstract art|abstract painting]], he further explained: "[p]eople think of 'Long Tall Sally' and say it sounds so easy to write. But it's the most difficult thing we've attempted. Writing a three-chord song that's clever is not easy".{{sfn|Turner|2005|p=73}} In his authorised biography, ''[[Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now|Many Years From Now]]'', McCartney remembers "I'm Down" as entirely his composition, but raises the possibility that Lennon added a few lyrics or made minor suggestions in the writing process.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=201}} In a 1972 interview, Lennon credits the song to only McCartney,{{sfn|Smith|1972|p=5}} but in his 1980 ''[[Playboy]]'' interview he instead suggests he provided "a little help".{{sfn|Sheff|2000|p=194}} [[Musicology|Musicologist]] [[Walter Everett (musicologist)|Walter Everett]] argues that McCartney often forgetting the song's lyrics in concerts suggests he wrote the song quickly and with little practice.{{sfn|Everett|2001|p=300}}

"I'm Down" is in the key of [[G major]] and is in 4/4 ([[common time]]).<ref name=pollack>{{cite web|last=Pollack|first=Alan W.|author-link=Alan W. Pollack|url=https://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/id.shtml|title=Notes on 'I'm Down'|year=1992|publisher=soundscapes.info|access-date=12 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130235325/https://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/id.shtml|archive-date=30 November 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> A simple [[twelve-bar blues]] number extended into fourteen-bars,{{sfn|MacDonald|2007|p=156}} the song uses only the [[chord (music)|chord]]s I, IV and V.<ref name=pollack /> One of the few Beatles songs to feature a [[simple verse form]],{{sfn|Covach|2006|p=45}} musicologist [[Alan W. Pollack]] suggests that, in the context of the Beatles' 1965 compositions, its simple format is stylistically regressive.<ref name=pollack /> The song opens with a solo vocal from McCartney, which music critic [[Tim Riley (music critic)|Tim Riley]] sees as the part of the song bearing the most resemblance to "Long Tall Sally", with "one mad voice screaming at the top of its lungs".{{sfn|Riley|2002|p=135}} With neither bass nor drums to clarify the key or [[Downbeat and upbeat|downbeat]], Pollack writes that "no matter how many times you've heard the song", McCartney's opening vocal is "an effect which retains the power to startle".<ref name=pollack /> The repeating refrains incorporate improvisational [[scat singing]] and, according to Pollack, get "successively wilder and less structured" with each repeating.<ref name=pollack /> Everett writes the concluding [[coda (music)|coda]] serves the purpose of "[raising] the rock-and-roll spirit to a higher level of excitement than does the song proper".{{sfn|Everett|2001|p=51}}

The song's lyrics tell the story from the perspective of a pained lover who is frustrated due to an unrequited love. Rather than a lament, the music functions as a "celebratory frenzy" of self assuredness.{{sfn|Riley|2002|p=135}} Pollack writes the song's style originates in a 1950s R&B cliché, being "a semi-improvisatory rave-up" where the lyrics are unimportant compared to the tone in which they are sung.<ref name=pollack /> Riley describes the song as an instance of "dancing on your problems", as heard in rock and roll [[oldies]] like "[[That's All Right]]" and "[[Blue Suede Shoes]]".{{sfn|Riley|2002|p=135}} Author [[Ian MacDonald]] suggests that, besides being a blues send-up, the lyrics are "a tongue-in-cheek response to Lennon's anguished self-exposure in '[[Help! (song)|Help!]]{{'"}}, opining that the song's "pseudo-hysterics" began as a joke.{{sfn|MacDonald|2007|p=156}} Riley similarly describes the song as partially [[parody|parodic]], singling out the backing vocals' response of "I'm {{em|really}} down".{{sfn|Riley|2002|p=135}}

== Recording ==

[[File:Vox Continental Combo Organ 1965.jpg|thumb|alt=A Vox Continental organ|A 1965 [[Vox Continental]] electric organ, similar to the one [[John Lennon]] plays on "I'm Down".]]

The Beatles recorded "I'm Down" on 14 June 1965 during a session for their fifth album, ''[[Help!]]'', in which they also recorded McCartney's songs "[[I've Just Seen a Face]]" and "[[Yesterday (Beatles song)|Yesterday]]". Recording in [[Abbey Road Studios|EMI]]'s Studio Two, [[George Martin]] [[record producer|produced]] the session, assisted by [[Mixing engineer|balance engineer]] [[Norman Smith (record producer)|Norman Smith]].{{sfn|Lewisohn|1988|p=59}} The song's basic track features McCartney singing and playing bass, [[George Harrison]] on electric guitar and [[Ringo Starr]] on drums. On the band's first take, the song did not yet have a definitive ending, McCartney telling Harrison and Starr after the last chorus to "keep it going".{{sfn|Winn|2008|p=324}}{{refn|group=note|Take one was included on the Beatles' 1996 compilation ''[[Anthology 2]]''.{{sfn|Winn|2008|pp=324–325}}{{sfn|Badman|2001|p=553}} Following the take, McCartney says the phrase "[[Plastic soul]], man", foreshadowing the title of the band's sixth album, ''[[Rubber Soul]]''.{{sfn|Winn|2008|p=324}}}} The final attempt – take seven – was marked "best".{{sfn|Lewisohn|1988|p=59}}

The band [[overdubbing|overdubbed]] several parts onto take seven.{{sfn|Winn|2008|p=324}} Lennon and Harrison provided backing vocals,{{sfn|Everett|2001|p=300}} with Lennon singing in a low [[vocal register|register]],{{sfn|Everett|2006|p=79}} dropping to G during the choruses.{{sfn|Everett|2001|p=300}} Starr added further percussion with [[Bongo drum|bongos]] while Harrison added a new guitar solo.<ref>{{harvnb|Winn|2008|p=324}}: overdubbed bongos; {{harvnb|MacDonald|2007|p=156}}: Starr played bongos; {{harvnb|Everett|2001|p=300}} Harrison overdubbed guitar solo.</ref>{{refn|group=note|name=conga|Everett writes Starr played a [[conga]],{{sfn|Everett|2001|p=300}} while several authors – including [[Mark Lewisohn]], MacDonald, John C. Winn and Jean-Michael Guesdon & Philippe Margotin – write he played [[bongo drum|bongos]].<ref name=bongo>{{harvnb|Lewisohn|1988|p=59}}; {{harvnb|MacDonald|2007|p=156}}; {{harvnb|Winn|2008|p=324}}; {{harvnb|Guesdon|Margotin|2013|p=266}}.</ref>}} Lennon added an organ solo with a [[Vox Continental]] [[electric organ]]<ref>{{harvnb|Winn|2008|p=324}}: overdub of Vox Continental electric organ; {{harvnb|Everett|2001|p=300}}: Lennon played organ.</ref> – the first Beatles recording to feature the instrument{{sfn|Babiuk|2002|p=163}} – playing [[glissandos]] with his elbow in the style of American musician [[Jerry Lee Lewis]].<ref name=organ>{{harvnb|Everett|2001|p=73}}; {{harvnb|Everett|2009|p=74}}.</ref>{{refn|group=note|In Everett's 2001 book ''The Beatles as Musicians'', he identifies the instrument as a [[Hammond organ]],{{sfn|Everett|2001|p=300}} but in his 2009 book ''The Foundations of Rock'', he refers to it as a Vox Continental.{{sfn|Everett|2009|p=74}} Among other authors, [[Andy Babiuk]], MacDonald, Winn and Guesdon & Margotin identify it as a Vox Continental,<ref>{{harvnb|Babiuk|2002|p=163}}; {{harvnb|MacDonald|2007|p=156}}; {{harvnb|Winn|2008|p=324}}; {{harvnb|Guesdon|Margotin|2013|p=246}}.</ref> while [[Kenneth Womack]] says it is a Hammond organ.{{sfn|Womack|2014|p=447}}}}

On 18 June, Martin  and Scott returned to Studio Two to remix the track, along with the rest of the ''Help!'' album, for [[Monaural|mono]] and [[Stereophonic sound|stereo]].{{sfn|Lewisohn|1988|p=60}} The mixes are slightly different, with the stereo fading out two seconds earlier than the mono.{{sfn|Winn|2008|pp=324–325}} On the stereo version, another overdubbed guitar solo is slightly audible, likely due to [[Spill (audio)|audio leakage]] from other microphones.{{sfn|Winn|2008|p=324}}

== Release and reception ==

[[Capitol Records|Capitol]] issued "I'm Down" in the US as the [[B-side]] of "[[Help! (song)|Help!]]" on 19 July 1965,{{sfn|Womack|2009|p=290}} with EMI's [[Parlophone]] label releasing the same single in the UK four days later.{{sfn|Miles|2007|p=167}} While "Help!" reached number one in both countries,{{sfn|Lewisohn|2000|p=351}} "I'm Down" did not chart,{{sfn|Everett|2001|p=210}} but did appear at number 101 on ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' magazine's [[Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles|Bubbling Under Hot 100]] chart.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=7 August 1965 |title=Bubbling Under the Hot 100 |url= |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |location=New York}}</ref>

"I'm Down" remained relatively elusive among Beatles songs after its initial release, with critics and fans criticising [[Apple Records]] manager [[Allen Klein]] for omitting it from the 1973 [[compilation album]] ''[[1962–1966]]''.{{sfn|Schaffner|1977|pp=158, 187}} Capitol first included the song on an LP in June 1976, appearing on the double album compilation ''[[Rock 'n' Roll Music (album)|Rock 'n' Roll Music]]''.{{sfn|Rodriguez|2010|pp=124–126, 293}} While authors [[Nicholas Schaffner]] and Robert Rodriguez are each generally critical of the compilation, they count the inclusion of "I'm Down" as one of the album's redeeming features.{{sfn|Schaffner|1977|p=187}}{{sfn|Rodriguez|2010|pp=124–126}} Rather than using the 18 June 1965 stereo mix, Martin remixed the song for the release from the original [[Multitrack recording|four-track tape]]s.<ref>{{harvnb|Rodriguez|2010|pp=125–126}}: George Martin remixed; {{harvnb|Winn|2008|pp=324–325}}: not 18 June 1965 stereo mix, remix from four-track tapes.</ref> The song has since appeared on the 1978 British compilation album ''[[Rarities (1978 The Beatles album)|Rarities]]'', but was omitted from the 1980 US [[Rarities (1980 The Beatles album)|LP of the same name]].<ref>{{harvnb|Rodriguez|2010|pp=131–132}}: ''Rarities'' versions, release dates; {{harvnb|Fielder|1978}}: UK track listing; {{harvnb|Davis|1980}}: US track listing.</ref> Parlophone used Martin's 1976 stereo remix when they included the song on the compilation album ''[[Past Masters, Volume One]]'', released on [[CD]] in March 1988.{{sfn|Winn|2008|p=325}}{{sfn|Ingham|2009|p=71}} The mono mix was subsequently included on the Beatles' ''[[Mono Masters]]'' compilation.{{sfn|Womack|2014|p=647}}

Writing for [[AllMusic]], [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] calls the song "peerless" and that it demonstrated the Beatles' ability to "rock really, really hard".<ref name=allmusic>{{cite web|last1=Erlewine|first1=Stephen Thomas|author1-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|title=The Beatles ''Past Masters, Vol. 1''|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/past-masters-vol-1-mw0000194815|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=8 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514060352/https://www.allmusic.com/album/past-masters-vol-1-mw0000194815|archive-date=14 May 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Ian MacDonald]] describes the song as an American rock-and-roll classic and a "demented raver" which illustrates the musical versatility of McCartney.{{sfn|MacDonald|2007|p=156}} Journalist [[Mark Hertsgaard]] calls the track "a wildly raucous rock 'n' roller" and "a rock 'n' roll raver, pure and simple", with McCartney's powerful vocal evoking "Long Tall Sally" while anticipating "[[Helter Skelter (song)|Helter Skelter]]".{{sfn|Hertsgaard|1995|pp=115, 133}} Scholar Michael Frontani similarly compares McCartney's vocal to "Long Tall Sally", while also mentioning the "rock and roll shout" of his 1971 solo B-side "[[Oh Woman, Oh Why]]".{{sfn|Frontani|2009|p=163}} Hertsgaard further praises the band's intense backing, singling out Lennon's organ contribution, which "all but literally [catches] fire".{{sfn|Hertsgaard|1995|p=133}} [[Barry Miles]] calls the song an "uptempo rocker",{{sfn|Miles|2007|p=161}} and Pollack calls it "raucous" and "rough-shod", with one of the most primal McCartney screams heard on a Lennon–McCartney original.<ref name=pollack /> Everett compares the song's style to both Little Richard and American rock and roll singer [[Larry Williams]],{{sfn|Everett|2001|p=300}} and adds that the same style was later captured by the American rock band [[Creedence Clearwater Revival]] with their 1970 song "[[Travelin' Band]]".{{sfn|Everett|2001|p=407n58}} In 2011, the editors of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine ranked "I'm Down" at number 56 in their list of the "100 Greatest Beatles Songs".<ref name="RS 100GreatestBeatles">{{cite magazine|title=100 Greatest Beatles Songs: 56. 'I'm Down'|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-beatles-songs-154008/im-down-168282/|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=10 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200314103416/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-beatles-songs-154008/im-down-168282/ |archive-date=14 March 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Other versions ==

=== The Beatles live performances ===

In August 1965, the Beatles purchased a new electric organ, a Vox Continental Mk I, using it for all subsequent performances of the song.{{sfn|Everett|2001|p=306}} The band regularly performed "I'm Down" during their 1965 and 1966 tours,{{sfn|Lewisohn|2000|p=363}} incorporating it as their closing number.{{sfn|Schaffner|1977|p=45, 47, 51, 59}} McCartney later recalled that it worked particularly well at large concert venues and was "a good stage song".{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=201}}

{{quote box|quote= Because I did the organ on "I'm Down", I decided to play it on stage for the first time. I didn't really know what to do, because I felt naked without a guitar, so I was doing all [[Jerry Lee Lewis|Jerry Lee [Lewis]]] – I was jumping about and I only played about two bars of it.{{sfn|The Beatles|2000|p=187}} |source=– [[John Lennon]] on playing at [[Shea Stadium]], 1965|width=25%|align=right|style=padding:8px;}}

The band's 15 August 1965 concert at [[Shea Stadium]] in [[New York City]] was filmed and became the centrepiece of the documentary film ''[[The Beatles at Shea Stadium]]'', released in the UK and US in March 1966 and January 1967, respectively.{{sfn|DiMartino|2004|p=173}}{{refn|group=note|Played in front of 55,600 fans,{{sfn|DiMartino|2004|p=173}} the concert was to that point the largest ever held.{{sfn|Everett|2001|p=307}}}} Though "I'm Down" closed the concert, the film was edited to show it as the opening number.{{sfn|Lewisohn|2000|p=199}} Due to the overwhelming sound of audience screaming, technical issues with the live recording and musical mistakes on the part of the Beatles,{{sfn|Lewisohn|2000|p=215}} the band re-recorded and overdubbed sections of the film's soundtrack on 5 January 1966 at CTS Studios, London.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=210}} Among the fixes to "I'm Down" were overdubs of a new bass line by McCartney and a new organ part by Lennon.{{sfn|Lewisohn|2000|p=165}}{{sfn|Kruth|2015|p=26}} The song's original performance was chaotic,{{sfn|Riley|2002|p=136}} with Lennon and Harrison fumbling their backing vocals as they burst into laughter, McCartney spinning in excitement and Lennon playing the organ with his elbow.<ref name="RS 100GreatestBeatles" /> Lennon's rough use of the instrument resulted in it malfunctioning at their next show, played in [[Toronto]] two days later.{{sfn|Babiuk|2002|p=166}}{{refn|group=note|After arriving the next day in [[Atlanta]], Georgia, the group arranged for a replacement organ from a local dealer, The Vox Shoppe. The owner exchanged the organs, auctioning it off decades later.{{sfn|Babiuk|2002|p=166}} The organ sold at auction again in 2008, reaching US$182,500 ({{Inflation|US|182500|2008|fmt=eq|r=-4}}).{{sfn|Lenhoff|Robertson|2019|p=164}}}} In ''[[The Beatles Anthology (book)|The Beatles Anthology]]'', Starr reminisced that while watching Lennon during the song, he felt Lennon "cracked up" and "went mad; not mentally ill, but he just got crazy. He was playing the piano with his elbows and it was really strange".{{sfn|The Beatles|2000|p=187}} Riley suggests that Lennon's unhinged keyboard playing on "I'm Down" reflected the absurdity of the Beatles' live shows, and that "[t]he band's hysteria on this song [mirrored] their fans' deafening adulation".{{sfn|Riley|2002|p=136}}

=== Covers ===

The American [[Hip hop music|hip hop]] group [[Beastie Boys]] recorded a cover of "I'm Down" for their 1986 debut studio album, ''[[Licensed to Ill]]''.{{sfn|Sheffield|2017|p=101}} Produced by [[Rick Rubin]], the recording [[Sampling (music)|samples]] elements of the original track while replacing the original organ solo with a guitar solo.{{sfn|Sheffield|2017|pp=101–102}} Its inclusion on the album was blocked by the copyright owner, musician [[Michael Jackson]], because he disapproved of several of the cover's altered lyrics, including: "I keep a loaded pistol inside my pants / Find a def girl and do the new dance." The record has since circulated as a [[Bootleg recording|bootleg]].{{sfn|Sheffield|2017|p=101}} Music critic [[Rob Sheffield]] opines that the Beastie Boys' version "lives up to the garage-band vandalism of the original".{{sfn|Sheffield|2017|p=102}}

American rock band [[Aerosmith]] covered the song for their 1987 album ''[[Permanent Vacation (Aerosmith album)|Permanent Vacation]]''. Dave Reynolds' review of the album in ''[[Metal Forces]]'' magazine calls the cover "superb",<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Reynolds |first=Dave |date=1987 |issue=25 |title=Aerosmith - ''Permanent Vacation'' |url=https://www.metalforcesmagazine.com/site/album-review-aerosmith-permanent-vacation/ |magazine=[[Metal Forces]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307220305/http://www.metalforcesmagazine.com/site/album-review-aerosmith-permanent-vacation/ |archive-date=7 March 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> and John Franck of AllMusic describes it as "well executed".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Franck|first1=John|title=Aerosmith ''Permanent Vacation''|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000192978|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=2 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308231621/https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000192978|archive-date=8 March 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> Though music critic [[Robert Christgau]] is generally negative in his review of the album, he refers to their version of "I'm Down" as an "ace Beatle cover".{{sfn|Christgau|1990}} Sheffield disparages the attempt, writing Aerosmith "[gives] it a professional polish that makes it meaningless".{{sfn|Sheffield|2017|p=102}}

== Personnel ==

According to [[Ian MacDonald]],{{sfn|MacDonald|2007|p=156}} except where noted:

*[[Paul McCartney]]{{spaced ndash}} vocal, bass guitar
*[[John Lennon]]{{spaced ndash}} backing vocal, rhythm guitar, [[Vox Continental]] [[electric organ]]{{sfn|Babiuk|2002|p=163}}
*[[George Harrison]]{{spaced ndash}} backing vocal, lead guitar
*[[Ringo Starr]]{{spaced ndash}} drums, [[bongo drum|bongos]]<ref name=bongo />

== Notes ==
{{notelist|group=note|35em}}

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{reflist}}

=== Sources ===
{{refbegin|indent=yes|35em}}
* {{cite book |last1=Babiuk |first1=Andy |author1-link=Andy Babiuk |title=Beatles Gear: All the Fab Four's Instruments from Stage to Studio |year=2002 |publisher=Backbeat Books |location=San Francisco |isbn=0-87930-731-5 |edition=Second (revised)}}
* {{cite book| last=Badman| first=Keith| year=2001| title=The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After The Break-Up 1970–2001| publisher=[[Omnibus Press]]| location=London| isbn=0-7119-8307-0}}
* {{cite book |author1=Beatles, the |author1-link=The Beatles |title=The Beatles Anthology |title-link=The Beatles Anthology (book) |date=2000 |publisher=[[Chronicle Books]] |location=San Francisco |isbn=0-8118-2684-8 |ref={{sfnref|The Beatles|2000}}}}
* {{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=A&bk=80|chapter=A|access-date=2 August 2021|title=[[Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s]]|year=1990|publisher=[[Pantheon Books]]|location=New York|isbn=0-679-73015-X|via=robertchristgau.com}}
* {{cite book |last1=Covach|first1=John|editor1-last=Womack |editor1-first=Kenneth |editor2-last=Davis |editor2-first=Todd F. |editor1-link=Kenneth Womack |editor2-link=Todd F. Davis |title=Reading the Beatles: Cultural Studies, Literary Criticism, and the Fab Four |date=2006 |publisher=[[State University of New York Press]] |location=Albany |isbn=0-7914-6716-3 |pages=37–53 |chapter=From 'Craft' to 'Art': Formal Structure in the Music of the Beatles}}
* {{Cite AV media notes |last=Davis |first=Randall |title=Rarities |title-link=Rarities (1980 The Beatles album) |others=[[The Beatles]] |date=1980 |type=Liner notes|publisher=[[Capitol Records|Capitol]] |id=SHAL-12060}}
* {{cite book|last=DiMartino|first=Dave|chapter=Matchstick Men|title=The Beatles: Ten Years that Shook the World|editor-last=Trynka|editor-first=Paul|editor-link=Paul Trynka|year=2004|publisher=[[DK (publisher)|Dorling Kindersley]]|location=London|pages=173|title-link=Mojo (magazine)#Special editions|isbn=0-7566-0670-5}}
* {{cite book |last1=Everett |first1=Walter |author1-link=Walter Everett (musicologist) |title=The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men through ''Rubber Soul'' |date=2001 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-514105-4}}
* {{cite book |last1=Everett |first1=Walter |editor1-last=Womack |editor1-first=Kenneth |editor2-last=Davis |editor2-first=Todd F. |editor1-link=Kenneth Womack |editor2-link=Todd F. Davis |title=Reading the Beatles: Cultural Studies, Literary Criticism, and the Fab Four |date=2006 |publisher=[[State University of New York Press]] |location=Albany |isbn=0-7914-6716-3 |pages=71–94 |chapter=Painting Their Room in a Colorful Way: The Beatles' Exploration of Timbre}}
* {{cite book |last1=Everett |first1=Walter |title=The Foundations of Rock: From "Blue Suede Shoes" to "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" |date=2009 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-531024-5}}
* {{Cite AV media notes |last=Fielder |first=Hugh |title=Rarities |title-link=Rarities (1978 The Beatles album) |others=[[The Beatles]] |date=1978 |type=Liner notes |publisher=[[Parlophone]] |id=OC 054-07148}}
* {{cite book |last1=Frontani|first1=Michael|editor1-last=Womack |editor1-first=Kenneth |editor1-link=Kenneth Womack |title=The Cambridge Companion to the Beatles |date=2009 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |location=Cambridge |isbn=978-0-521-68976-2 |pages=153–182|chapter=The solo years}}
* {{cite book |last1=Guesdon |first1=Jean-Michel |last2=Margotin |first2=Philippe |title=All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Beatles Release |date=2013 |publisher=[[Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers]] |location=New York |isbn=978-1-57912-952-1}}
* {{cite book |last1=Hertsgaard |first1=Mark |author1-link=Mark Hertsgaard |title=A Day in the Life: The Music and Artistry of the Beatles |date=1995 |publisher=[[Dell Publishing|Delacorte Press]] |location=New York |isbn=0-385-31377-2}}
* {{cite book |last1=Ingham |first1=Chris |title=The Rough Guide to the Beatles |date=2009 |publisher=[[Rough Guides]] |location=London |isbn=978-1-84836-525-4 |edition=3rd}}
* {{cite book| last=Kruth |first=John |title=This Bird Has Flown: The Enduring Beauty of ''Rubber Soul'', Fifty Years On |year=2015 |publisher=Backbeat Books |location=Milwaukee |isbn=978-1-61713-573-6}}
* {{cite book |last1=Lenhoff |first1=Alan S. |last2=Robertson |first2=David E. |title=Classic Keys: Keyboard Sounds That Launched Rock Music |date=2019 |location=Denton |isbn=978-1-57441-786-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d4LCDwAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite book |last1=Lewisohn |first1=Mark |author1-link=Mark Lewisohn |title=The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions |title-link=The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions |date=1988 |publisher=[[Hamlyn (publisher)|Hamlyn]] |location=London |isbn=978-0-600-63561-1}}
* {{cite book |last1=Lewisohn |first1=Mark |title=The Complete Beatles Chronicle |date=2000 |publisher=Hamlyn |location=London |isbn=0-600-60033-5}}
* {{cite book |last1=MacDonald |first1=Ian |author1-link=Ian MacDonald |title=Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties |title-link=Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties |date=2007 |publisher=[[Chicago Review Press]] |location=Chicago |isbn=978-1-55652-733-3 |edition=Third}}
* {{cite book |last1=Miles |first1=Barry |author1-link=Barry Miles |title=Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now |title-link=Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now |date=1998 |publisher=[[Henry Holt and Company|Henry Holt]] |location=New York |isbn=0-8050-5249-6}}
* {{cite book |last1=Miles |first1=Barry |title=The Beatles: A Diary: An Intimate Day by Day History |date=2007 |publisher=Omnibus Press |location=London |isbn=978-1-84772-082-5}}
* {{cite book |last1=Riley |first1=Tim |author1-link=Tim Riley (music critic) |title=Tell Me Why: The Beatles: Album by Album, Song by Song, the Sixties and After |date=2002 |publisher=[[Da Capo Press]] |location=Cambridge |isbn=978-0-306-81120-3 |edition=Revised and Updated}}
* {{cite book |last1=Rodriguez |first1=Robert |title=Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles' Solo Years, 1970–1980 |date=2010 |publisher=Backbeat Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0-87930-968-8}}
* {{cite book |last1=Schaffner |first1=Nicholas |author1-link=Nicholas Schaffner |title=The Beatles Forever |date=1977 |publisher=[[Stackpole Books|Cameron House]] |location=Harrisburg |isbn=0-8117-0225-1}}
* {{cite book |last1=Sheff |first1=David |author1-link=David Sheff |editor1-last=Golson |editor1-first=G. Barry |editor1-link=Barry Golson |title=All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono |date=2000 |publisher=[[St. Martin's Press|St. Martin's Griffin]] |location=New York |isbn=0-312-25464-4}}
* {{cite book |last1=Sheffield |first1=Rob |author1-link=Rob Sheffield |title=Dreaming the Beatles: The Love Story of One Band and the Whole World |date=2017 |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |location=New York |isbn=978-0-06-220765-4}}
* {{cite magazine |author-last=Smith |author-first=Alan |date=February 1972 |title=John and Yoko: I Don't Like All This Dribblin' Pop-opera-jazz. I Like POP Records |magazine=[[Hit Parader]] |url=https://archive.org/details/JohnLennonInterview1972HitParaderMagazine/ |access-date=13 June 2021 |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}
* {{cite book |last1=Turner |first1=Steve |title=Hard Day's Write: The Stories Behind Every Beatles Song |date=2005 |publisher=HarperCollins |location=New York |isbn=978-0-06-084409-7 |edition=New and Updated}}
* {{cite book |last1=Winn |first1=John C. |title=Way Beyond Compare: The Beatles' Recorded Legacy, Volume One, 1957–1965 |date=2008 |publisher=[[Three Rivers Press]] |location=New York |isbn=978-0-307-45157-6}}
* {{cite book |last1=Womack|first1=Kenneth|editor1-last=Womack |editor1-first=Kenneth |author1-link=Kenneth Womack |title=The Cambridge Companion to the Beatles |date=2009 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=978-0-521-68976-2 |pages=286–293 |chapter=Beatles Discography, 1962–1970}}
* {{cite book |last1=Womack |first1=Kenneth |title=The Beatles Encyclopedia: Everything Fab Four |date=2014 |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] |location=Santa Barbara |isbn=978-0-313-39172-9}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.thebeatles.com/im-down Full lyrics for the song at the Beatles' official website]
* {{YouTube|lOWrScjXMRE|The Beatles - I'm Down (Remastered 2009)}}
* {{YouTube|CItI4Sj7qd4|The Beatles - I'm Down (Take 1 / Anthology 2 Version)}}

{{The Beatles singles}}
{{Help! (album)}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:1965 singles]]
[[Category:1965 songs]]
[[Category:The Beatles songs]]
[[Category:Aerosmith songs]]
[[Category:Beastie Boys songs]]
[[Category:British rock-and-roll songs]]
[[Category:Capitol Records singles]]
[[Category:Parlophone singles]]
[[Category:Songs published by Northern Songs]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by George Martin]]
[[Category:Songs written by Lennon–McCartney]]