The album was also released in November 1963 by Capitol Records in Canada, with a slight change to the title Beatlemania! With The Beatles. This release has the distinction of being the first LP of Beatles material released in North America, pre-dating the Capitol US Meet The Beatles! and the Vee Jay Records Introducing... The Beatles LPs by two months.
The LP had advance orders of a half million and sold another half million by September 1965, making it the second album to sell a million copies in the UK, after the soundtrack to the 1958 film South Pacific. With The Beatles stayed at the top of the charts for 21 weeks, displacing Please Please Me, so that The Beatles occupied the top spot for 51 consecutive weeks. It even reached number 11 in the "singles charts" (because at the time UK charts counted all records sold, regardless of format). EMI Australia did not receive the cover art, and used a caricature of the band in a similar style to the black-and-white photograph on other releases. The Beatles were unaware of this until fans showed them the cover during their only Australian tour, and informed the EMI publicity staff that they were not pleased with the substitution.
On 26 February 1987, With The Beatles was officially released on compact disc (in mono only, catalogue number CDP 7 46436 2). Having been available only as an import in the US in the past, the album was also issued domestically in the US on LP and cassette on 21 July 1987. Along with the rest of the Beatles' canon, it was re-released on CD in newly re-mastered stereo and mono versions on 9 September 2009.
In 2003, the album was ranked number 420 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
It Won't Be Long
The Beatles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It won't be long yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah)
It won't be long yeah (yeah), 'til I belong to you
Every night when everybody has fun
Here am I sitting all on my own
It won't be long yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah)
It won't be long yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah)
It won't be long yeah (yeah), 'til I belong to you
Since you left me, I'm so alone
Now you're coming, you're coming on home
I'll be good like I know I should
You're coming home, you're coming home
Every night the tears come down from my eyes
Every day I've done nothing but cry
It won't be long yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah)
It won't be long yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah)
It won't be long yeah (yeah), 'til I belong to you
Since you left me, I'm so alone
Now you're coming, you're coming on home
I'll be good like I know I should
You're coming home, you're coming home
So every day we'll be happy, I know
Now I know that you won't leave me no more
It won't be long yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah)
It won't be long (yeah), yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah)
It won't be long yeah (yeah), 'til I belong to you
The Beatles' song "It Won't Be Long" is about a man who's counting down the days until he's reunited with his lover, whom he's been separated from for a while. The opening line, "It won't be long yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah)," suggests the singer's confident anticipation towards the reunification that's finally within reach. The chorus emphasizes the man's patience, assurance, and heightened excitement for the expected reunion.
The stanza, "Every night when everybody has fun, here am I sitting all on my own," sets the somber mood of the song, expressing the loneliness and heartbreak the man has been experiencing each night since his lover's departure. The pre-chorus reveals the man's desperation for her return as he admits to crying every day and waiting to "belong" to her again. The second half of the song expresses the man's promise to behave well and reflects his realization that he cannot live without his better half.
Overall, "It Won't Be Long" is a song about the desire for an indestructible love that survives any obstacle, a feeling that is familiar to many of us who have experienced separation from our loved ones.
Line by Line Meaning
It won't be long yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah)
I won't have to wait much longer for you to come back to me.
It won't be long yeah (yeah), 'til I belong to you
I'll be with you soon and finally belong to you once again.
Every night when everybody has fun
While everyone else is having fun, I'm lonely and sad.
Here am I sitting all on my own
I'm sitting alone, without you by my side.
Since you left me, I'm so alone
I've been lonely since you left me.
Now you're coming, you're coming on home
But now you're coming home to me.
I'll be good like I know I should
I'll do my best to be good for you.
Every night the tears come down from my eyes
I cry every night without you.
Every day I've done nothing but cry
I cry all day without you.
So every day we'll be happy, I know
But I know that once you're back with me, we'll be happy every day.
Now I know that you won't leave me no more
I know that you won't leave me again.
Lyrics © Takwene LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Mazzika Group, Broma 16, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: John Lennon, Paul Mccartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Philip Kassabian
on Mother Nature's Son
A really great Beatles song.
Philip Kassabian
on The Night Before
A really splendid Beatles song.
Philip Kassabian
on P.S. I Love You
Now this is a really great Beatles song.
Philip Kassabian
on There's a Place
A seriously underrated Beatles song.
Philip Kassabian
on Do You Want to Know a Secret
A fantastic song by The Beatles.
Philip Kassabian
on When I'm Sixty-Four
A very tuneful Beatles song.
Philip Kassabian
on Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds
An excellent Beatles song.
Philip Kassabian
on I'm Looking Through You
A beautiful Beatles song.
Philip Kassabian
on Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
Honestly The Beatles can't stop producing good songs.
Philip Kassabian
on Michelle
A fantastic Beatles song and absolutely beautiful.