Can You Take Me Back

Album This song officially appears on the The Beatles (50th anniversary boxset) Official album.

Timeline This song has been officially released in 2018

Song facts

“Can You Take Me Back” is an ad-lib song recorded on September 16, 1968 by The Beatles during the recording of “I Will“.

Take 19 of “I Will” was not “I Will“ and was identified as “Jam – Unidentified” on the tape box. It lasted two minutes and twenty-one seconds. Later referred to as “Can you take me back”, a 28-second segment of this ended up on side four of The Beatles, at the end of “Cry Baby Cry“.

In 2006, this snippet was included on the album “Love“, towards the end of the “Come Together” / “Dear Prudence” / “Cry Baby Cry” medley. “Can You Take Me Back?” was treated with lashings of echo, transposed down a semitone from F minor to E minor, and combined with strings from “Eleanor Rigby“.

The full version was released on the White Album’s 50th anniversary re-release in 2018.

John [Lennon]’s prompt to Paul during the improvisation, “Are you happy here, honey? Are you happy here, living with us?” are questions heard during the speech track “Voices Of Old People” on the LP Bookends by Simon & Garfunkel, released in April 1968

From “The Beatles” Super Deluxe edition book (2018)

From The Usenet Guide to Beatles Recording Variations:

basic recording- 16 Sep 1968
additional recording- none
master tape- 4 track

[a] mono 16 Oct 1968.
UK: Apple PMC 7068 white album 1968.

[b] stereo 17 Oct 1968.
UK: Apple PCS 7068 white album 1968.
US: Apple SWBO 101 white album 1968.
CD: EMI CDP 7 46443 2 white album 1987.

A segment of this improvisation was placed between Cry Baby Cry and Revolution 9; it was recorded as a take of I Will.

Last updated on September 9, 2021

Latest concerts where Can You Take Me Back has been played

Paul McCartney has never played this song in concert.