‘Get Back’ charted at number one in the UK, and remained in the charts for 17 weeks. It also topped the US charts. Billed as “The Beatles with Billy Preston“, it was the only one of the group’s single to credit another musician.
Although the single and album versions both originate from the same recording, the single contains a coda which was omitted by Phil Spector on Let It Be. Instead, Spector added dialogue from the rooftop performance at Apple, to give the impression of a newer, live performance.The single’s coda began after a false ending, and contained the lyrics: “Get back Loretta, your mummy’s waiting for you. Wearing her high-heel shoes and her low-neck sweater, get back home, Loretta.”
The rooftop performance of ‘Get Back’ was finally released on Anthology 3 in 1996. The single version is available on the Past Masters collection. A shorter, remixed version was also made for Let It Be… Naked in 2003.
A new montage of ‘Get Back’ was included on the 2006 remix album Love, which combined the track with the opening guitar chord from ‘A Hard Day’s Night’, the drum and guitar solos from ‘The End’, percussion from ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)’, and the orchestral climax from ‘A Day In The Life’.
In the studio
Although it was performed during the Twickenham Film Studios rehearsals in early January 1969, the first studio version of ‘Get Back’ was recorded on 21 January at Apple Studios, in the basement of 3 Savile Row, London.
By the time sessions reached Apple the lyric had changed and the title… well, Paul had his own ideas in that direction. George Martin, over the talkback: ‘What are you calling this, Paul?’ Paul: ‘S**t. S**t, take one.’
‘Get Back’ was the first song released by The Beatles to feature Billy Preston, who was visiting Apple during the recording. He was swiftly recruited by George Harrison to augment the group’s sound and to help dissipate tensions.
He came in while we were down in the basement, running through ‘Get Back’, and I went up to reception and said, ‘Come in and play on this because they’re all acting strange’. He was all excited. I knew the others loved Billy anyway, and it was like a breath of fresh air.It’s interesting to see how nicely people behave when you bring a guest in, because they don’t really want everybody to know that they’re so bitchy… He got on the electric piano, and straight away there was 100% improvement in the vibe in the room. Having this fifth person was just enough to cut the ice that we’d created among ourselves.
Anthology
More recordings took place on 23, 24, 27 and 28 January. 27 January yielded the basic track used for the released versions; the single version included a coda taped on the 28th, while applause and comments from the rooftop performance were used for the album mix.
Although faded out early on disc, the coda from 28 January also featured forced laughter and ad-libbed lyrics. A 37-second snippet was included as the last track on the unreleased Get Back LP, and was also shown underneath the end credits of the Let It Be film.
The Beatles performed ‘Get Back’ three times during the Apple rooftop performance on 30 January. The first was essentially a rehearsal, and was immediately followed by another version. The Let It Be film contained an edit of the two.
The third and final rooftop version was interrupted by police officers, who demanded that Mal Evans turn off the group’s amplifiers. This he did, but Harrison immediately switched his back on; Evans immediately turned John Lennon’s on again.
The song almost broke down but lurched to a finish, with McCartney ad-libbing, “You’ve been playing on the roofs again, and that’s no good, and you know your Mummy doesn’t like that… she gets angry… she’s gonna have you arrested! Get back!” This version can be heard on Anthology 3.
The 28 January version was first mixed for single release on 26 March. However, following radio play from BBC presenters John Peel and Alan ‘Fluff’ Freeman, McCartney decided the mix wasn’t right. New mono and stereo versions were made on 7 April, and the single had its release just four days later. Due to its late completion, many stores didn’t receive copies for several days after this.
Yes, I played the solo on [‘Get Back’]. When Paul was feeling kindly, he would give me a solo! Maybe if he was feeling guilty that he had most of the a-side or something, he would give me a solo. And I played the solo on that.
Rolling Stone, 1970
Phil Spector made a new mix for the Let It Be album on 26 March 1970. He edited some studio chatter from 27 January 1969 (Lennon’s “Sweet Loretta Fart she thought she was a cleaner, but she was a frying pan”) onto the beginning of the song.
To give the impression that ‘Get Back’ was a newer, live performance, Spector also added the “Thanks Mo”/”I’d like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves, and I hope we’ve passed the audition” quotes from the end of the rooftop performance.
Some of Lennon’s best technical guitar – bar none. Generally a loose, occasionally sloppy guitarist, he really took it up a notch for those solos.
You dont get to be the biggest act in the world with sloppy work – each member of the band was an excellent player in their own right and they never shied away from work – just look at their output. Bands these days can take years between albums, they appear like slackers compared to the Beatles.
George was sloppy on the early stuff
Don’t believe Chris. If you listen to the isolated tracks (available everywhere nowadays) you hear all kinds of slop and the occasional mistake.
I tend to agree, there were some mistakes, but I contend that adds to the quality.
You heard them playing as friends, musicians, trying to enjoy the music. And like others said, they put out an album in months as opposed to YEARS it takes artists now for an album. The pace was crazy and unmatched, but you can still hear the magic in the songs when they got together to play. Magic
I always enjoy the song where John get the lyric wrong. I imagine after the take, listeing to it, John hears it, he knows he messed it up, and said, leave it – he knew he wasn’t infallible and wasn’t above letting someone know he is capable of a mistake.
I agree w/DBueche on Lennon’s guitar work on Get Back.
I saw a video clip in the studio(not on the roof)showing Lennon playing lead. Really good. I can’t find where I viewed the clip now. Anybody familiar with this?
Maybe the Let It Be Movie?
You can see it on Disney+ today.
I’m confused why Get Back & Don’t Let Me Down is included on the Mono Box. In the USA at least, it was never in mono, the original 45 rpm was stereo for this. Was it released in mono for the UK?
Sounds a lot like Sour Milk Sea
Yes, Get Back/Don’t Let Me Down was released in mono in the UK, which is why it is included on the 2009 Mono Masters CD since the proper UK versions have become the standards in the USA too.
The Get Back single was only released in Mono in the UK. The Ballad Of John And Yoko Was the first Stereo Beatles single in the UK
I love the video of this when they george during the solo and then realize he is not playing the cool solo.
It was the Jan. 27 take that was the basis for all released versions, not Jan. 28. That yielded the coda on the Past Masters version
Actually Lewisohn states that the 27th version is used by Spector as the LP version. Check the 30 January 1969 entry. But the 28th was used as the single version. Check the 11 April 1969 entry. According to this the single and LP versions are different recordings.
Unless you have a different source for this information. Any thoughts Joe
A take from 27 January was used for the album and single mix. The coda of the single was recorded on 28 January, and edited to the 27 Jan take, and crowd noise/comments from the rooftop show was used on Phil Spector’s album mix. I’ve amended page two of the article to make this clearer.
Much as I respect him, Mark Lewisohn’s accounts of the Get Back/Let It Be sessions really weren’t as thorough as those of the EMI studio sessions.
In which day does No Pakistanies version was recorded?
9 January, but it was always called Get Back.
You can hear that version on the new Get Back on Disney+. Might have been the second episode, not positive.
Larl.
No, It is in the first episode of Disney “Get Back” that the Song “Get Back” in Born..
Has anyone noticed that the lead guitar work in this song is very much like the lead in Paul’s post-Beatles ‘Junior’s Farm’? I have wondered if this was not somehow a classic subtle McCartney jab at John’s playing. Personally, I think John did a fine job – economical as it were, but Paul is communicating, “Hey Lennon! Here’s what some impromptu flair is like.”
Funny, I have noticed it but never thought much about it. What I do know is that if Get Back is playing in my head, my mind often wanders and Junior’s Farm takes over. That being said, the solo on JF was played by “Take me, down, Jimmy” McCoullough, not Paul.
I’ve often wondered if Paul was the main reason for the breakup. 46 years later I’m still not certain but leaning more and more towards it. He just was and still is a bit jealous of John’s mind.
It’s always the drugs, which leads to paranoia, which leads to the breakups. Going back, one of the reasons the other Beatles did not like Pete Best is that he did not party with them. Yoko Ono is often blamed, but it was not Yoko per se but the fact that, once John and Yoko became inseparable, they soon brought along drugs that the others did not want to be a part of. The drugs affected John’s once-prolific songwriting and his judgment, as he offered “Cold Turkey” and “Revolution No. 9” as singles. He also ran through a good amount of money just as things were starting to get lean with the Apple Corps fiasco. When Ringo left, he felt the others were all getting on well and that he was the odd man out. George felt the same when he left. Despite the critical words during their public divorce, Paul and John admired each other. Paul was desperate to keep the band going, and was clinically depressed after the split. He got a fair amount of backlash for announcing the split to promote McCartney, but the others knew that it was over.
I’ve been a slightly above averagely successful musician for 30 years and got to know band dynamics inside and out. What rings truest to me is Paul becoming such a dominant creative force which is fine but it’s the telling everyone what parts to play. That seems to be the issue. More so with George. Throw in a little of George being ignored creatively. But it seems John ignores George’s songs the most. But they play music together afterwards. So it seems that Paul is the issue. Now when John writes stuff he just gives big top line instructions “make it sound like Buddha (or whatever the quote is)”. Whereas Paul is very much play this note here, make it last this long and sound like this. He hears it all in his head and just wants the band to play his parts, how he hears them, a perfectionist. And that just becomes no fun and exasperating. George doesn’t get to just play guitar, like he used to. To come up with his own parts. Throw in some of Paul’s songs being a bit naff and/or take days and days to record eg Maxwells Silver Hammer, Obla Di Obla Da
And thats what I think tipped it. George being stifled as a guitarist by Paul, John not caring enough, Paul going more into an orchestrating compositional style (like Brian Wilson).
And Paul is my favourite btw
The more I read and think about it, the more I think it was John’s drug use, adding to his already present pretentiousness and anger issues, that split them up. But Paul and John were best when they worked together.
George and Ringo actively played with John when he went solo. Paul didn’t. John had a clear direction he wanted to go in his solo stuff, political and personal, and Paul didn’t. John wasn’t gonna let Paul stifle him, George was sick Paul telling him how to do his job and John ignoring his songs, and Ringo was just sick of the tensions. Nobody individually broke up the Beatles, like all childhood friends they just grew up and drifted apart
Mark, it was John Lennon who left The Beatles on September 20, 1969.
JoJo was Linda McCartney’s ex husband. The house in Tuscon was given to her in the divorce settlement. It’s the house she died in.
No …..she died in Great Britain surrounded by her entire family. Joseph See was her first husband and McCartney does not ever reference him. He was from Tucson and committed suicide there in 2000. But they all had an amicable relationship. He allowed McCartney to adopt his daughter. Why would Linda ever have gone back to Arizona to die? Nonsense.
According to Wikipedia:
“She died at the age of 56 on April 17, 1998, at the McCartney family ranch in Tucson, Arizona. She was cremated in Tucson, and her ashes were scattered at the McCartney farm in Sussex.”
I knew that but needed a source.
You quoted Wikipedia. You still need a source.
1998-04-23 04:00:00 PDT Tucson, Ariz. — The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department said yesterday it is investigating Linda McCartney’s death — even as the family’s publicist indicated that McCartney did not die there.
Last weekend, publicist Geoff Baker announced that the 56-year- old wife of former Beatle Paul McCartney died Friday of breast cancer in Santa Barbara, surrounded by her family.
But that account was challenged yesterday when People Magazine proclaimed it would reveal in its May 4 issue that Linda McCartney died in Tucson, Ariz.
Much of the confusion centered on paperwork. None of the usual forms associated with a death were filed in Santa Barbara County, and Arizona privacy laws do not permit death certificate information to be made public. In Arizona, authorities would not even say whether they had issued a death certificate for McCartney.
Linda McCartney had spent much time in Tucson over the years and by all accounts loved the place. She attended the University of Arizona in the 1960s. Since 1979, she and her famous husband had owned a 150-acre ranch in the Tanque Verde Falls area on Tucson’s east side and vacationed there from time to time. And two years ago, she reportedly received chemotherapy treatment for cancer at a clinic in Tucson.
In England yesterday, family publicist Baker only added to the sudden mystery surrounding where she died.
He issued a statement denying that McCartney’s death was an assisted suicide and implying that she did not die in Santa Barbara.
“When Linda died last Friday with her family around her, it was in a place that was private to her and her family. Everyone has always assumed that it was Santa Barbara,” Baker said. “So, in an effort to allow the family time to get back to England in peace and in private it was stated that she had died in Santa Barbara. The family hopes that they can maintain this one private place that they have in the world.”
The Tucson Airport’s night information clerk denied that the McCartneys had flown into the airport recently, and several mortuaries there said they had not cremated McCartney’s body.
“If (a mortuary) did it here, it was real hush-hush,” said a spokeswoman for Adair Funeral Homes.
One of Tucson’s biggest mortuaries, South Lawn Mortuary and Cemetery, would only issue a terse “no comment.”
A rental car agent at the Tucson International Airport said the McCartneys, who often flew in to stay at their property, were “extremely private about everything.”
“They’d fly here, they’d catch their limousine and head straight out to their farm,” she said.
Authorities in Pima County refused to say much about the matter. Under Arizona law, death certificates are not public information. But officials there refused to issue any statement totally ruling out the possibility that Pima County authorities had issued a death certificate on McCartney.
Instead, Pima County health officials declined to confirm or deny if they had approved McCartney’s cremation, and David Dingeldine, chief of the Pima County Attorney’s Office civil division, told the Arizona Daily Star that county authorities told him that if he released the information, he would be “releasing part of the confidential record.”
“McCartney does not ever reference him…”?
“Dear Boy” on the Ram album was about him.
I Thought ‘Dear Boy’ was about Lennon …..
Marc Buehre,
“Dear Boy” – Written by Paul McCartney – A song off “Ram” the Album.
“Dear Boy” was written as an autobiographical song about his relationship with his wife, Linda. He says in a 1971 interview.
“‘Dear Boy’ was my attempt at an autobiographical about myself and how lucky I was to have Linda. I never realized how lucky I was to have her until I began writing the song.”
In another interview Mojo 2001 –
“‘Dear Boy’ was actually a song to Linda’s ex-husband; “I guess you never knew what you had missed”. I never told him that, which was lucky, because he’s since committed suicide. And it was a comment about him, ’cause I did think, ‘Gosh, you know, she’s so amazing, I suppose you didn’t get it.” – Paul McCartney, Mojo 2001
Not everything about John Lennon!
I think that Billy Preston wrote this song (and Let it Be). No one ever got billing like that- THE BEATLES WITH BILLY PRESTON for an intrumental solo.
(The Beatles with Tony Sheridan) but Tony was the singer
Clapton didn’t get THE BEATLES WITH ERIC CLAPTON for his solo on ‘while my guitar gently weeps’ and he was a STAR.
And why had they played it already before they met billy the first time (not counting their meeting in 1962 or so)?
I believe the Billy Preston credit was two fold. Firstly as thanks for helping them wrap thing up as well as they could have been. And secondly, for promotional purposes because Billy Preston was signed to the Apple Label.
I agree with you about the single and album using the same take after a couple of hours listening, so well done for spotting a mistake in the usually flawless Lewisoln books. It’s obviously the same take – but how do you know whether it was recorded on the 27th or 28th?
BTW – your website is on of the few online resources I come back to again and again when I’m researching the background for my blog
Excellent work!
https://beatlessongwriting.blogspot.com/2012/03/get-back-to-drawing-board.html
How do I know? The January 1969 tapes are readily available online if you know where to look… 😉
Ah – thought that would be the case. I would investigate further, but I can’t wait to STOP listening to Let It Be and get onto the White Album (I’m now blogging in reverse order – don’t ask)
Where can I hear the complete 28th january recording from which the coda was taken?
John’s guitar work on “get back” is just brilliant. The little riffs, and the solo.. very good. Makes it more difficult to pay attention on other great aspects of the song, such as Billy Preston’s piano.
Does anybody know about the third vocal in the middle eight, which comes immediately after the first guitar solo?
We all know Paul sang the regular tune and John the lower. But if you listen to the “Love” version of Get Back, you can clearly hear the higher backing vocal (maybe Paul).
I am a big fan of Get Back and have heard more than several hundred times each version of the song. On the LP and single versions, it is not clear whether there is the third vocal, but the Naked version clearly lacks it.
In the three rooftop versions I can’t hear the third vocal, as they were all live and in the video George seemed not adding his back vocals to the song. But if you listen to the rehearsal version of Get Back on the same day, which is believed to be recorded from down the street as they set up for the roof top gig, you will hear the higher backing vocal in the middle eight.
I understand that “Love” was produced under the supervision of George Martin and his son. But I don’t believe they borrowed any third party stuff that is not of the Beatle origin, i.e., the higher backing vocal part used in the Love version of Get Back must have been taken from some take of Get Back. Does anybody have idea on this?
Great Paul McCartney rocker with always interesting discussions on it’s origin and intended meaning, as has been well covered already on this site. Fine lead guitar solo by John Lennon. I love it on the” Let It Be” film, where they sing this live on the Apple building rooftop. Likewise it’s flip side ” Don’t Let Me Down” is also showcased on this same rooftop set. ” Don’t Let Me Down” is also a great song, a heartfelt plea by John to Yoko. John and Paul’s duet in the chorus is brilliant.
My name is JoJo Johns…I Love this story first because of it being JoJo my first name, and Glyn Johns has my last name always making me feel kinda of attached to the song…And I always feel I have to be a loner…But I know it never lasts. JoJo Johns 2015…Punta Gorda Florida,Grass Valley Ca. Colfax Ca.Boston Mass,Peabody Mass..Jo2
Get Back from 1969 is The Beatles worst single. A good song must have either tension — or a good melody. But Get Back has neither tension nor melody. And McCartney sings with a ridiculous childish little voice. It had never been a hit if it wasn´t The Beatles. The singles were better before Yesterday 1965, innovative and full of tension. “Yesterday got to his head”, Lennon said about McCartney. After Yesterday they released some singles by McCartney, all ordinary songs without tension. Lennon seems to have lost his self confidence, he wasn´t pushing. But the so called B-side Don´t Let Me Down by Lennon is quite superior; three melodies, heavy, bluesy and emotional.
All totally your opinions Johan, and you know what they say about opinions….
Posting as Johan Cavalli, are we now, Mr. Jagger?
All I can do is shake my head, Johan. … even your beloved John knew and said Get Back was a great record. Repeatedly.
Give it up. You sound more and more ridiculous with every post.
All I can do is shake my head, Johan……even your beloved John knew and repeatedly said that Get Back was a great record.
Give it up. You sound more and more ridiculous with every post (a common trait in trolling).
Get Back from 1969 is The Beatles worst single. A good song must have either tension — or a good melody. But Get Back has neither tension nor melody. And McCartney sings with a ridiculous childish little voice. It had never been a hit if it wasn´t The Beatles. The singles were better before Yesterday 1965, innovative and full of tension. “Yesterday got to his head”, Lennon said about McCartney. After Yesterday they released some singles by McCartney, all ordinary songs without tension. Lennon seems to have lost his self confidence, he wasn´t pushing. But the so called B-side Don´t Let Me Down by Lennon is quite superior; three melodies, heavy, bluesy and emotional
You should definitely send Sir Paul some writing tips — I’m sure he would be amused.
To each his own. Music is art. I’m as big a Beatles’ fan as anyone, and Get Back has been one of my 5 favorites since it first came out. It’s got a forward moving rhythm to it (thanks Ringo) and relaxed quality to it.
Love the song too, but I don’t think lennon’s solo is very good. Hearing john’s solo in the same song with Preston makes him sound like an amateur.
You sure are full of yourself, aren’t you Johan?
“A good song must have…..” LOL! Says who? You? Pbffft……..
You post with childish, self-centered, highly biased and bigoted prose. Your dual obsessions of loving all things Lennon and hating all things McCartney should be embarrassing you by now. Why they apparently aren’t, I will leave to your psychiatrist.
False Pride: An exaggeratedly high or pretentious opinion of oneself, one’s abilities, or one’s circumstance that is not based on real achievement or success.
– In a previous post Johan identifies himself as a music historian. If you would like to become an expert, be warned, it won’t be easy. #1 computer access and an internet connection. #2 you will also need…oh wait. That’s it? Ok, computer access and wifi, though an insecuriority complex send you to new historian heights.
– You may think this person needs an opinion, but expert opinions are actually “Truth”.
I’ve seen Johan’s posts on other sites. He apparently fools and impresses no one. They don’t take him seriously, either.
I can’t decide which version of Get Back I prefer more for my own Beatles playlist of a custom “Let It Be” album. The single version, the Let it Be version, or the …Naked version. After listening to all 3 several times, I’m leaning towards the single version.
Are you sure John Lennon plays the solo on Get Back ?
Sounds to me like George’s Epiphone. (just kidding)
John did an excellent solo here since George was not around… Paul could’ve overdubbed a solo of his own but let John do it… in my opinion, it shows Paul’s trust on John’s guitar ability as well…
Sad the Beatles didn’t record all. The covers in serious attempt. Also sad the group never recorded each Harrison song that was brought to the table. They could have pushed out more product in singles but I guess it was. Ego that got in the way and Harrison never forgave McCartney for he being pushed down. Lennon had the idea of the Get Back cover mirroring the Please Please me cover. He also recorded one after 909 sad he didn’t add in spite of all the danger. Had McCartney been a better diplomat in the group they would have continued.
“Had McCartney been a better diplomat in the group they would have continued.”
It’s the 22nd century and I can’t believe there are still people who believed the fault of their breakup lies on McCartney alone. Harrison and Lennon’s growing disinterest with the band after Epstein’s death, Lennon’s heavy drug abuse, Allan Klein taking advantage of their financial and management issues with the Apple company, Ono’s presence, the Beatles’ members own clashing creative interests and internal disputes – they all contributed to the breakup.
And if we are simply talking about Harrison’s mistreatment, it was Lennon who was disparaging towards Harrison’s solo songs and skipping his sessions altogether. He even suggested to replace Harrison with Clapton when Harrison quit the band, which Starr quietly agreed and only McCartney vetoed against it. Yes, McCartney’s demanding and perfectionist attitudes also contributed to this problem but if you want to play the blaming game, you should point your finger to both McCartney /and/ Lennon.
I always find it amusing when Paul McCartney is painted as some sort of dictator who tried to rule the band and that his behavior led to the split. The Beatles might have been finished years earlier without Paul’s urging to keep going and, frankly, his songwriting that reflected a popular sensibility that kept the band in the public eye. I have tremendous respect for George Harrison, but these stories about how he was suppressed by John Lennon and Paul are a little out of proportion. He had songs on singles, he had songs that led off albums/album sides. All the Beatles had stuff that was left off albums, and John had some of his best work relegated to B-sides. When one thinks of inequality, The Beatles fall far behind the Rolling Stones. George got more exposure than Bill Wyman, and Ringo Starr got more than Charlie Watts. In photographs, Paul never took center stage. Compare that to Tattoo You or the RS logo.
So, were someone to get the real reason they broke up, this would bring George and John back from the dead and they would reunite? What a pant load. They were a group of kids, that became four separate, adult individuals. It’s called growing up and apart. Why can’t people accept it and go on with their lives?
In defense of Lennon: i think Lennon played how he wanted to. Including clean playing in the early days. Here’s a video where someone examines his guitar playing style. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRZDf3FryLw
Dear Mr. Cavalli-Your hyper criticism of Sir Paul is duly noted, just as your other negative comments elsewhere (“Yesterday” for example). If possible try to be a little more open minded. This group would never have been THE Beatles as we know and love without the individual and combined talents, contributions and genius of each individual. Paul’s music is as good as John’s and vice versa, and that’s what made The Beatles so great. (George and Ringo were great, too.) True, Paul is far from perfect; but John was very flawed as well. Maybe these imperfections that went hand in hand with their many moments of genius are what created the chemistry that ultimately created the greatest rock/pop band of our lifetime. Take the good with the bad and be happy with the end result. Most if not all of The Beatles’ music was/is great regardless of the tension or lack thereof, or a great melody or lack of one, or who wrote wrote what part and when. I appreciate your passion for John. I am personally grateful that I grew up during this time to witness it all, I bet you are, too. I will now step off of my soap box and go listen to some great music.
Any bass players around? Bass line in this song is simple in the record and its printed tabs, BUT have you noticed in the Let it Be Film all the different figures played by Paul during Jonh’s and Billy’s solos? Real Rock Bassplaying! Another thing, Ringo’s drumming. Impossible to reproduce. From the worst to the best tribute band; not even Paul’s bands have ever accomplished to make this song sound as The Beatles did. That drumming will never sound the same unless played by the one who did it originally.
Great guitar solo by John, and Michael Lindsay-Hogg somehow managed to NOT film the entire solo or he edited out most of the solo from the film. The camera cuts to Ringo or somewhere else during the solo. I would love to see the entire solo if there is some unreleased footage. That’s such a screw up.
If you watch that film and others of Lindsay-Hogg, you will see he was quite the amateur.
I alway thought McCartney was hiding references to YOKO when he sang JOJO. Very cryptic lyrics.
I believe JoJo refers to Joseph Byrd. Certainly Paul would have been aware of his band project, Joe Byrd and the Field Hippies, along with the 1969 release of their only album “The American Metaphysical Circus”. Of course, “Get Back” was released the same year, 1969. Moreover, Joe Byrd is a descendant of the famous Byrd family of Virginia and he grew up in Tucson, Arizona.
Byrd began his music career as a very traditional jazz/pop dude, then in NYC he began listening to electronic music and meeting young, far-out Berkeley experimental composers. According to Discogs, during his years on the New York modern music scene, Byrd worked as conductor, arranger, teacher, Associate Producer for a record company, and assistant to critic-composer Virgil Thomson. He was also gaining recognition as one of the leading young experimentalists, and his works were being performed from Paris to Tokyo.
Then Joe Byrd came out to U.C.L.A. and ended up living in one of the early Ocean Park beachfront communes with a group of Indian musicians, artists and graduate students (“Jojo left his home in Tucson, Arizona for some California grass”). While serving as a teaching assistant at U.C.L.A., he studied acoustics, psychology and Indian music, but his interest inevitably returned to experimental and environmental music. By the summer of 1967, Byrd had dropped out of U.C.L.A. to become once more a full-time experimental composer and happening-producer.
Does anyone know if Paul and Joe Byrd had any connection?
Verse 4 of Lucille(little Richard song)
“Lucllle,please come back where you belong>”
Do you know if they will release a 50th anniversary Let it be album, or will we have to wait for the centennial, as they only do the movie?
I have recently read that the reason John did the lead guitar work on this song was because George had “temporarily quit” the band due to the tense working conditions, and because he refused to play live in public again, as Paul had originally planned. It is a great lead guitar part, but not terribly difficult to play.
I also believe John likely contributed quite a bit to this composition, including the decision to “depolitize” the lyrics. There are bootlegs of him singing this song, with slightly different lyrics, and other reports that they were considering him to sing the lead if George had gotten back in time to take over lead guitar work.
Having watched the new Get Back documentary it is amazing to watch Paul approach John in an eyeball to eyeball situation, to figure out the Get Back lyrics. The artistic love affair between these two is amazing to see. The bond between then was so powerful that George got up and quit the band. The documentary destroys so many myths and false facts. It’s the ultimate “fly on the wall” experience. You feel like you’ve been transported back to 1969 and invited into the studio to watch the Beatles record. A wet dream for any Beatle fanatic.