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US Release date : Monday, May 5, 1969

Get Back / Don't Let Me Down (US - Stereo)

By The Beatles7" Single

Last updated on October 31, 2021

Track list

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Side 1

  1. Get Back

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    3:14 • Studio versionB • Stereo

    Paul McCartney : Bass, Lead vocal Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Backing vocal, Lead guitar George Harrison : Rhythm guitar George Martin : Producer Glyn Johns : Engineer Billy Preston : Electric piano Jerry Boys : Second engineer

    Session Recording: Jan 27, 1969 • Studio Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London

    Session Recording: Jan 28, 1969 • Studio Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London

    Session Mixing: Apr 03, 1969 • Studio Olympic Sound Studios, London

Side 2

  1. Don't Let Me Down

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    3:30 • Studio versionB • Stereo

    Paul McCartney : Bass, Harmony vocals Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Rhythm guitar, Vocals George Harrison : Harmony vocals, Lead guitar George Martin : Producer Glyn Johns : Recording engineer Billy Preston : Electric piano

    Session Recording: Jan 28, 1969 • Studio Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London

    Session Mixing: Apr 03, 1969 • Studio Olympic Sound Studios, London


From 5 May 1969: US single release: Get Back (beatlesbible.com):

Nearly a month after its release in the United Kingdom, The Beatles’ first single of 1969 was issued in the United States.

‘Get Back’, with ‘Don’t Let Me Down’, as its b-side, was issued as Apple 2490. As in the UK, it was credited to The Beatles with Billy Preston. It was the only time such a credit featured on a Beatles release.

The delay in the US release may have been due to a last-minute remix ordered by Paul McCartney on 7 April 1969, four days before the official UK release date. Copies were late in arriving in British record stores, and Apple, and the distributors Capitol, may have wished to avoid such a fate in America.
Get Back began its 12-week chart run on 10 May 1969. Two weeks later it reached number one, where it remained for five weeks.

The single was The Beatles’ first in the US to be released in true stereo rather than mono. By 1969 there was a strong move towards releasing music in stereo only, which The Beatles wholly adopted for all their releases by the end of the year.


Going further

If we modestly consider the Paul McCartney Project to be the premier online resource for all things Paul McCartney, it is undeniable that The Beatles Bible stands as the definitive online site dedicated to the Beatles. While there is some overlap in content between the two sites, they differ significantly in their approach.

Read more on The Beatles Bible

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