Master session
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The "Get Back / Let It Be" sessions
January 1969 • Songs recorded during this session appear on Let It Be (Limited Edition)
Location
Recording studio: Twickenham Film Studios, London, UK
Timeline
Session Jan 08, 1969 • The "Get Back / Let It Be" sessions • Day 5
Session Jan 09, 1969 • The "Get Back / Let It Be" sessions • Day 6
Session Jan 10, 1969 • The "Get Back / Let It Be" sessions • Day 7
Article Jan 12, 1969 • The Beatles meet together to discuss their personal and business problems
Session Jan 13, 1969 • The "Get Back / Let It Be" sessions • Day 8
Master release
Some of the songs from this session also appear on:
I think I’ll be leaving the band now.
George Harrison
Overview
This was the seventh day of the “Get Back” sessions at Twickenham Film Studios. As often in those days at Twickenham, Paul McCartney was the first of The Beatles to arrive. He spent time chatting with music publisher Dick James about Northern Songs’ purchase of the Lawrence Wright Music catalogue, which contains a collection of classic songs. Afterward, Paul sat at the piano and played solo performances of “The Long and Winding Road,” “Let It Be,” “Don’t Let Me Down,” “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer,” “I’ve Got a Feeling,” and “Get Back.”
As the rest of The Beatles gradually arrived, the morning was spent working primarily on “Get Back,” with some attention also given to “Two of Us.”
However, after the lunch break, tensions flared. An argument between George Harrison and John Lennon escalated, leading George to walk out of the session and quit The Beatles. In the days leading up to this, tensions had also surfaced between George and Paul – most notably on January 6, when a frustrated George told Paul: “I’ll play whatever you want me to play. Or I won’t play at all if you don’t want me to play. Now, whatever it is that will please you, I’ll do it.” His departure echoed Ringo Starr’s temporary exit in August 1968, but this time, the fractures within the group were more pronounced. Whether out of denial or an unwillingness to confront the situation — especially with cameras rolling — the remaining three Beatles carried on as if nothing had happened.
Their response was a mix of defiance and catharsis. At one point, John sarcastically called out, “OK George, take it!” as if expecting him to return. Yoko Ono, now seated on George’s blue cushion, took center stage, wailing wordless vocals over a series of raw, blues-based jams.
The band’s frustration spilled into their performances. “I’ve Got a Feeling” and “Don’t Let Me Down” were played with an aggressive edge, with John screaming through the latter. In an offbeat moment, he also sang “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” in an exaggerated German accent.
As Paul returned to the piano, Yoko continued her vocal improvisations, seemingly oblivious to the tension. Meanwhile, the session tapes captured John in conversation with director Michael Lindsay-Hogg, suggesting that if George didn’t return within a few days, Eric Clapton could take his place.
The three Beatles then engaged in more freeform jamming, with Paul switching to drums, John on guitar, and Ringo delivering improvised spoken-word lines. After a few hours of this aimless musical outburst, the session ended early.
The four Beatles reconvened two days later, on January 12, for a scheduled meeting.
They were filming us having a row. It never came to blows, but I thought, ‘What’s the point of this? I’m quite capable of being relatively happy on my own and I’m not able to be happy in this situation. I’m getting out of here.’ Everybody had gone through that. Ringo had left at one point. I know John wanted out. It was a very, very difficult, stressful time, and being filmed having a row as well was terrible. I got up and I thought, ‘I’m not doing this any more. I’m out of here.’ So I got my guitar and went home and that afternoon wrote ‘Wah-Wah’.
It became stifling, so that although this new album was supposed to break away from that type of recording (we were going back to playing live) it was still very much that kind of situation where he already had in his mind what he wanted. Paul wanted nobody to play on his songs until he decided how it should go. For me it was like: ‘What am I doing here? This is painful!’
Then superimposed on top of that was Yoko, and there were negative vibes at that time. John and Yoko were out on a limb. I don’t think he wanted much to be hanging out with us, and I think Yoko was pushing him out of the band, inasmuch as she didn’t want him hanging out with us.
It’s important to state that a lot of water has gone under the bridge and that, as we talk now, everybody’s good friends and we have a better understanding of the past. But talking about what was happening at that time, you can see it was strange.
George Harrison – From “The Beatles Anthology” book, 2000
That period was the low of all time. In normal circumstances, I had not let his attitude bother me and, to get a peaceful life, I had always let him have his own way, even when this meant that songs, which I had composed, were not being recorded. In front of the cameras, as we were actually being filmed, Paul started to get at me about the way I was playing. Everybody had left at one time or another, but I left during Let It Be. When I left, there’s a scene where Paul and I are having an argument and we’re trying to cover it up. Then, the next scene, I’m not there and Yoko’s just screaming, doing her screeching number. Well, that’s where I had left, and I went home and wrote ‘Wah Wah’. It’d given me a wah-wah, like I had such a headache with that whole argument. It was such a headache.
George Harrison – From “The Beatles: Off the Record” by Keith Badman, 2008
George had to leave because he thought Paul was dominating him. Well, he was because Michael Lindsay-Hogg liked Paul, I would think, more than the rest of us. So, it’s like Paul’s film, actually.
Ringo Starr – From “The Beatles: Off the Record” by Keith Badman, 2008
In order to get things together, Paul would organise everyone and be rather bossy, which the other boys didn’t like. But, it was the only way of getting it together. John would drift away with Yoko and George would say he wouldn’t be coming in the following day. It was general disenchantment.
George Martin – From “The Beatles: Off the Record” by Keith Badman, 2008
At Twickenham, The Beatles, Yoko, and I, often joined by our cameraman Tony Richmond, would have a proper lunch in the small dining room up a flight of stairs, adjoining a bar where some crew members and studio office workers would be sinking their couple of pints of beer before going off to their own lunch…
George was usually with us, joining in the conversation, affable and friendly and interested in the give-and-take, but on the day of the Tunisian discussion, he wasn’t with us as the meal started. At the morning rehearsal, I could tell by his silence and withdrawal that something was simmering inside him, and so in my role as documentarian, I’d asked our soundman to bug the flower pot on the lunch table.
We’d finished the first course when George arrived to stand at the end of the table.
We looked at him as he stood silent for a moment.
“See you ’round the clubs,” he said.
That was his good-bye. He left.
John, a person who reacted aggressively to provocation, immediately said, “Let’s get in Eric [Clapton]. He’s just as good and not such a headache.”
Paul and Ringo would not be drawn in, and after lunch we went back to the studio where Paul, John, and Ringo improvised a ferocious riff, half an hour of anger and frustration expressed with guitars and drums. Yoko sat on the edge of the rostrum on the blue cushion which had been George’s and howled into his mike.
(My bug had only picked up the sounds of cutlery banging on china plates, obscuring what the muffled voices had said.)
Michael Lindsay-Hogg – From “Luck and Circumstance: A Coming of Age in Hollywood, New York, and Points Beyond” by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, 2011
We know that George Harrison temporarily quit the Beatles while you were filming, but that didn’t end up in your movie. Peter Jackson has said his version will include it. What was behind your choice not to put all that in?
Well, I didn’t have a key piece of information, which Peter now has. We used to have lunch together every day in the little commissary in Twickenham, and I got our sound guy to bug the flowerpot. George wasn’t there at the beginning of the lunch, and then he came up and stood at the long end of the table. He’s wearing this beautiful black corduroy hat, and he said, “See you around the clubs.” Meaning, I’m off. And so I’ll see you in the Scotch Club or the Ad Lib, but I’m gone [from the Beatles]. And John always reacted to provocation very quickly, and so he said, “Oh, well, you know, let’s get in Eric Clapton, he’s not such a headache.” But when I played back the audio, all I got was the clatter of cutlery and plates and [inaudible] voices. Peter has access to this extraordinary new audio technology that can separate the audio within a track, and so he’s got some of that lunch, I think.
Michael Lindsay-Hogg – From Rolling Stone, November 2, 2021
Main songs recorded on this day
Get Back
“Get Back” originated from an unstructured jam session on January 7 and was further developed on January 9. On this day, work on the song continued, with a focus on refining the lyrics.
From beatlesebooks.com:
The following day at Twickenham, January 10th, 1969, saw the most substantial work on “Get Back” yet. Paul rehearsed the song himself on piano before the others arrived and were ready for work, as was his habit during these sessions, but then he showed himself eager to solidify a band arrangement for the tune. He instructed them to begin the song with a crashing chord (not unlike “A Hard Day’s Night”) followed by a drum fill from Ringo before the first verse began. A practice of this intro is featured on the “Fly On The Wall” bonus disc contained with the 2003 released “Let It Be…Naked” album as well as on Peter Jackson’s “Get Back” series.
“Get Back” was practiced a total of 22 times on this day, three vocal verses being sketched out in a preliminary way at this point but not solidified. George was delegated to perform one guitar solo after which another chorus was performed immediately afterward, Ringo then adding in another two measure drum solo before the third verse was performed. Lyrically, the “Sweet Lorreta…but whe was another man” verse was in place at this point, although it appeared as the first verse. The second verse wasn’t complete yet, but did include the line about “California grass” as we’ve become familiar with in the first verse (and not “blast from the past” as Ringo suggested). The third verse about “Pakistanis living in a council flat,” as detailed above, was in place at this time.
It is clear that they were narrowing down what the final arrangement would be, this being a fast-moving rocker at this point with a standard 4/4 drum beat from Ringo and a wah-wah guitar solo from George. One version performed on this day has John singing lead vocals in unison with Paul, suitably recapturing their early rock and roll days with apparent enthusiasm from all involved.
It appears, however, that George was not sharing the comradarie of the others on this day because, sometime during their lunch break, George announced that he was leaving The Beatles for good and walked out.
From beatlesebooks.com
Two Of Us
Paul McCartney introduced “Two of Us” on the first day of the “Get Back” sessions, January 2. The Beatles continued working on the song over the following days (January 3, 8, and 9). On this day, they focused on refining the arrangement.
From beatlesebooks.com:
Six run-throughs were also performed the following day, January 10th, 1969, with adjustments being made to the arrangement. “We’ve just got to do something about this middle eight,” Paul complained, which prompted George’s suggestion to “try shuffling it, the whole middle eight.” The final rehearsal of the song that day was viewed as “the best so far” by George, although shortly afterward, during their lunch-break, George decided to quit The Beatles.
From beatlesebooks.com
Conversations
At the start of the session, Paul McCartney spoke with music publisher Dick James about Northern Songs’ acquisition of the Lawrence Wright Music catalogue, which contained a collection of classic songs. During their conversation, Paul made a sarcastic remark when James suggested that Northern Songs was primarily owned by Paul and John Lennon — a comment that hinted at Paul’s frustration over the ownership of The Beatles’ catalog.
This exchange foreshadowed the events that unfolded just two months later, in March 1969, when Dick James sold his shares in Northern Songs to ATV without consulting Paul or John. This move ultimately resulted in Paul and John losing control of their own publishing rights, a development that remained a point of contention for Paul in the decades to come.
Paul McCartney: “Lisp Of A Baby’s Prayer”… “Alphabet Song.” What’s that one?
Dick James: Oh, Christ, I don’t know the whole catalog yet. 4,000 songs is a lot to absorb.
Ringo Starr: “Nobody Loves a Fairy When She’s Forty.” [laughs]
Paul McCartney: This is it? This is the lot?
Dick James: This is a very good list. That’s the entire catalog up to ’65.
Paul McCartney: All of these are ours?
Dick James: Yeah. Yeah.
Michael Lindsay-Hogg: Is this the catalog that’s just gone on sale?
Dick James: It’s the one we just bought.
Michael Lindsay-Hogg: You bought it. Oh, great.
Dick James: Yeah, Northern Songs… Which includes Paul and John. And…
Paul McCartney: Just about.
Dick James: What are you talking about, “Just about”?
Paul McCartney: Nothing. Uh, no comment.
Dick James: Very substantially, sir.
Paul McCartney: Yes, right. Okay.
From Peter Jackson’s film “The Beatles: Get Back“, 2021
After the lunch break, an argument between George Harrison and John Lennon escalated, leading George to walk out of the session and quit The Beatles:
George Harrison: I think I’ll be leaving the band now.
John Lennon: When?
George Harrison: Now. […] Get a replacement. Write into the NME and get a few people.
Mal Evans: I’ll ask George (Martin) to see about paying residuals.
George Harrison: But he shouldn’t be bothered with that. You know, that’s why we’ve got Apple, so that, you know, we attend to it ourselves.
From Peter Jackson’s film “The Beatles: Get Back“, 2021
As George Harrison left Twickenham, he told the other Beatles: “See you ’round the clubs.”
Michael Lindsay-Hogg arranged a clandestine recording of John Lennon and Paul McCartney discussing George Harrison’s sudden departure from the studio — and potentially from The Beatles. During their conversation, they referenced the 1966 song “She Said She Said,” recalling how Paul had walked out of the recording session after a disagreement with John:
John Lennon: Now the only regret about the past numbers is when, because I’ve been so frightened, I’ve allowed you to take it somewhere I didn’t want…
Paul McCartney: Yeah.
John Lennon: … and then my only chance was to let George take over, or interest George in it, because I knew he’d…
Paul McCartney: ‘She Said She Said’…
John Lennon: ‘She Said She Said’.
From “Revolver (2022)” book
After lunch, John, Paul and Ringo returned to the studio.
Paul McCartney: I don’t know why we are coming back here for.
John Lennon: Just pretending nothing’s happened.
From Peter Jackson’s film “The Beatles: Get Back“, 2021
After a series of jams and performances, John Lennon spoke with Michael Lindsay-Hogg about the band’s next steps. During their conversation, John suggested reaching out to Eric Clapton to take George Harrison’s place if he didn’t return.
John Lennon: I think, if George doesn’t come back by Monday or Tuesday, we’ll ask Eric Clapton to play. Eric will be pleased … He’d have enough scope to play the guitar. The point is, George leaves and do we want to carry on The Beatles? I certainly do.
Michael Lindsay-Hogg: Maybe for the show, I mean, you could just say George was sick.
John Lennon: No. I mean, if he leaves, he leaves.
Michael Lindsay-Hogg: What’s the consensus? Do you want to go on with the show and the work?
John Lennon: If he doesn’t come back by Tuesday, we get Clapton.
Michael Lindsay-Hogg: Has anyone ever left as seriously as George before?
John Lennon: Well… Ringo... We’ll see how the weekend goes. There’s a meeting.
Michael: I don’t know. I was going to say, if George comes back we go away [i.e. abroad, to do the show], and if Clapton comes in we stay here. But I think if… I still think we should go away.
John Lennon: We should just go on, though, as if nothing’s happened.
Michael: I think we should go away.
From Peter Jackson’s film “The Beatles: Get Back“, 2021, and from “The Beatles: Off the Record” by Keith Badman, 2008
While John, Paul and Ringo jammed, George Martin, Neil Aspinall and Michael Lindsay-Hogg discussed why George Harrison might have left.
Michael Lindsay-Hogg: The trouble is, once you leave, it’s very hard to come back.
Neil Aspinall: Not really. We’ll all have to meet him on Sunday, anyway. So he could be back, then. No, really, the box that George is in, it’s him versus John and Paul when it comes to what they’re gonna do and what they’re gonna play. And you try doing that for a few months. You’re going to end up pissed off.
George Martin: Well, the songwriting. They’re our songwriting team and he’s his own team. And if he’s not working on his own song…
Michael Lindsay-Hogg: Yes but, John and Paul aren’t writing together much anymore, are they, really?
George Martin: No, but nevertheless, they’re still a team.
Michael Lindsay-Hogg: Yeah, ’cause it goes on the label that way.
From Peter Jackson’s film “The Beatles: Get Back“, 2021, and from a moral to this song (tumblr.com)
Towards the end of the session, another group discussion touched on what to do next, without clear decision.
John Lennon: So cats and kittens, what we gonna do?
Michael Lindsay-Hogg: Hey, I’ve just been having some groovy ideas. So what’s our next move?
John Lennon: We split George’s instruments.
Michael Lindsay-Hogg: You know, I was an actor when I was a kid.
Ringo: With Orson Welles.
Michael Lindsay-Hogg: The thing about Orson is he’s very funny. We were in Belfast, rehearsing the stage version of “Chimes of Midnight.” And one day he walked off the stage.
Glyn Johns: See you ’round the clubs. [using the same sentence George Harrison used when leaving Twickenham]
Michael Lindsay-Hogg: See you ’round the clubs! … He came back an hour later. […] I just think we ought to have a good location.
Paul McCartney: I think we should do it at The Cavern.
Maureen Starkey: Yes!
George Martin: Location isn’t really a main problem at the moment.
Ringo: No.
Paul McCartney: It’s breathing, actually.
The cameras then captured a brief conversation between John, Paul, and Ringo, all wearing their coats, though the audio was not recorded. Two days later, on January 12, they would reunite with George for a scheduled meeting.
Session activities
The performances are sequentially numbered using the nomenclature from the book "Drugs, Divorce and a Slipping Image" by Doug Sulpy. DDSI 2.01 is, for example, the first performance from January 2nd, while DDSI 31.65 is the sixty-fifth performance from January 31st. This numbering is at times different from the DDSI numbers used on the bootleg collection "A/B Road Complete Get Back Sessions", likely because "Drugs, Divorce and a Slipping Image" was updated since the release of this collection.
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Improvisation
Recording • DDSI.10.01 • 1:36
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Improvisation
Recording • DDSI.10.02 • 0:38
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Recording • DDSI.10.03 • 2:54
Performed by : Paul McCartney
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Recording • DDSI.10.04 • 2:32
Performed by : Paul McCartney
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Recording • DDSI.10.05 • 1:55
Performed by : Paul McCartney
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Recording • DDSI.10.06 • 1:49
Performed by : Paul McCartney
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Recording • DDSI.10.07 • 2:52
Performed by : Paul McCartney
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Recording • DDSI.10.08 • 2:11 • John and Yoko arrived
Performed by : Paul McCartney
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Improvisation
Recording • DDSI.10.09 • 2:22
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Recording • DDSI.10.10 • 2:59
Performed by : Paul McCartney
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Recording • DDSI.10.11 • 0:26
Performed by : Paul McCartney
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Recording • DDSI.10.12 • 2:58 • Improvisation derived from "I've Got A Feeling"
Performed by : Paul McCartney
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Recording • DDSI.10.13 • 7:38
Performed by : Paul McCartney
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Recording • DDSI.10.14 • 1:38 • Group rehearsals began
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Recording • DDSI.10.15 • 5:31 • Improvisation derived from "I've Got A Feeling"
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Recording • DDSI.10.16 • 1:35
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Recording • DDSI.10.17 • 2:08
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Recording • DDSI.10.18 • 6:18
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Recording • DDSI.10.19 • 3:16
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Recording • DDSI.10.20 • 3:06
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Recording • DDSI.10.21 • 0:22
Performed by : Paul McCartney
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Recording • DDSI.10.22 • 10:31
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Recording • DDSI.10.23 • 4:04
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Written by Tommy Tucker
Recording • DDSI.10.24 • 2:03
Performed by : Paul McCartney • Ringo Starr • John Lennon • George Harrison
Film Included in Peter Jackson's film "The Beatles: Get Back", 2021
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Written by Tommy Tucker
Recording • DDSI.10.25 • 0:50
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Written by Richard Penniman / Little Richard, Enotris Johnson, Robert Blackwell
Recording • DDSI.10.26 • 0:43
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Recording • DDSI.10.27 • 0:23
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Instrumental
Recording • DDSI.10.28 • 1:35
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Recording • DDSI.10.29 • 3:57
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Recording • DDSI.10.30 • 3:16
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Recording • DDSI.10.31 • 3:24
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Recording • DDSI.10.32 • 2:12
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Recording • DDSI.10.33 • 1:06
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Theme From The Beatles Cartoon
Written by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.10.34 • 0:43
Performed by : Paul McCartney • Ringo Starr
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Recording • DDSI.10.35 • 4:03
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Recording • DDSI.10.36 • 2:42
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Recording • DDSI.10.37 • 3:45
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Catch A Falling Star
Recording • DDSI.10.38 • 0:45
Performed by : John Lennon
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Recording • DDSI.10.39 • 1:34
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Recording • DDSI.10.40 • 1:40
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Recording • DDSI.10.41 • 1:52
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Improvisation
Recording • DDSI.10.42 • 3:29
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Recording • DDSI.10.43 • 0:54
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Recording • DDSI.10.44 • 3:09
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Recording • DDSI.10.45 • 0:47
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Recording • DDSI.10.46 • 2:04
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Recording • DDSI.10.47 • 4:04
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Recording • DDSI.10.48 • 16:18
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Written by Chuck Berry
Recording • DDSI.10.49 • 0:13
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George Leaves The Room
Recording • 1:20
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A Quick One While He's Away
Recording • DDSI.10.50 • 1:27
Performed by : John Lennon
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A Quick One While He's Away / Improvisation
Recording • DDSI.10.51 • 1:45
Performed by : John Lennon
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Improvisation
Recording • DDSI.10.52 • 0:05
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Improvisation
Recording • DDSI.10.53 • 4:02
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Improvisation
Recording • DDSI.10.54 • 2:04
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Improvisation
Recording • DDSI.10.55 • 0:43
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Improvisation
Recording • DDSI.10.56 • 0:31
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Improvisation
Recording • DDSI.10.57 • 5:15
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Improvisation
Recording • DDSI.10.58 • 3:54
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Recording • DDSI.10.59 • 0:35
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Improvisation
Recording • DDSI.10.60 • 3:49
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Recording • DDSI.10.61 • 0:22
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Written by Meredith Willson
Recording • DDSI.10.62 • 0:42
Performed by : Paul McCartney
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C'mon Everybody
Recording • DDSI.10.63 • 0:51
Performed by : John Lennon
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Unknown
Recording • DDSI.10.64 • 0:06
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Recording • DDSI.10.65 • 0:13
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Mack The Knife
Recording • DDSI.10.66 • 0:55
Performed by : Ringo Starr
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Recording • DDSI.10.67 • 1:23
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Recording • DDSI.10.68 • 2:34
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Written by Otis Blackwell
Recording • DDSI.10.69 • 3:42
Performed by : Paul McCartney • John Lennon
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"On A Sunny Island"
Recording • DDSI.10.70 • 0:25
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Written by Moisés Simons
Recording • DDSI.10.71 • 2:38
Performed by : Paul McCartney • Ringo Starr • John Lennon
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Written by Jack Nance, Conway Twitty
Recording • DDSI.10.72 • 1:42
Performed by : Paul McCartney • Ringo Starr • John Lennon
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"Through A London Window"
Recording • DDSI.10.73 • 1:05
Performed by : Paul McCartney • Ringo Starr • John Lennon
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Recording • DDSI.10.74 • 4:03
Performed by : Paul McCartney
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Written by Samuel Barber
Recording • DDSI.10.75 • 2:23
Performed by : Paul McCartney
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Recording • DDSI.10.76 • 9:58
Performed by : Paul McCartney • Ringo Starr
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Improvisation
Recording • DDSI.10.77 • 0:35
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Improvisation
Recording • DDSI.10.78 • 5:08
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Improvisation
Recording • DDSI.10.79 • 6:42
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Improvisation
Recording • DDSI.10.80 • 0:49
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Improvisation
Recording • DDSI.10.81 • 0:48
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Sun King
Recording • DDSI.10.82 • 1:01
Performed by : John Lennon
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Dear Prudence
Recording • DDSI.10.83 • 1:34
Performed by : John Lennon
Staff
Musicians
- Paul McCartney : Performed by
- Ringo Starr : Performed by
- John Lennon : Performed by
- George Harrison : Performed by
Production staff
- Mal Evans : Road manager
- Glyn Johns : Recording engineer
- Michael Lindsay-Hogg : Film director
- Kevin Harrington : Roadie
- Tony Richmond : Director of photography
