Saturday, January 25, 1969
Get Back sessions • Day 16
For The Beatles
Last updated on January 18, 2025
Saturday, January 25, 1969
For The Beatles
Last updated on January 18, 2025
The "Get Back / Let It Be" sessions
January 1969 • Songs recorded during this session appear on Let It Be (Limited Edition)
Recording studio: Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
Session Jan 24, 1969 • Get Back sessions • Day 15
Session January 24 & January 26, 1969 • Mixing the "Get Back" album (1st compilation)
Session Jan 25, 1969 • Get Back sessions • Day 16
Session Jan 26, 1969 • Get Back sessions • Day 17
AlbumSome of the songs worked on during this session were first released on the "Let It Be (Limited Edition)" LP
On this day, The Beatles continued their “Get Back” sessions at Apple Studios in London. This marked the fifth day at their new studio and the 16th day overall for the project. The session began with Glyn Johns playing the mixes he had created following the previous day’s recordings.
Billy Preston was absent, allowing the band to focus on three songs that didn’t require his keyboard contributions: “Two Of Us,” “Let It Be,” and “For You Blue.”
The day was characterized by a blend of relaxed rehearsals and recording attempts, particularly on “Two Of Us” and “Let It Be,” though neither reached the point of a finalized take. “For You Blue,” however, was given more attention. After 28 takes, the band successfully captured a solid version (Take 7), which would later appear on the “Let It Be” album, though the vocals were re-recorded. Take 1 of “For You Blue” was released on “Anthology 3” in 1996.
There were also playful moments during the session. On “Two Of Us,” John Lennon and Paul McCartney experimented with exaggerated accents and silly sound effects. A take of “Let It Be” from this session was also included on “Anthology 3,” showcasing some impromptu vocals and alternative lyrics by Paul.
Other highlights included “I Lost My Little Girl,” one of Paul’s earliest compositions, which was performed with John on lead vocals in a nearly 10-minute, two-chord rock arrangement. George Harrison introduced “Isn’t It A Pity,” which would later appear on his “All Things Must Pass” album, and “Window, Window,” a song he had previously performed solo during the “Get Back” sessions, but played with Paul and Ringo Starr on this occasion.
Amidst the music, there were discussions about the feasibility of still doing a live show. On January 22, the band had considered performing at Primrose Hill, a scenic spot offering panoramic views of London. While further discussions about timing and logistics took place on January 23, the idea was ultimately dropped two days later for unknown reasons. They were constrained by time, as Glyn Johns was preparing to leave for his honeymoon, and it seems there was no alternative idea left, which frustrated Paul McCartney.
However, during the course of the session, according to Peter Jackson’s “The Beatles: Get Back“ documentary, Glyn Johns and director Michael Lindsay-Hogg suggested to Paul McCartney that the band could instead perform on the rooftop of the Apple building. Around lunchtime, Paul, along with Ringo, Glyn Johns, Michael Lindsay-Hogg, and others, made their way to the rooftop to assess the practicality of this new idea. A live performance on the rooftop was tentatively scheduled for the coming Wednesday, January 29.
About “For You Blue” recorded on this day, from beatlesebooks.com:
They ran through the song a few times until they were confident enough to request George Martin and Glyn Johns to attempt a proper recording. ‘Take one,’ which is featured on the 1996 released album “Anthology 3,” begins with Paul on piano instead of George’s acoustic guitar as we’re used to hearing. The others join in shortly thereafter and put in an impressive performance throughout, Paul playing piano in a straightforward bluesy style that covers the bass notes since no one is playing bass guitar on the song. Interestingly, only one verse is used for a solo in the song at this point, John’s slide guitar being the focal point. George inadvertently ends the song by singing, “I love you more each moment I’m with you,” John then concluding the song rather awkwardly, which causes him to chuckle.
Before ‘take two’ begins, George decided to include a four-measure acoustic guitar intro to the song, explaining to John, “OK, just make it one on each,” to which Lennon answers, “OK.” After this take ends, a decision is made to lengthen the song, this being done by adding a second solo verse after John’s solo verse is complete, Paul being showcased on piano. George’s guitar intro is hereby extended to five-measures at this point, an additional measure being added at the end. However, when the solo section of ‘take three’ comes up, George forgets to allow Paul to have his solo verse and begins singing. John thereby shouts out “Piano!”, to which George sheepishly recites “I’ve loved that piano from the moment that I saw you.”
By ‘take six,’ which was used for the Apple studio performance of the song in the “Let It Be” movie, Ringo had progressed to using sticks instead of brushes. By this time also, Paul reliquishes his traditional bluesy piano style in favor of some quirky chording on the higher keys, leaving the bass tones of the song to be played by John on his lap steel guitar. At one point, George asked for Paul to achieve a “bad honky tonk piano” sound, to which McCartney intertwined paper inbetween the strings of the piano. This effect is clearly heard on the released recording.
It was apparent that they were becoming quite happy with their performance of the song and thereby getting close to nailing the perfect recording. They began ‘take seven’ with George performing the guitar intro but Paul forgot that they had added a fifth measure onto the intro and mistakenly came in early, to which he replied, “Just as well.” After someone rattles ice in a drinking glass, George tries twice more to get his guitar into done correctly but fails both times. After John humorously yells “QUIET PLEASE,” George nails the intro and The Beatles perform a near flawless rendition of the song.
This version, ‘take seven,’ appealed to all but, because of them being perfectionists, they decided to record five more renditions in case they could do it even better. ‘Take nine’ was quite good, the solo section of which was used in the “Let It Be” movie as a backdrop to where all four Beatles are arriving individually at their Apple Building on Savile Row to record in their basement studio. This segment then cuts to the group performing ‘take six’ of the song as mentioned above.
‘Take 12’ was also an excellent performance, which showed them clearly enjoying the recording process. So as to introduce Paul’s solo verse, George says “Mr. Bluthner,” a reference to the Bluthner grand piano that he was playing. During this solo, John yells out “Yes, Jim” as an expression of his approval. As this take concludes, all congratulate themselves for this possibly being the best rendition yet, George stating, “It felt nice!”
From beatlesebooks.com
Glyn Johns: Is Billy coming today
George Harrison: No, he’s doing a TV show, all day.
From Peter Jackson’s film “The Beatles: Get Back“, 2021
Early in the session, Paul McCartney mentioned that he had edited together their home movies from The Beatles’ trip to India in February/March 1968, during which they studied transcendental meditation with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. He told the others that he had watched the finished film the previous evening:
George Harrison: What were we doing?
Paul McCartney: We, uh… I don’t really know, you know? But it’s like we totally, sort of, put our own personalities under, for the sake of it. And you can really see, you know, we’re all…
John Lennon: Who’s writing all them songs?
Paul McCartney: That was probably when we did…
John Lennon: In your room.
Paul McCartney: Yeah. Right. I remember, yeah. But just sort of… There’s a…
George Harrison: Do you regret having gone there?
Paul McCartney: No, no. Oh, no. I just think, what we did there, we weren’t really very truthful there. You know, things like sneaking behind [The Maharishi’s] back and sort of saying, “It’s a bit like school, isn’t it?” But you can see on the film that it is very like school.
John Lennon: You want to call it “What We Did On Our Holidays”?
Paul McCartney: But it is very like that. There’s a long shot of you, sort of, walking with him. And it’s just not you, you know?
From Peter Jackson’s film “The Beatles: Get Back“, 2021
The conversation then shifted to planning for the week ahead, before Glyn Johns departed for his honeymoon:
Glyn Johns: What we could do is get one number done, right? Ready for… do it. Film it and do it, right? And then move on to the next one, get that one ready, finish it, do it.
Mal Evans: Starting now, you mean?
Glyn Johns: Starting whenever, yeah.
George Harrison: Have we got to have this album recorded by Tuesday then? Is that the idea? We’re just gonna record them all until we’ve got them all before Tuesday when Glyn goes? Is that it?
Glyn Johns: I’ll now go on Thursday, in fact.
Paul McCartney: I thought the idea was to get ’em all known by Tuesday.
George Harrison: So Wednesday night, we’ve recorded…
Glyn Johns: I’ve gotta mix… I’d like to mix ’em before I go too…
George Harrison: Are we still doing the show?
Paul McCartney: I don’t know, really.
John Lennon: Say we did eight or nine, he’ll come back after about a week or something. That’s if we don’t get 14 done by Tuesday.
From Peter Jackson’s film “The Beatles: Get Back“, 2021
They then discussed the feasibility of still doing a live show. The conversation took a tense turn for Paul McCartney, who expressed frustration that the other Beatles lacked enthusiasm for a live performance, although John insisted he would be on board, suggesting George and Ringo weren’t interested. Paul voiced his concerns about the unstructured nature of the project, lamenting that it was evolving from a TV show into a film without being shot in 35mm, which would compromise its professional quality. He also criticized the lack of a clear climax for the envisioned film, which had initially been intended to culminate in a live performance.
Michael Lindsay-Hogg: Originally, it was a show and an album. A live album recorded when the show was actually live on the spot. And what I think is lacking at the moment is the show.
John Lennon: I would dig to play onstage, you know? I mean, if it was all… everything was all right and there was no messing and we’re just gonna play onstage. You know, that’s why I said yes to the TV show. I didn’t want the hell of doing it, but nobody else wants to go on the stage or do a TV show. You know, that’s what it’s about. Nobody wants to get out there. You know?
Paul McCartney: I suppose that’s true, you know?
John Lennon: I think so, you know? I’m only going by what’s happened.
Paul McCartney: Yeah, yeah.
John Lennon: What are you trying to make a show out of now?
Paul McCartney: I can’t answer it, you know?
John Lennon: I know. I know that there’s no sort of answer for it, but…
George Harrison: The things that have worked out best ever for us haven’t really been planned any more than this has. It’s just, you know, it’s like you just go into something and it does it itself. You know, whatever it’s gonna be, it becomes that, you know?
John Lennon: See, it’s turned out it’s not what Paul wants. It’s like if it’s… Say it’s his number, this whole show. It’s actually turned into our number more than his number. That’s all. And, uh… It’s just that, really.
Paul McCartney: Yeah, I know, it is majority decisions and all. Yeah.
John Lennon: We’re presuming that we are gonna make this LP anyway as one whole piece, like as if the cameras aren’t here. But it might be an idea to sort of face ’em… For the singing. The point of doing it all in one go is that we’re aware of the camera. So we should look at the camera. And we sing it straight to ’em. You know? And… The finale’d just be us doing the numbers well… What do you think?
Glyn Johns: The main thing is to do the change from the acoustic numbers to the electric numbers.
John Lennon: I mean, if we’re doing a stage show, we’d have to… “Hold on a sec, ladies and gentlemen, George just getting on his Rickenbacker.”
Glyn Johns: As far as I’m concerned, I would need one run-through on each number to get the balance set for it, ’cause it’s all… everything’s changing.
John Lennon: We’ll know that better as soon as we’ve got an order… Soon as we’ve got a story.
Paul McCartney: It’s all right, but I’d meant to sort of put the songs to some other framework this time. That’s what I’d sort of thought. That we’d just keep to the same environment, totally… always, you know? We don’t ever attempt to break out of it. We… We’re in a recording studio again in London making another album, you know?
George Harrison: I think this is the nicest place I’ve been for a long time, this studio.
Paul McCartney: Yeah, it is.
George Harrison: No, really, you know, I mean. And also we’ve played… This is the most I’ve ever played by playing every day. And I can just feel myself getting… My fingers getting loose a bit. But really I just want to play. That’s what it was about.
Glyn Johns: What we’ve got is you all playing live in one room. That in itself is a fresh thing for The Beatles.
Paul McCartney: Mmm.
Michael Lindsay-Hogg: Are you gonna just stay around in a circle?
John Lennon: Unless we felt like standing up ’cause it was a shouter, you know?
Michael Lindsay-Hogg: No matter what we do, it’s still gonna look like you’re sitting in a room making the album. It’s not per se a show.
John Lennon: All we’ve got is us, and the documentary, where we happen to be singing. I mean, you see what happens when we’re just grooving to the music. The whole place changes.
Paul McCartney: Yeah, that’s true.
John Lennon: And that… If we’re doing them well on the day, without anything… it should come over. We’ve gotta do it, you know?
Michael Lindsay-Hogg: And also, remember, the original idea was a TV show and then a documentary about it. And now it’s changed to being a movie.
Paul McCartney: It’s like, really, if we’re gonna do a film for cinema, it should’ve been done on 35 millimeters, which is just the best quality. We shot this on 16 because it’s a television thing.
John Lennon: Just the still photos would make a UA movie with soundtrack on it, you know?
George Harrison: I think we should blow it up to 35 and if they don’t take it, they’re fucking fools. Because they’re not gonna get anything else, are they?
Paul McCartney: Unless we’ve got incredible quality on this, 16 blown to 35 is a mess.
George Harrison: No, it’s not. There’s a certain stock that blows up better.
John Lennon: Ektachrome 500.
Michael Lindsay-Hogg: Yeah, this will blow up all right, this film.
Paul McCartney: I don’t know what it is that I’m moaning about, but it’s just sort of…
Glyn Johns: I must admit I can’t really see it either, because it’s… It just seems the last two days everything’s gone so ridiculously well.
John Lennon: He’s right, you know.
(Various people together): It is good. It’s going great. It really is something. It’s true though.
Paul McCartney: I just have a feeling that we… It’s all right, you know? It’s nothing to complain about, but… But it’s just funny to sort of realize that after this is all over, you’ll be off in a black bag somewhere on the Albert Hall, you know?
John Lennon: Yeah.
Michael Lindsay-Hogg: What you’re moaning about is there’s no payoff.
Paul McCartney: I think all I wanna do is, like, uh… I probably, you know, having got it together, I probably just wanna go and have fun with it. Rather than just, sort of, finish off exactly as we started. And I’d like to sort of do a… for the finish. And we just get out in the open, change of scene, and go and do it somewhere else, do it on a live show, do it on a stage. You know, I’d like to light a rocket and really sort of take off for the end of it. And, uh, you know… but that’s going a bit, like, overboard, I suppose. But that’s me, you know? I always do that.
From Peter Jackson’s film “The Beatles: Get Back“, 2021
Later in the session, Michael Lindsay-Hogg and Glyn Johns proposed an idea that could give Paul the live performance he was hoping for: The Beatles could perform on the rooftop of the Apple building. Around lunchtime, Paul, along with Ringo, Glyn Johns, Michael Lindsay-Hogg, and others, made their way to the rooftop to assess the feasibility of this idea.
Michael Lindsay-Hogg: The only thing is we’ve got to get some permission, Paul. So the cops don’t come and throw us off, that’s all.
Ringo Starr: What happens if we go on top of the other roof?
Michael Lindsay-Hogg: If it’s somebody else’s roof, then we can get had not only for disturbing the peace and the noise, but also for trespassing.
Mal Evans: Now, um, good. So, but just roughly timewise, so I can look into gear…
Paul McCartney: Yeah. So, okay, look, if we say like on Friday or something.
From Peter Jackson’s film “The Beatles: Get Back“, 2021
Back in the studio, a conversation resulted in the decision to tentatively schedule a rooftop concert for Wednesday, January 29, 1969 (the date would ultimately change to January 30).
Michael Lindsay-Hogg: I think the thing is we’ll aim for Thursday.
George Harrison: Are we gonna do it all here now?
George Martin: I think you should aim for a little earlier than Thursday. ‘Cause if you aim for Thursday, it’s not gonna be Thursday.
Paul McCartney: See, we have to give them a chance to get their other cameras in.
Michael Lindsay-Hogg / Ringo Starr: Aim for Wednesday.
Paul McCartney: It’ll be pretty quick, but it’ll still give us some time to do it.
From Peter Jackson’s film “The Beatles: Get Back“, 2021
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.
Improvisation
Recording • DDSI.25.01 • 1:31
Improvisation
Recording • DDSI.25.02 • 1:48
Improvisation
Recording • DDSI.25.03 • 1:18
Unknown
Recording • 0:35
Improvisation
Recording • DDSI.25.06 • 0:56
Improvisation
Recording • DDSI.25.07 • 0:27
Written by Paul McCartney, Linda Eastman / McCartney
Recording • DDSI.25.08 • 0:58
Performed by : Paul McCartney
Recording • DDSI.25.09 • 23:15
Instrumental
Recording • DDSI.25.10 • 5:24
Written by Johnny Russell, Voni Morrison
Recording • DDSI.25.11 • 0:39
Performed by : Paul McCartney • John Lennon
Film Included in Peter Jackson's film "The Beatles: Get Back", 2021
Recording • DDSI.25.12 • 13:53
Recording • DDSI.25.13 • 1:21
Nashville Cat
Recording • DDSI.25.14 • 1:19
Performed by : John Lennon • George Harrison
On The Road Again
Recording • DDSI.25.15 • 6:34
Performed by : George Harrison
Unknown
Recording • DDSI.25.16 • 8:56
Instrumental
Recording • DDSI.25.17 • 8:41
Written by Paul McCartney
Recording • DDSI.25.18 • 9:54
Performed by : Paul McCartney • John Lennon
Film Included in Peter Jackson's film "The Beatles: Get Back", 2021
Recording • DDSI.25.19 • 3:55
Recording • DDSI.25.20 • 14:33
Recording • DDSI.25.21 • 3:39
Recording • DDSI.25.22 • 1:54
Written by Felice Bryant, Diadorius Boudleaux Bryant
Recording • DDSI.25.23 • 1:09
Film Included in Peter Jackson's film "The Beatles: Get Back", 2021
Recording • DDSI.25.24 • 3:53
Unknown
Recording • DDSI.25.25 • 3:05
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.26 • 2:56
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.27 • 3:06
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.28 • 1:30
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.29 • 16:01
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.30 • 1:23
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.31 • 2:31
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.32 • 2:03
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.33 • 1:11
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.34 • 4:28 • Take 1
AlbumOfficially released on Anthology 3
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.35 • 2:18
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.36 • 1:47
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.37 • 3:09
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.38 • 2:05
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.39 • 10:35
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.40 • 2:58
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.41 • 3:39
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.42 • 2:14
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.43 • 3:22
"Sorry I Left You Bleeding"
Recording • DDSI.25.45 • 0:57
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.46 • 3:14 • Take 6. Used in the film "Let It Be"
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.47 • 4:18 • Take 7. Used by Glyn Johns on the unreleased "Get Back" album, and on the "Let It Be" album (with the vocals re-recorded)
AlbumOfficially released on Let It Be (Limited Edition)
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.48 • 3:56
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.49 • 1:57
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.50 • 2:28
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.51 • 1:21
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.52 • 2:39
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.53 • 0:28
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.54 • 3:07
Take This Hammer
Recording • DDSI.25.55 • 0:36
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.56 • 2:06
Recording • DDSI.25.57 • 2:19
Recording • DDSI.25.58 • 13:40
"Crazy Feet"
Recording • DDSI.25.60 • 0:42 • Paul McCartney sang a single line about "crazy feet"
Performed by : Paul McCartney
Recording • DDSI.25.61 • 0:40
Recording • DDSI.25.62 • 1:00
Recording • DDSI.25.63 • 1:28
Recording • DDSI.25.64 • 4:03
Instrumental
Recording • DDSI.25.65 • 7:08
Mean Mr Mustard
Recording • DDSI.25.66 • 3:24
Performed by : John Lennon
Film Included in Peter Jackson's film "The Beatles: Get Back", 2021
Recording • DDSI.25.67 • 8:31
Tracks Of My Tears
Recording • DDSI.25.68 • 3:45
Performed by : George Harrison
Piece Of My Heart
Recording • DDSI.25.69 • 1:06
Performed by : George Harrison
Little Yellow Pills
Recording • DDSI.25.70 • 1:58
Performed by : Ringo Starr • George Harrison
Early In the Morning
Recording • DDSI.25.71 • 0:37
Performed by : George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.72 • 0:17
Recording • DDSI.25.73 • 1:29
Recording • DDSI.25.74 • 4:29
Written by George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.75 • 1:53 • Mainly George and Ringo, with Paul joining in
Performed by : Paul McCartney • Ringo Starr • George Harrison
I'm Talkin' About You
Recording • DDSI.25.76 • 0:54
Performed by : John Lennon • George Harrison
Recording • DDSI.25.77 • 2:05
Recording • DDSI.25.78 • 0:12
Instrumental
Recording • DDSI.25.79 • 0:18
Instrumental
Recording • DDSI.25.80 • 0:10
Recording • DDSI.25.81 • 3:31
Recording • DDSI.25.82 • 4:45
AlbumOfficially released on Anthology 3
Recording • DDSI.25.83 • 1:11
Performed by : Paul McCartney • Ringo Starr
Recording • DDSI.25.84 • 2:02
Recording • DDSI.25.85 • 2:04
Recording • DDSI.25.86 • 4:17
Recording • DDSI.25.87 • 2:45
"Well It's Eight O' Clock"
Recording • DDSI.25.88 • 1:29 • One single line by Paul
Performed by : Paul McCartney
Love Story
Recording • DDSI.25.89 • 1:16
Performed by : George Harrison
Written by Duane Eddy, Lee Hazlewood
Recording • DDSI.25.90 • 0:25
Written by Duane Eddy, Lee Hazlewood
Recording • DDSI.25.91 • 0:16
Written by Sylvester DeVere, Randolph Padmore, Kenny St. Bernard
Recording • DDSI.25.92 • 1:10
Isn't It A Pity
Recording • DDSI.25.93 • 2:31
Performed by : John Lennon • George Harrison
Drugs, Divorce and a Slipping Image - The Complete, Unauthorized Story of The Beatles' 'Get Back' Sessions
The definitive guide to the Get Back sessions, released in 1994 and updated in 2007. In the author's own words:
New, completely revised edition! This new volume isn t just a compilation of material from the 1994 book Drugs, Divorce and a Slipping Image (also later published as 'Get Back') and 'The 910's Guide To The Beatles Outtakes Part Two: The Complete Get Back Sessions' (2001). I've re-listened to the entire canon of available Get Back session tapes, come up with a bunch of new conclusions (and even a handful of new identifications!), and pretty much re-written half the book from scratch. In addition, great effort has been made to improve readability of the book. Songs have now been put into groups (generally by Nagra reel, or series of them), rather than describing each performance separately, as was done in the original. In every way, this is the book we wished we could have written in 1994.
As the paperback version is out of print, you can buy a PDF version on the author's website
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.
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