Written by: Lennon-McCartney
Recorded: 22, 24, 27, 28, 30 January 1969
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Glyn Johns
Released: 8 May 1970 (UK), 18 May 1970 (US)
Paul McCartney: vocals, bass
John Lennon: vocals, rhythm guitar
George Harrison: backing vocals, lead guitar
Ringo Starr: drums
Billy Preston: electric piano
Available on:
Let It Be
Anthology 3
Let It Be... Naked
The opening song of Let It Be's second half, I've Got A Feeling was made up of two half-finished songs joined together.
McCartney wrote the section that gave the song its title; Lennon's contribution was originally called Everybody Had A Hard Year, and had previously been demoed during the White Album sessions.
As such, it was the pair's first full and equal collaboration since 1967's Baby You're A Rich Man. Lennon and McCartney worked on the song together at the latter's house in Cavendish Avenue, London.
Each part of the song shows the differences in the two men's lives at that point. McCartney's was a love song written about his future wife Linda Eastman, whom he married in March 1969.
Lennon, conversely, had recently divorced his first wife Cynthia and was estranged from their son Julian. Additionally, he was addicted to heroin, his then-girlfriend Yoko Ono had recently suffered a miscarriage, the pair had been arrested for cannabis possession, and his enthusiasm for being a Beatle was at an all-time low.
In the studio
The Beatles first recorded I've Got A Feeling on 22 January 1969, their first session after filming Let It Be at Twickenham Film Studios. More takes were recorded over the next two days. One version, from 23 January, was included on Anthology 3. Another, from the 24th, was included on the unreleased Get Back LP.
The Beatles continued work on the song on 27 and 28 January, but it wasn't until the Apple rooftop performance that they recorded the final version. They recorded two versions of I've Got A Feeling, the first of which appeared on the Let It Be album and in the film.
The 2003 album Let It Be... Naked included a composite edit of the two rooftop performances, prepared especially for the release.
"I've Got A Feeling" is the last time that John & Paul really combined to make a song like this... It's special for that reason. Also it just rocks. Love it.
If I am not mistaken, in between Day In The Life and I've Got A Feeling, John and Paul did combine to write two songs together.
The first one being Baby You're A Rich Man and the second one being Birthday.
Birthday was actually all Paul's doing. I had thought Baby You're a Rich Man was mostly John, but I'm not nearly as certain about that.
Both songs were a collaboration.
If Paul's section is a "love song written about his future wife" why does he sing this:
'Oh please believe me I hate to miss the train. And if you leave me I won't be late again."
That's one lyric that certainly doesn't sound much like love!!
You wrote that I've Got A Feeling was their first full and equal collaboration since A Day In The Life. However, Baby You're A Rich Man was a collaboration with John writing the verse and Paul writing the chorus. John said about Baby You're A Rich Man, "We just stuck two songs together for this one, the same as A Day In The Life."
You're absolutely right - thanks for pointing it out (and for Joseph previously). I've amended the article.
The main guitar line comes from a John song called "Watching Rainbows." So, it's a multiple composite.
Also, Birthday is a collaboration too. I believe mainly John Lennon plays most of the guitars on Birthday, and he sings on some of the verses solo too.
Yes, John and Paul needed each other as is quite evident by their masterpieces.
Did the BBC get antsy at the "everybody had a wet dream" phrase? To me, it almost seemed like a pro-hippie section (John's) dissing the culture. The "everybody let their hair down" always left me with a picture of a hippie letting his hair out of his peace-symbol flecked headband. Also, it seemed like "everybody gave up caring what the old man thought".
Where did the version on Anthology come from, there one where Lennon says "I cocked it up tying to get loud!"? It sounds like it came from the roof session, but I didn't think either of those two versions ended early.