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Home > The Beatles' songs > I've Got A Feeling

I've Got A Feeling

Let It Be album cover artwork 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

I've Got a Feeling - Let It BeAvailable 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.

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18 responses to “I've Got A Feeling”

  1. Jonny Music says:
    Monday 3 August 2009 at 6.05am

    "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.

    Reply to this comment
  2. Joseph Brush says:
    Sunday 16 August 2009 at 6.07pm

    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.

    Reply to this comment
    • Matt says:
      Saturday 22 August 2009 at 4.22am

      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.

      Reply to this comment
      • Joseph Brush says:
        Friday 9 October 2009 at 3.46pm

        Both songs were a collaboration.

        Reply to this comment
  3. Barry says:
    Friday 2 October 2009 at 9.05pm

    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!!

    Reply to this comment
    • Jen says:
      Saturday 3 April 2010 at 4.16am

      I'm not positive about this but i think its like "I'd hate to miss the train"- I'd hate to miss this chance of being in love with you etc. "and if you leave me i won't be late again"- If you leave me, i won't make that mistake (i.e. not taking a chance) again.

      I hope that helps but really thats just my interpretation =)

      Reply to this comment
  4. Matt says:
    Sunday 15 November 2009 at 2.32am

    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."

    Reply to this comment
    • Joe says:
      Sunday 15 November 2009 at 1.27pm

      You're absolutely right - thanks for pointing it out (and for Joseph previously). I've amended the article.

      Reply to this comment
  5. Chuck says:
    Thursday 14 January 2010 at 2.04am

    The main guitar line comes from a John song called "Watching Rainbows." So, it's a multiple composite.

    Reply to this comment
    • Julio says:
      Sunday 15 May 2011 at 12.11am

      Your right Watching the Rainbows and I've Got A feelling are quite similiar and from the same sessions. It seems that John or George just laid this on top of Paul's idea for the verse.

      Reply to this comment
      • apple_jam says:
        Friday 4 November 2011 at 8.39pm

        I believe Paul is the only guitar on "Watching rainbows." He probably came up with the riff. However, the melody John sings is very similar, in not identical, to "I've got a feeling." I would call this a collaboration.

        Reply to this comment
  6. Kent Bettenhausen says:
    Monday 18 January 2010 at 12.37am

    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.

    Reply to this comment
  7. SgtPepper1909 says:
    Monday 18 January 2010 at 9.48pm

    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".

    Reply to this comment
  8. Dave says:
    Saturday 30 January 2010 at 5.56pm

    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.

    Reply to this comment
    • jonathan lennon says:
      Friday 25 June 2010 at 6.12am

      I think it was recorded in Twickenham film studios, the quality of the recording (which was poor in Twickenham because of the combined factors of poor acoustics and the use of portable equipment) lends itself to having been recorded there

      Reply to this comment
      • Joe says:
        Friday 25 June 2010 at 9.43am

        By 23 January, when the Anthology 3 version was recorded, they'd finished at Twickenham and were working at Apple Studios.

        Reply to this comment
  9. Gil says:
    Monday 7 November 2011 at 9.50pm

    The main rhythm guitar figure over the "A" and "D" chords that John plays in the verse is the same as the one Paul plays on acoustic guitar in "Mother Nature's Son" over the "All day long I'm sitting singing songs" part.

    Reply to this comment
  10. paulsbass says:
    Tuesday 29 November 2011 at 10.47pm

    One of my favourites.
    Great riff, great harmonies.
    And nobody mentions Ringo's excellent drumming (note the rhythmic variations in the last verse).

    Reply to this comment

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