Get Back

:This article is about the song. For the album project of the same name, see Let It Be.

The release

On April 11, 1969, Apple Records released "Get Back" as a single in the United Kingdom, paired with "Don't Let Me Down" on the B-Side. The single began its 17-week long stay in the charts on April 26 at the top spot in the charts, a position it would hold for six weeks. It was the only Beatles' single to enter the UK charts at number one.

Related Topics:
April 11 - 1969 - Apple Records - United Kingdom - April 26

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In the United States "Get Back" came out as a single on May 5, backed with "Don't Let Me Down." Five days later "Get Back" began its first of 12 weeks on the chart. Two weeks after the song's chart debut, it hit number one, a position it held for five weeks. The single was the Beatles' first single to be released in true stereo instead of mono — they had recorded in stereo before, as in "She Loves You", but the stereo versions had never seen the light of day on the A-Side of a single due to the lack of gramophone record players that could handle stereo.

Related Topics:
United States - May 5 - Mono - She Loves You - Gramophone record

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In both the United Kingdom and the United States the single was released by Apple, although Capitol Records retained the rights to the song as part of their contract. The single was the only Beatles single ever to feature another artist on the credit, crediting "Get Back" to "The Beatles and Billy Preston".

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As mentioned earlier, "Get Back" was also later released in May 1970 on Let It Be. However, the album version featured a few anomalies not available on the single. McCartney's show of appreciation to Maureen Starr and Lennon's "I hope we passed the audition" were just two in a series of additions and subtractions from the album version of "Get Back". In the beginning of the album version, Lennon sings "Sweet Loretta Fart she thought she was a cleaner, but she was a frying pan", parodying the first stanza of the song. At around 2'29" of the album version, a policeman telling the Beatles "I'm afraid it's just too long" is audible. Last but not least, the single version of the song ends with "Get back Loretta / Your mother's waiting for you / Wearing her high-heel shoes / And her low-neck sweater." This does not appear on the album version, replaced by McCartney and Lennon's remarks.

Related Topics:
May - High-heel shoe - Sweater

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In 2003 "Get Back" was rereleased on the Let It Be... Naked album, which was largely due to McCartney's effort—he was dissatisfied with the quality of the original Let It Be album, and produced his own version of it, with the sanction of the last surviving Beatle other than him, Ringo Starr, and Yoko Ono, Lennon's widow (Harrison also sanctioned the project before he died). One of the most notable changes on the album was the altering of "The Long and Winding Road" into a version closer to what was originally intended.

Related Topics:
2003 - Let It Be... Naked - Ringo Starr - Yoko Ono - The Long and Winding Road

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The Rutles' "Get Up and Go", written by Neil Innes, features a set of lyrics parodying "Get Back". The lyrics are about a jockey by the name of Joe who leaves his "one-horse town" set to an almost identical tune. This apparently caused a copyright dispute which resulted in the song being left off of the Rutles soundtrack album, although it was reinstated for the later CD reissue. However, since George Harrison financially backed The Rutles movie, and appeared briefly in it, this may not be true.

Related Topics:
The Rutles - Neil Innes - Parody - Jockey - Copyright

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