Written by: Lennon-McCartney
Recorded: 22, 23, 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: 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!!
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 =)
The “I won’t be late again” line means: once without Her he has nothing to live for, might as well become a pod person in the workaday world.
@Radames Or just as likely, it’s about having diarrhea in the back of a tour bus.
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.
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.
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.
I ‘ve got a feeling’s riff didn’t come from Watching Rainbows. That’s an inaccurate story made up by someone. That theory came popular but it is false.
Watching the rainbows was a jam derived from I’ve got a feeling’s riff, not viceversa. Lennon took Paul’s riff and made up on the spot this unreleased composition. This happened after The Beatles played a versión of Mean Mr Mustard..
I’ve got a feeling was rehearsed at Twickenham on day one (January 2) of the Let It Be sessions, Watching rainbows came fourteen days later ( january 14). You should check the bootlegs of the sessions.
I agree with David, I´ve got a feeling is mostly McCartney’s. Basically is a Paul’s song with a second middle section by Lennon ( McCartney already had written “the first middle” : ” All these years wandering around…”), not a equal colaboration.
You could hear the first rehearsals of I’ve got a feeling here:
http://letitbedissected.blogspot.com/search/label/Let%20it%20Down
I would say the riff was taken from The Creation ‘If I stay too long’. just what I think.
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.
I disagree with that. I think Birthday is mainly Paul´s – read what I´ve written on the Birthday- (song) page here …..
Not accurate. Birthday is 50/50 as even noted by Paul in different interviews.
https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/song/birthday/
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.
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
By 23 January, when the Anthology 3 version was recorded, they’d finished at Twickenham and were working at Apple Studios.
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.
One of my favourites.
Great riff, great harmonies.
And nobody mentions Ringo’s excellent drumming (note the rhythmic variations in the last verse).
This is the mark of a great, great group. This is an amazing song that only the diehard Beatles fans really know about. I can listen to this over and over….
Lewissohn says this is the only rooftop song in which george sings, a little but when does he sing?
I’m not sure that he does. There doesn’t seem to be evidence of it during the Let It Be film, but that song has lots of crowd/police shots. As far as I can tell it’s just McCartney and Lennon on vocals.
Uhm George absolutely sings during I’ve Got a Feeling – he sings on the “oh yea” and although it’s not shown I will assume he sings on the “oh no” as well.
George also sings during Don’t Let Me Down on the roof top. It’s impossible to miss. The only point Lewisohn could be making is about rooftop songs on the original Let It Be Album – since Don’t Let Me Down is not on that album – but it is on LIB-Naked –
except that George also sings on the very beginning of Dig A Pony and it appears George sings on the very end of Dig A Pony – it looks like he’s coming off the mic as the camera pans his way – the “all I want is you” lines at the start and ending.
It’s all there on film (and in colour!)
You’re right, I’ve watched the film again and I saw it. The All I Want Is You line was also edited out, though, so I’ve Got A Feeling is the only time on Let It Be we can hear him sing in a song that was recorded during the rooftop concert
OK, I’ve watched it again and you’re right. I’ve amended the personnel list.
Producer lists George Martin. Shouldn’t it be Phil Spector??
Spector mostly just remixed the tracks, whereas George Martin produced the sessions. Sometimes Spector’s contributions went beyond just mixing, and on those tracks I’ve credited him accordingly.
The get back version and the anthology version are the same take-and they were both recorded on 22nd january. The complete get back tapes are available and you can hear thet they are both recorded on 22nd january, because both takes break down in the same way and the only takes which does that is the 22nd january version
I think it is a bit unfair to call this a Lennon – McCartney collaboration, particularly a ‘full and equal’ one. McCartney really wrote the vast majority of this song, with a middle eight included by John. It is more of a 80 – 20 collaboration.
I’ve basically always agreed with the views you present there, but considering the song is, as someone here already pointed out, derived from an idea that is largely Lennon’s, I think the credits should be slightly closer than that. If you were to give it to one of them, it would be Paul, as he did most of the work.
The stickler in me strongly disagrees with the term ‘middle eight’, but let’s leave that, because it’s neither here nor there.
After consulting a friend who dabbles in quantum mechanics, we mitre box and agree John should get at least 33 and 1/3 per cent of this song!
I think the song is amazing…I especially love when it breaks down and you can hear Paul going “wooohoooo!!” I always get so pumped at that part!
I always love performing this song in our wigs-free Beatles cover band. McCartney’s vocal range is not to be tackled by the faint-of-heart. I never know as I approach the “all these years I’ve been wandering around” part if I’m going to be able to hit those notes. Most of the time I do, but barely. And he can still do it today…in the original key…night after night!
This is possibly my favourites song on Let It Be. A classic.
Great rock number by Paul and I love how John’s melancholic laid back part take the song to an unexpected place.
I love these songs were they turn different pieces of music into something cohese.
Combining Paul’s and John’s part at the end is just pure genius. Simple, but very effective. Just a pity they couldn’t finish the Anthology 3 version, it’s so full of energy and the interaction between John and Paul there is great.
Anyone else feel the “Oh please believe my, I hate to miss the train/And if you leave me I won’t be late again” lines are a reference to The One After 909?
A highly underrated song… not one of the really famous ones, but in my opinion right up there with their very best. And the harmony when Paul and John each sing their respective part of the song at the same time… just incredible!
Am I the only person who hears an expletive from Lennon at 3’18”? I’ve been hearing it for 25 years but have never seen it referred to, ever.
It´s just me or this song is this song should be recorded later by the rolling stones? It would be excelent!!!
As someone whose been listening to the Beatles for over 50 years now, it always amazes me the things you thought you knew or seemed to be so obvious may not even be completely true. Both John and Paul have pretty much agreed this was a collaboration. I just heard a version here with John singing the first two versus and middle eight. There’s no bass, so perhaps Paul wasn’t in the studio yet. Makes you wonder if, like “Oh, Darling”, it really wasn’t certain during rehearsals who might sing the lead. You have to wonder how many other songs were like this – they were collaborations, but eventually one or the other took the lead, and everyone heretofore declares them “John” or “Paul” songs?
That’s NOT Lennon. It’s some guy singing over a Beatles track with the vocal removed. Note the drastic change in Lennon’s voice when the “middle” comes in. Different timbre and everything. Nice try, whoever made this fake.
The “miss the train ” part comes from “one after 909”, that’s for sure. Now At the end of “watching rainbows”, john comes up with a riff that he’ll use later for “don’t worry Kyoko”, first at the Toronto peace festival in september, and then later as a studio version on side B of the “cold turckey” single.
I love this song. A great collaboration, with John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s two different songs coming together beautifully. As the editorial said the contrasting situations of John and Pauls lives at this point comes through.Great in the film “Let It Be” when you see them singing it. Just as in “Baby You’re A Rich Man” and many others it was amazing how these two brilliant men could put together unrelated pieces and make a great song. “A Day in the Life” is the greatest example. “Iv’e Got A Feeling” is a highlight of the “Let IT Be” album.
In the 1980 Playboy interview, John gave Paul sole credit for ‘I’ve Got a Feeling,’ without any further elaboration.
QUESTION: There a melodic bluesy bass line that comes up in both sections of this song (A A A DFGA GA) that’s either adapted from another late 60s band or vice versa – it’s not Cream or Hendrix – but something like that – can anyone place it? I’m curious who got it from whom – for example, the biggest hit of Seals & Crofts has a distinct guitar hook that I only realized years later was lifted from a background part of Dear Prudence. And of course, the chord progression of the choral transition of A Day in the Life is the same as Hey Joe (The Beatles were way into Hendrix at that time). I find these creative borrowings fascinating for some reason.
Manic Derpression Hendrix ?
So is this the last Lennon-McCartney song written jointly by the two?….