“Get Back” is a 1969 single by The Beatles, and this Get Back song became the signature hit of the sessions that later formed Let It Be Album. It is lean, live-sounding rock built around a one-chord groove, a punchy Paul McCartney vocal, and a band performance that feels like it is happening in the room.
Credited on release to “The Beatles with Billy Preston”, it is the only Beatles single to name another artist on the label. Preston’s electric piano does not just colour the track; it locks the rhythm in place and helps turn a loose jam into a finished record.
Key Facts
- Release Date: 11 April 1969
- Format: 7-inch single (B-side is “Don’t Let Me Down”)
- Recorded: 27 January 1969
- Primary Recording Location: Apple Studios, Savile Row, London
- Genre: Blues rock, pop rock
- Track Duration: 3:14
- Record Label: Apple
- Songwriters: Lennon-McCartney
- Producer: George Martin
- Notable Mix Detail: First Beatles single released in true stereo in the US; in the UK, Beatles singles stayed mono until “The Ballad Of John And Yoko”
Performers And Instruments
- Paul McCartney: lead vocal, bass guitar
- John Lennon: harmony vocal, rhythm guitar
- George Harrison: lead guitar
- Ringo Starr: drums
Additional Musician
- Billy Preston: electric piano
Where To Find “Get Back”
You can hear “Get Back” on the following official releases:
- Original 7-inch single (B-side is “Don’t Let Me Down“)
- Past Masters
- Let It Be Album
- Let It Be… Naked
- Anthology 3
- 1 Album
- Love Album (remix/edit, not the single master)
Get Back Song: Background
“Get Back” grew in public, not in private. It started as a loose idea during the January 1969 rehearsals, with McCartney throwing out lines while the band searched for a groove. Over the next weeks, it tightened into something more deliberate: a simple riff, a story-song chorus, and a performance built to sound like The Beatles playing live again.
The decision to credit the single to “The Beatles with Billy Preston” reflects what you can actually hear. Preston arrives and the track snaps into focus. George Harrison later described the effect of bringing him in as changing the mood immediately, with a “100% improvement” in the vibe.
The “Commonwealth” Jam
Early, improvised “Get Back” rehearsals included versions that toyed with topical headlines and stereotypes as a form of satire. Those outtakes have been misunderstood for decades because the lines are blunt and the intent is easy to miss when heard out of context. McCartney later said the point was the opposite of prejudice, describing the lines as “not racist at all” and “anti-racist”.
Who Are Sweet Loretta Martin And JoJo?
They are characters, not coded real people. McCartney has addressed the speculation directly and said, “I had no particular person in mind”, describing them as fictional and intentionally ambiguous. That ambiguity is part of why the song reads like a scene from a film: you get names, movement, and attitude, but no neat explanation.
Recording The Song
The January 1969 rehearsals began at Twickenham Film Studios and then moved to Apple Studios at Savile Row. The performances that matter for the official master come from the Apple sessions, where the band could record properly and build a single-ready take.
Preston joined during this period, playing a Fender Rhodes electric piano, and the band captured the feel that ended up on the release.
The master take that anchors the single and album comes from this late-January run. That is why “Get Back” feels less like a studio construction and more like a band locking into a performance: the groove is the record.
Get Back Song: Different Versions
This Get Back song exists in several official mixes and edits, depending on release.
The single version has a clean opening and a fade-out, with McCartney’s playful “Loretta” lines riding the outro. The album version on Let It Be uses the same core performance, but adds spoken fragments that frame it as part of the rooftop story.
On the Let It Be album, the same core take is framed with edited rooftop chatter, including Lennon’s tongue-in-cheek sign-off about “passing the audition”. Those spoken moments help tie the track to the wider Get Back narrative rather than presenting it as a stand-alone single.
The version on Let It Be… Naked strips away the spoken lines and aims for a cleaner, more “band-only” presentation. Meanwhile, Anthology 3 gives you a rawer performance from the rooftop era, and Love reshapes the track into a remix built for flow rather than fidelity to the 1969 single.
The Get Back Project
“Get Back” was not just a song title. It became the working name for a plan: rehearse new material quickly, perform it live, and record it with minimal studio trickery. The idea was to get The Beatles back to sounding like a band again.
The film and album that emerged later took a different path, and the 1970 release became Let It Be. Even so, the original “back to basics” intention is still baked into the sound of the single.
There was heavy filming during the project, and that footage became the documentary film Let It Be, released in 1970. The sessions also feed into the rooftop concert material that shaped how many listeners remember this late-period era.
Get Back: Chart Success
“Get Back” topped the charts in the UK and the US and became one of the defining Beatles singles of 1969. In the UK, it spent six weeks at No. 1. It also hit No. 1 across multiple international markets. However, even as the band struggled behind the scenes, the public-facing momentum stayed enormous.
On Let It Be, “Get Back” closes the album, following For You Blue. Chronology is messy in this era, though: much of the Let It Be material predates the Abbey Road sessions, even if the album itself arrived later.
This image shows the UK Apple Records label for “Get Back”, catalogue number R 5777, credited to The Beatles with Billy Preston. The label also includes Northern Songs publishing and the 1969 date line.
Image Notice: Low-resolution label image shown for identification and review commentary. Copyright remains with the respective rights holders.
Take A Listen
Listen to the song, then share your thoughts in the Beatles Fan Club Forum.
Prefer not to accept optional cookies? Open this video on YouTube.
Sources And References
- The Beatles – Official song page.
- Official Charts – UK No. 1 run.
- The Beatles – Let It Be context.
- The Beatles – B-side details.
BeatlesFan.Club operates independently and does not affiliate with The Beatles, Apple Corps, or any official rights holders.
