“Get Back is Paul. That’s a better version of Lady Madonna. You know, a potboiler rewrite.”
– John Lennon (1980)
The song was credited to The Beatles and Billy Preston. It was The Beatles’ only single that credited another artist.
We have included 10 different versions in this post!
“Get Back” is a song recorded by the Beatles, originally released as a single on 11 April 1969. A different mix of the song later became the closing track of Let It Be (1970), which was the Beatles’ last album released just after the group split. The single version was later issued on CD on the second disc of the Past Masters compilation.
The single reached number one in the United Kingdom, the United States, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, France, West Germany, and Mexico. It was the Beatles’ only single that credited another artist at their request. “Get Back” was the Beatles’ first single release in true stereo in the US. In the UK, the Beatles’ singles remained monaural until the following release, “The Ballad of John and Yoko”.
“By the time sessions reached Apple the lyric had changed and the title… well, Paul had his own ideas in that direction. George Martin, over the talkback: ‘What are you calling this, Paul?’ Paul: ‘Shit. Shit, take one.'”
– Mark Lewisohn (The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions)
The Beatles – Get Back (live, The Rooftop concert):