Friday, January 31, 1969
The "Get Back / Let It Be" sessions • Day 22
For The Beatles
Last updated on March 6, 2025
Friday, January 31, 1969
For The Beatles
Last updated on March 6, 2025
The "Get Back / Let It Be" sessions
January 1969 • Songs recorded during this session appear on Let It Be (Limited Edition)
Recording studio: Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
Session Jan 29, 1969 • The "Get Back / Let It Be" sessions • Day 20
Concert Jan 30, 1969 • The rooftop concert
Session Jan 31, 1969 • The "Get Back / Let It Be" sessions • Day 22
Film Jan 31, 1969 • Shooting of "Let It Be" promo film
Article Feb 01, 1969 • Allen Klein, John Eastman, and The Beatles discuss about NEMS
Next session February 1969 • Home recording - "Goodbye"
AlbumSome of the songs worked on during this session were first released on the "Let It Be (Limited Edition)" LP
By The Beatles
Following their rooftop performance on January 30, 1969, The Beatles — joined by Billy Preston — returned to the basement studio of Apple the next day, for the final day of their “Get Back” sessions. Their goal was to complete recordings of three songs that hadn’t suited the outdoor setting: “Two of Us,” “The Long and Winding Road,” and “Let It Be.” Unlike the earlier, more freewheeling rehearsals at Twickenham and Apple, this session had a clear focus: capturing performances suitable for the cameras and, ideally, for release.
The session began with “Two of Us,” which was completed with minimal effort — after just one false start and three full takes. One of these performances would later become the opening track of the “Let It Be” album. With recording progressing smoothly, The Beatles indulged in lighthearted studio jams, revisiting oldies and some of their older tracks. Among these were “Step Inside Love,” a song Paul McCartney had written for Cilla Black in 1968, a take on Revolver-era “Run for Your Life,” and an improvised version of “Lady Madonna” with altered, playful lyrics.
After a break, The Beatles turned their attention to “The Long and Winding Road,” recording multiple takes. One of these would later be featured on the 2003 “Let It Be… Naked” album.
The final song of the session, “Let It Be,” proved to be the most challenging. Over 22 takes were recorded, with John Lennon initially taking the lead vocal on a skiffle-style version featuring an alternate melody. As the session wore on, tensions surfaced — John, appearing bored, injected humorous, irreverent lines such as “And in my hour of darkness she is standing left in front of me, squeaking turds of whisky over me” into the lyrics. Paul also altered the words at times, referencing “Brother Malcolm,” likely a nod to their longtime roadie Mal Evans.
Despite the difficulties, The Beatles eventually captured a take that — after later overdubs — became the version released as both a single and the title track of the “Let It Be” album. This was the penultimate take of the day. An edit of this take and the final take was used in the “Let It Be” film.
The January 31 session effectively marked the end of the primary recording phase for the “Get Back / Let It Be” project. Throughout 1969, engineer Glyn Johns prepared multiple mixes of a potential album, but The Beatles rejected them all. In early 1970, additional overdubs were recorded, shaping the “Let It Be” album, which was finally released in May 1970.
The performances are sequentially numbered using the nomenclature from the book "Drugs, Divorce and a Slipping Image" by Doug Sulpy. DDSI 2.01 is, for example, the first performance from January 2nd, while DDSI 31.65 is the sixty-fifth performance from January 31st. This numbering is at times different from the DDSI numbers used on the bootleg collection "A/B Road Complete Get Back Sessions", likely because "Drugs, Divorce and a Slipping Image" was updated since the release of this collection.
Recording • DDSI.31.01 • 2:00
"Wild And Pretty Maid"
Recording • DDSI.31.02 • 0:38
Written by Hank Williams
Recording • DDSI.31.03 • 0:57
Written by Traditional
Recording • DDSI.31.04 • 9:03 • Medley with "Lost John","Five Feet High and Rising","Bear Cat Mama","Black Dog","Right String, Wrong Yo-Yo","Run For Your Life"
Written by Traditional
Recording • DDSI.31.04 • 9:03 • Medley with "Take This Hammer","Five Feet High and Rising","Bear Cat Mama","Black Dog","Right String, Wrong Yo-Yo","Run For Your Life"
Written by Johnny Cash
Recording • DDSI.31.04 • 9:03 • Medley with "Take This Hammer","Lost John","Bear Cat Mama","Black Dog","Right String, Wrong Yo-Yo","Run For Your Life"
Written by Jimmie Davis
Recording • DDSI.31.04 • 9:03 • Medley with "Take This Hammer","Lost John","Five Feet High and Rising","Black Dog","Right String, Wrong Yo-Yo","Run For Your Life"
Written by Traditional
Recording • DDSI.31.04 • 9:03 • Medley with "Take This Hammer","Lost John","Five Feet High and Rising","Bear Cat Mama","Right String, Wrong Yo-Yo","Run For Your Life"
Written by William Lee Perryman
Recording • DDSI.31.04 • 9:03 • Medley with "Take This Hammer","Lost John","Five Feet High and Rising","Bear Cat Mama","Black Dog","Run For Your Life"
Recording • DDSI.31.04 • 9:03 • Medley with "Take This Hammer","Lost John","Five Feet High and Rising","Bear Cat Mama","Black Dog","Right String, Wrong Yo-Yo"
Recording • DDSI.31.05 • 0:53
Recording • DDSI.31.06 • 3:13
Friendship
Recording • DDSI.31.07 • 0:24
Performed by : John Lennon
Turkey In The Straw
Recording • DDSI.31.08 • 0:21
Performed by : John Lennon
Recording • DDSI.31.09 • 3:05
Recording • DDSI.31.10 • 3:07
Written by Cole Porter
Recording • DDSI.31.11 • 0:40
Performed by : Paul McCartney • John Lennon
Written by Keith Drewett, Peter Dymond
Recording • DDSI.31.12 • 1:06
Recording • DDSI.31.13 • 3:49
AlbumOfficially released on Let It Be
Written by Fred Rose, Walter Hirsch
Recording • DDSI.31.14 • 2:21 • Medley with "In The Middle Of An Island","All Together Now"
Performed by : Paul McCartney • John Lennon
Written by Nick Acquaviva, Ted Varnick
Recording • DDSI.31.14 • 2:21 • Medley with "Deed I Do","All Together Now"
Recording • DDSI.31.14 • 2:21 • Medley with "Deed I Do","In The Middle Of An Island"
Recording • DDSI.31.15 • 3:59
Written by Aaron Schroeder, David Hill
Recording • DDSI.31.16 • 0:58
Step Inside Love
Recording • DDSI.31.17 • 0:15 • Parody by John Lennon
Performed by : John Lennon
Recording • DDSI.31.18 • 0:41
Recording • DDSI.31.19 • 0:58
Recording • DDSI.31.20 • 1:56
Recording • DDSI.31.21 • 0:43
Recording • DDSI.31.22 • 22:32
Recording • DDSI.31.23 • 0:50
Recording • DDSI.31.24 • 3:52
Recording • DDSI.31.25 • 1:08
Recording • DDSI.31.26 • 3:17
Recording • DDSI.31.27 • 0:18
Recording • DDSI.31.28 • 3:37
Recording • DDSI.31.29 • 2:40
Recording • DDSI.31.30 • 0:11
Recording • DDSI.31.31 • 0:44
Recording • DDSI.31.32 • 3:37
Recording • DDSI.31.33 • 4:45
Recording • DDSI.31.34 • 3:48
Recording • DDSI.31.35 • 2:15
Recording • DDSI.31.36 • 2:51
Recording • DDSI.31.37 • 0:17
Recording • DDSI.31.38 • 0:18
Recording • DDSI.31.39 • 5:39
Recording • DDSI.31.40 • 4:30
Recording • DDSI.31.41 • 5:31
Recording • DDSI.31.42 • 6:34
Recording • DDSI.31.43 • 1:29
Recording • DDSI.31.44 • 0:09
Recording • DDSI.31.45 • 4:33
Written by Mike d'Abo, Tony Macaulay
Recording • DDSI.31.46 • 0:40
Recording • DDSI.31.47 • 1:49
Recording • DDSI.31.48 • 3:42
Recording • DDSI.31.49 • 5:13
Recording • DDSI.31.50 • 4:19
Written by Jessie Mae Robinson
Recording • DDSI.31.51 • 0:26
Instrumental
Recording • DDSI.31.52 • 1:03
Recording • DDSI.31.53 • 2:58
Recording • DDSI.31.54 • 3:46
Recording • DDSI.31.55 • 1:03
Recording • DDSI.31.56 • 4:43
Recording • DDSI.31.57 • 1:05
Recording • DDSI.31.58 • 0:18
Recording • DDSI.31.59 • 4:25
Recording • DDSI.31.60 • 3:15
Recording • DDSI.31.61 • 2:44
Unknown
Recording • DDSI.31.62 • 2:43
Recording • DDSI.31.63 • 5:37
Recording • DDSI.31.64 • 4:24
AlbumOfficially released on Let It Be / You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)
Recording • DDSI.31.65 • 4:02
Drugs, Divorce and a Slipping Image - The Complete, Unauthorized Story of The Beatles' 'Get Back' Sessions
The definitive guide to the Get Back sessions, released in 1994 and updated in 2007. In the author's own words:
New, completely revised edition! This new volume isn t just a compilation of material from the 1994 book Drugs, Divorce and a Slipping Image (also later published as 'Get Back') and 'The 910's Guide To The Beatles Outtakes Part Two: The Complete Get Back Sessions' (2001). I've re-listened to the entire canon of available Get Back session tapes, come up with a bunch of new conclusions (and even a handful of new identifications!), and pretty much re-written half the book from scratch. In addition, great effort has been made to improve readability of the book. Songs have now been put into groups (generally by Nagra reel, or series of them), rather than describing each performance separately, as was done in the original. In every way, this is the book we wished we could have written in 1994.
As the paperback version is out of print, you can buy a PDF version on the author's website
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