Wednesday, July 2, 1969
Recording "Her Majesty", "Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight"
For The Beatles
Last updated on May 11, 2025
Wednesday, July 2, 1969
For The Beatles
Last updated on May 11, 2025
Feb 22 - Aug 25, 1969 • Songs recorded during this session appear on Abbey Road
Recording studio: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road • London • UK
Session Jul 01, 1969 • Recording "You Never Give Me Your Money"
Album Jul 01, 1969 • "Battersea Rain Dance" by The Chris Barber Band released in the UK
Session Jul 02, 1969 • Recording "Her Majesty", "Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight"
Session Jul 03, 1969 • Recording "Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight"
Session Jul 04, 1969 • Recording "Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight"
AlbumSome of the songs worked on during this session were first released on the "Abbey Road" LP
John Lennon was on holiday in Scotland when he was involved in a car accident along with his wife Yoko, his son Julian, and Yoko’s daughter, Kyoko. He was hospitalized on this day and would remain there until July 6, rejoining The Beatles’ sessions on July 9 — missing five days of work.
On this day, Paul McCartney was the first one to arrive at the studio at 3 pm. Waiting for George Harrison and Ringo Starr, he decided to record “Her Majesty“, the 23-second track which would end up the “Abbey Road” album.
Paul had demoed “Her Majesty” during the “Get Back” sessions, on January 9 and January 24. On this day, he recorded three complete takes of it, playing acoustic guitar and singing. Take three was deemed the best. The three takes were released on the “Abbey Road (50th anniversary boxset)” in 2019.
[The Beatles] hadn’t got a tape op, and Allan Stagge, then studio manager, called me to his office to ask if I might like to help out. He said that he wouldn’t pressurize me into doing it. I was extremely nervous on the session and my mind went completely blank. Paul sat down and did ‘Her Majesty’ and I couldn’t for the life of me think how to spell Majesty on the tape box. I rang upstairs, all around the building, asking people how to spell Majesty!
Chris Blair – Second engineer – From “The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions” by Mark Lewisohn, 1988
Once George and Ringo arrived, the three Beatles began work on “Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight“.
Like “Her Majesty“, those two songs had been rehearsed during the “Get Back” sessions in January 1969. If “Carry That Weight” was considered as a standalone song when first played on January 6, Paul changed his mind the day after, attaching it to another song fragment, “Golden Slumbers“.
On this day, they recorded “Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight” as one track (under the working title “Golden Slumbers” even if, on the “Abbey Road” LP, the two names would be mentioned).
They recorded 15 takes of the backing track, with Paul on piano (track three) and guide vocal (track eight), George on bass (track two) and Ringo on drums (take one).
Takes 1 to 3 were incomplete takes and were included on the “Abbey Road (50th anniversary boxset)” in 2019. At this stage, Take 13 was considered the best.
The session ended at 9:30 pm, and work on “Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight” continued the following day.
Interestingly, it was at only the second session for the album that Paul, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, recorded “Her Majesty,” the song fragment that ended up concluding Abbey Road. Later that same day, after Ringo and George Harrison arrived, the three Beatles recorded the backing track for “Golden Slumbers”/“Carry That Weight.” The two songs were joined together even at that early stage because Paul had already come up with the idea of linking up several short snippets into a medley of sorts. No one was sure how John would react, but we got on with the work anyway. There seemed to be an assumption that he would go along with it, and that this time around, in contrast to the White Album, he wouldn’t be calling all the shots.
Geoff Emerick – From “Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of The Beatles“, 2006
Recording • Take 1
AlbumOfficially released on Abbey Road (50th anniversary boxset)
Recording • Take 2
AlbumOfficially released on Abbey Road (50th anniversary boxset)
Recording • Take 3
AlbumOfficially released on Abbey Road (50th anniversary boxset)
Recording • Take 1
AlbumOfficially released on Abbey Road (50th anniversary boxset)
Recording • Take 2
AlbumOfficially released on Abbey Road (50th anniversary boxset)
Recording • Take 3
AlbumOfficially released on Abbey Road (50th anniversary boxset)
Recording • Take 4
Recording • Take 5
Recording • Take 6
Recording • Take 7
Recording • Take 8
Recording • Take 9
Recording • Take 10
Recording • Take 11
Recording • Take 12
Recording • Take 13
Recording • Take 14
Recording • Take 15
Recording • Takes 1-15 (recorded along with "Golden Slumbers" as one track, under the working title "Golden Slumbers")
The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions • Mark Lewisohn
The definitive guide for every Beatles recording sessions from 1962 to 1970. We owe a lot to Mark Lewisohn for the creation of those session pages, but you really have to buy this book to get all the details - the number of takes for each song, who contributed what, a description of the context and how each session went, various photographies... And an introductory interview with Paul McCartney!
The Beatles Recording Reference Manual: Volume 5: Let It Be through Abbey Road (1969 - 1970)
The fifth and final book of this critically acclaimed series, "The Beatles Recording Reference Manual: Volume 5: Let It Be through Abbey Road (1969 - 1970)" follows The Beatles as they "get back to where they once belonged...". Not once, but twice. With "Let It Be", they attempted to recapture the spontaneity of their early years and recordings, while "Abbey Road" was a different kind of return - to the complexity, finish and polish that they had applied to their work beginning with "Revolver" and through to "The Beatles".
Solid State: The Story of "Abbey Road" and the End of the Beatles
Acclaimed Beatles historian Kenneth Womack offers the most definitive account yet of the writing, recording, mixing, and reception of Abbey Road. In February 1969, the Beatles began working on what became their final album together. Abbey Road introduced a number of new techniques and technologies to the Beatles' sound, and included "Come Together," "Something," and "Here Comes the Sun," which all emerged as classics.
If we modestly consider the Paul McCartney Project to be the premier online resource for all things Paul McCartney, it is undeniable that The Beatles Bible stands as the definitive online site dedicated to the Beatles. While there is some overlap in content between the two sites, they differ significantly in their approach.
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