Saturday, February 22, 1969
Recording "I Want You (She's So Heavy)"
For The Beatles
Last updated on March 30, 2025
Saturday, February 22, 1969
For The Beatles
Last updated on March 30, 2025
Feb 22 - Aug 25, 1969 • Songs recorded during this session appear on Abbey Road
Recording studio: Trident Studios • London • UK
Previous session February 14-22, 1969 ? • Continuation of the "Get Back" sessions ?
Album Feb 21, 1969 • "Post Card (UK version - Stereo)" by Mary Hopkin released in the UK
Album Feb 21, 1969 • "Post Card (UK version - Mono)" by Mary Hopkin released in the UK
Session Feb 22, 1969 • Recording "I Want You (She's So Heavy)"
Session Feb 22 - Aug 25, 1969 • "Abbey Road" sessions
Session Feb 23, 1969 • Editing "I Want You (She's So Heavy)"
AlbumSome of the songs worked on during this session were first released on the "Abbey Road" LP
The Beatles had rehearsed “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” during the “Get Back” sessions on January 28, 29 and 31, 1969, at their own Apple Studio.
On this day, February 22, 1969, they regrouped at London’s Trident Studios, joined by producer George Martin and engineer Glyn Johns — who had engineered the “Get Back” sessions — for what would become their first formal recording session following the “Get Back” project. The goal at the time was likely to bolster the material recorded in January to support a potential album release. In hindsight, however, this session marked the beginning of what would become the “Abbey Road” album.
I just wonder whether or not the “Get Back” sessions were continuing, because the 22nd of February at Trident, “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”, is that the beginning of “Abbey Road” or are they still working on “Get Back”?
Peter Jackson – From The Beatles’ February 1969 “mystery recording session” with Peter Jackson
The three-week gap between the final day of the “Get Back” sessions (January 31) and this session can be explained by several scheduling conflicts: Ringo Starr was occupied with filming “The Magic Christian,” George Harrison was hospitalized for a tonsillectomy from February 7 to 15, and Glyn Johns had traveled to Los Angeles to work with the Steve Miller Band.
However, some mystery surrounds this period. Glyn Johns’ personal diary, along with photographic evidence, suggests that Beatles-related activity took place at Apple Studios between February 14 and 22. For February 22 specifically, his diary note, “(SATURDAY) 2PM – APPLE. TRIDENT Beatles 5PM–5AM,” implies a possible session at Apple earlier in the day, followed by the well-documented recording session at Trident in the evening.
According to Mark Lewisohn in “The Complete Beatles Chronicle“ and Kevin Howlett in the book accompanying the “Abbey Road” 50th anniversary boxset, Trident was chosen for the February 22 session because Apple Studio was undergoing a re-build and the EMI equipment lent for the “Get Back” sessions had been returned. This, however, appears to conflict with the theory that The Beatles were working at Apple Studios throughout the preceding week.
The Beatles arrived at Trident Studios at 8 pm and recorded 35 takes of “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”, although only a limited number were complete takes. John Lennon played electric guitar (track one) and provided vocals (track seven), with Paul McCartney on bass (track five), George Harrison on electric guitar (track four) and Ringo Starr on drums (tracks two and three). The session ended at 5 am the following morning.
The following day, a master take would be assembled by editing together takes 9, 20 and 32 from this day.
For an overnight session on February 22, 1969, The Beatles were joined at London’s Trident Studios by producer George Martin and engineer Glyn Johns to record “I Want You (She’s So Heavy).” Abbey Road’s new edition combines a take from that session with the concluding part of the Trident master’s eight-track reduction mix made later at the EMI studios, revealing for the first time Billy Preston’s thrilling overdubbed organ solo. With their amps turned up high, The Beatles received a noise complaint from one of the studio’s neighbors in the Soho area of the city. The take starts with Lennon exclaiming, “My boys are ready to go!,” before the band is told about the complaint. Lennon replies, “What are they doing here at this time of night?,” then lays it down: “Well, we’ll try it once more very loud. And then if we don’t get it, we’ll try it quiet, like it might do it the other way. OK. The loud one, last go. Last chance to be loud!”
From Abbey Road Anniversary Editions OUT NOW! – The BEATLES, 2019
Glyn Johns: John?
John Lennon: Yes, what?
Glyn Johns: John, is it possible without affecting yourselves too much to turn down a little? Apparently, there’s been a complaint
John Lennon: From who?
Glyn Johns: From somebody outside the building.
John Lennon: What are they doing here at this time of night? What guy?
Paul McCartney: It’s his own fault for getting a house in such a lousy district.
John Lennon: Well, we’ll try it once more very loud, and then if we don’t get it, we’ll try it quiet, like it might do it the other way. Ok. The loud one, last go. Last chance to be loud.
From the book accompanying the “Abbey Road” 50th anniversary boxset, by Kevin Howlett, 2019
Recording • Take 1
Recording • Take 2
Recording • Take 3
Recording • Take 4
Recording • Take 5
Recording • Take 6
Recording • Take 7
Recording • Take 8
Recording • Take 9. The following day, a composite master take was assembled using portions from Take 9, Take 20 and Take 32.
Recording • Take 10
Recording • Take 11
Recording • Take 12
Recording • Take 13
Recording • Take 14
Recording • Take 15
Recording • Take 16
Recording • Take 17
Recording • Take 18
Recording • Take 19
Recording • Take 20. The following day, a composite master take was assembled using portions from Take 9, Take 20 and Take 32.
Recording • Take 21
Recording • Take 22
Recording • Take 23
Recording • Take 24
Recording • Take 25
Recording • Take 26
Recording • Take 27
Recording • Take 28
Recording • Take 29
Recording • Take 30
Recording • Take 31
Recording • Take 32. The following day, a composite master take was assembled using portions from Take 9, Take 20 and Take 32.
Recording • Take 33
Recording • Take 34
Recording • Take 35
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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