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- Album This song officially appears on the Let It Be Official album.
- Timeline This song has been officially released in 1970
- Sessions This song has been recorded during the following sessions
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Song facts
From Wikipedia:
“Two of Us” is a 1969 song by the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon–McCartney).
“Two of Us” was originally released on Let It Be and was later released on Anthology 3 and Let It Be… Naked. Its title was used for a film Two of Us, which depicted a fictionalised version of a 1976 reunion between McCartney and Lennon.
History
The song was originally titled “On Our Way Home“. McCartney claimed it was dedicated to his wife-to-be Linda Eastman, though the lyrics (e.g.: “you and I have memories/longer than the road that stretches out ahead” or “you and me chasing paper/getting nowhere“) sounded to author Ian MacDonald like they were actually addressing Lennon.
An early performance of the song, in a guitar-driven rock style, can be seen in the Let It Be film. Unsatisfied with this style, which McCartney described as “chunky“, the band reworked the song around acoustic guitars. The Beatles performed a finished version of the song live at Apple Studios on 31 January 1969; this performance was included in both the Let It Be film and album. The clip was also broadcast on The Ed Sullivan Show on 1 March 1970 as the final appearance by the Beatles on the program.
In May 1969, McCartney produced a recording of the song using this title by the group Mortimer, a New York City trio that briefly recorded for Apple, but this recording was never released.
Paul McCartney in "Conversations With McCartney", by Paul Du Noyer:
All my songs, I often do that, so they can be taken more than one way. Even though I was married and in love with Linda, I’ve never written a song, [improvises] ‘Me and Linda, going out driving…’ It’s awkward, I don’t think it works. So I’d be happier to go ‘two of us,’ and it becomes a bit of a mystery: ‘Which two did you mean?’Linda used to drive out of London and liked to try and get lost. I remember we went out west one day until we hit countryside, the buildings went away, we’d park up and go into the woods and fields. I’ve got photos that Linda took of me sitting on the car with my guitar, doing that song. So it was that idea of two of us going nowhere. I don’t know what ‘spending someone’s hard-earned pay’ is, it’s just a line, doesn’t particularly mean anything to me. Or ‘burning matches, lifting latches’, there weren’t any matches or latches. It was just, ‘two of us doing stuff’, you could call that song.
Because John and I sang it, obviously then the interpretation would be, ‘Oh, those are the two of us’. It was basically about me and Linda. But when I sang it with John, it becomes about me and John.
I like that. […] I love that reinterpretation that songs do. It’s magical.
From The Usenet Guide to Beatles Recording Variations:
- [a] stereo 25 Mar 1970 (intro, 27 Mar 1970).
UK: Apple PXS 1 and PCS 7096 Let It Be 1970.
US: Apple AR 34001 Let It Be 1970.
CD: EMI CDP 7 46447 2 Let It Be 1987.“I dig a pygmy. . .Doris gets her oats”, recorded Jan 22 [21?], was edited onto the start on Jan 27.
Last updated on June 28, 2017
Lyrics
Two of us riding nowhere
Spending someone's
Hard earned pay
You and me Sunday driving
Not arriving
On our way back home
We're on our way home
We're on our way home
We're going home
Two of us sending postcards
Writing letters
On my wall
You and me burning matches
Lifting latches
On our way back home
We're on our way home
We're on our way home
We're going home
You and I have memories
Longer than the road that stretches out ahead
Two of us wearing raincoats
Standing so low
In the sun
You and me chasing paper
Getting nowhere
On our way back home
We're on our way home
We're on our way home
We're going home
You and I have memories
Longer than the road that stretches out ahead
Two of us wearing raincoats
Standing so low
In the sun
You and me chasing paper
Getting nowhere
On our way back home
We're on our way home
We're on our way home
We're going home
Officially appears on
Official album • Released in 1970
3:37 • Studio version • A • Stereo
- Paul McCartney:
- Acoustic guitar, Vocals, Whistling
- Ringo Starr:
- Drums
- John Lennon:
- Acoustic guitar, Vocals, Whistling
- George Harrison:
- Lead guitar
- George Martin:
- Producer
- Phil Spector:
- Producer
- Glyn Johns:
- Engineer
- Session Recording:
- Jan 31, 1969
- Studio:
- Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
- Session Overdubs:
- Jan 21, 1969
- Studio:
- Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
- Session Mixing:
- Mar 25, 1970
- Studio:
- EMI Studios, Room 4, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- Mar 27, 1970
- Studio:
- EMI Studios, Room 4, Abbey Road
Official album • Released in 1996
3:27 • Outtake • B • Stereo • Written by Paul and sung as a duet with John, Two Of Us captures the essence of the Get Back sessions: performed live - and carrying on despite intermittent feedback - the Beatles were both routining and recording at the same time, honing each song with constant re-playing. Here, the proximity of the two men at the microphone prompted Paul's "Take it, Phil" encouragement to John, a reference to the Everly Brothers who performed in a similar manner.
- Glyn Johns:
- Engineer
- Session Recording:
- Jan 24, 1969
- Studio:
- Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
Official album • Released in 2003
3:21 • Studio version • A1 • A remix of the original album version recorded on 31 January 1969; framing dialogue removed; minor error in Lennon's acoustic guitar performance digitally corrected.
Bootlegs
Stockholm Globe Arena, May 4, 2003
Unofficial live
4:58 • Live
Concert From the concert in Stockholm, Sweden on May 04, 2003
Videos
Concert • Mar 30, 2010 in Los Angeles
Concert • Aug 18, 2010 in Pittsburgh
Concert • Nov 22, 2010 in Sao Paulo
Live performances
“Two Of Us” has been played in 23 concerts and 8 soundchecks.
Latest concerts where “Two Of Us” has been played
Montevideo • Estadio Centenario
Apr 15, 2012 • Part of On The Run Tour
Nov 22, 2010 • Part of Up And Coming Tour
Buenos Aires • Riverplate Stadium
Nov 10, 2010 • Part of Up And Coming Tour
Pittsburgh • CONSOL Energy Center
Aug 18, 2010 • Part of Up And Coming Tour
Philadelphia • Wachovia Center
Aug 14, 2010 • Part of Up And Coming Tour
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