I Want You (She's So Heavy)

"I Want You (She's So Heavy)"
Song by The Beatles from the album Abbey Road
Released	26 September 1969
Recorded	22 February–11 August 1969, EMI and Trident studios, London
Genre	Progressive rock, hard rock, blues rock
Length	7:47
Label	Apple Records
Writer	Lennon–McCartney
Producer	George Martin
Abbey Road track listing
17 tracks Side one "Come Together" "Something" "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" "Oh! Darling" "Octopus's Garden" "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" Side two "Here Comes the Sun" "Because" "You Never Give Me Your Money" "Sun King" "Mean Mr. Mustard" "Polythene Pam" "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" "Golden Slumbers" "Carry That Weight" "The End" "Her Majesty"
Music sample "I Want You (She's So Heavy)"

"I Want You (She's So Heavy)" is a song by The Beatles, from their album Abbey Road. It was written by John Lennon, although credited to Lennon–McCartney.

This song is an unusual Beatles' composition for a variety of reasons, namely its length (nearly eight minutes), few lyrics (basically the title is the lyric, aside from two more phrases; only 14 different words are sung), three-minute descent through repeated guitar chords (a similar arpeggiated figure appears in another Lennon contribution to the album, "Because"), and abrupt ending. It is one of the last songs that the Beatles mixed as a group, on 20 August 1969.

Recording

The song was rehearsed several times during the Get Back/Let It Be sessions; the basic track and John's guide vocal (which is used in the master) were recorded at Trident Studios on 22 February 1969, shortly after filming for the film ended.

Lennon played the lead guitar, including the solo. As George Harrison stated:

It's very heavy. John plays lead guitar and sings the same as he plays. It's really basically a bit like a blues. The riff that he sings and plays is really a very basic blues-type thing. But again, it's very original sort of John-type song.

Lennon and Harrison overdubbed multi-tracked heavy guitars on 18 April 1969, and Billy Preston's keyboards and Ringo Starr's conga drums were also added on 20 April 1969. "I Want You" received the "She's So Heavy" vocals on 11 August, and thus the title became "I Want You (She's So Heavy)".

Three takes from 22 February were edited into a master (second generation), which was overdubbed, mixed down on 18 April (third generation), and overdubbed on 18 April, 20 April and 11 August. Different overdubs were made to the second generation tape on 8 August. The mix is the third generation for 4:37 (up to "She's So") and then the second generation tape, which has white noise (produced by the Moog synthesizer, played by Lennon) and additional drums added on 8 August. The overdub session for "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" was the last time all four Beatles worked in the studio together.

The final master lasted 8:04, but Lennon decided on a surprise ending. During the final edit with the guitars, drums and white noise climaxing to no end, he told Emerick to "cut it right there" at the 7:44 mark, bringing the song (and side one of the album) to an abrupt end. On Love, the three-minute stretch of repeated guitar chords that ends the song intercuts with elements of "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" and "Helter Skelter", while retaining the abrupt cut to silence at the end.

Personnel

• John Lennon – lead and harmony vocals, lead guitar, Moog synthesizer
• Paul McCartney – harmony vocals, bass guitar
• George Harrison – harmony vocals, lead guitar
• Ringo Starr – drums, congas
• Billy Preston – Hammond organ

Personnel per Ian MacDonald

Covers

Numerous bands and solo artists have covered "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" in studio versions and in live performances. The following artists have released recordings of the song:

• Alvin Lee on his album Nineteen Ninety Four in 1994. He is accompanied by George Harrison on slide guitar.
• Beatallica on their album Sgt. Hetfield's Motorbreath Pub Band in 2007. They merged the song with Metallica's "The Call of Ktulu" to create "Ktulu (He's So Heavy)."
• The Bee Gees, Peter Frampton, Frankie Howerd, Dianne Steiberg, and Stargard perform the song for the movie Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1978.
• Blackmail use part of the lyrics ("I want you so bad") and part of the tune in their song "3.000.000 Years From Here" on their album Science Fiction in 1999.
• Booker T. and the MGs on their album McLemore Avenue, the cover of which also mimicked the Abbey Road album cover, in 1969.
• Coroner on their Mental Vortex album in 1991.
• Eddie Hazel on his solo debut Game, Dames and Guitar Thangs in 1977.
• The Eric Gales Band on their album Picture of a Thousand Faces in 1993.
• The Flaming Lips performed a 15 minute version of the song at their NYE Freakout in Oklahoma City in 2011. It was the first time they performed this version, in honor of the special guest performance by The Plastic Ono Band.
• George Benson on his album The Other Side of Abbey Road in 1969.
• George Lynch on his cover album Furious George in 2004.
• Groove Collective released a cover of the song as a single, which charted in the US in 1996.
• Halestorm on their EP ReAnimate: ThE cOvErS eP in 2011.
• Jambi's Revenge on their album Origins in 2010.
• Cast members Joe Anderson, Dana Fuchs and T.V. Carpio perform the song for Julie Taymor's film Across the Universe in 2007.
• John Legend on his album Live in Philadelphia in 2008.
• The Last Shadow Puppets during the BBC Electric Proms in 2008.
• Noir Désir on their live album Dies Irae (Days of Wrath) in 1994.
• Sarah Vaughan on her album Songs of the Beatles in 1981. This version omits any "She's So Heavy" vocals.
• Soda Stereo, an Argentinian band, covered the song in several performances between 1990 and 1991.
• Steel Train on their cover album 1969 in 2004.
• Thrice released a cover of this song for their label, Vagrant Records, in 2010.
• Transatlantic in their live album All of the above in 2000, as last segment of the closing medley.
• Type O Negative on their album World Coming Down in 1999, as part of a medley with "Day Tripper" and "If I Needed Someone."

References

• MacDonald, Ian (2005). Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties (Second Revised ed.). London: Pimlico (Rand). ISBN 1-84413-828-3. 

External links

• Alan W. Pollack's analysis of "I Want You (She's So Heavy)"