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 |
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| Genre | Hard rock, blues rock, psychedelic rock | |||||||
| Length | 7:47 | |||||||
| Label | Apple Records | |||||||
| Writer | Lennon–McCartney | |||||||
| Producer | George Martin | |||||||
| Abbey Road track listing | ||||||||
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"I Want You (She's So Heavy)" is a song by the Beatles, from their album Abbey Road. It was written by John Lennon, but 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), a 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.[1]
Contents |
Composition [edit]
The song opens up with a sinister bluesy riff in D minor in 12/8 which cadences on an A5 chord, which leads into a more jazzy section in A minor in 4/4 time, with Lennon singing "I want you-I want you so bad". These two sections alternate and seem to be almost competing with each other but inevitably returning to the home key. The coda consists of a three minute repetition of the ominous riff in the tonic minor, growing louder and more intense with each time, until the abrupt ending.
Recording [edit]
Lennon wrote the song about his love for Yoko Ono.[2] The song was rehearsed several times during the Get Back/Let It Be sessions; the basic track and Lennon'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, 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.[3]
Lennon and Harrison overdubbed multi-tracked heavy guitars on 18 April 1969. Billy Preston's keyboards and Ringo Starr's congas were 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)".[4] "'She's So Heavy' was about Yoko," Lennon told Rolling Stone. "When you're drowning, you don't say, 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me.' You just scream."[2]
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 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 1) 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.[5][6]
Personnel [edit]
- 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, wind machine[2]
- Billy Preston – Hammond organ
- Personnel per Ian MacDonald[7]
Covers [edit]
Numerous bands and solo artists have covered "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" in the studio and live, in particular the following:
| Performer | Album | Year | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alvin Lee | Nineteen Ninety Four | 1994 | Accompanied by George Harrison on slide guitar |
| Beatallica | Sgt. Hetfield's Motorbreath Pub Band | 2007 | Merged with Metallica's "The Call of Ktulu" to create "Ktulu (He's So Heavy)" |
| Bee Gees | - | 1978 | Performance for the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band movie, with Peter Frampton, Frankie Howerd, Dianne Steiberg and Stargard |
| Blackmail | Science Fiction | 1999 | Usage of part of the lyrics ("I want you so bad") and part of the tune for the song "3.000.000 Years From Here"[original research?] |
| Booker T. and the MGs | McLemore Avenue | 1969 | Album cover also mimicks the Abbey Road album cover |
| Coroner | Mental Vortex | 1991 | |
| Earth to Andy | Simple Machine | 1998 | As hidden track at the end of the album that features a "talking guitar" effect |
| Eddie Hazel | Game, Dames and Guitar Thangs | 1977 | Eddie Hazel's solo debut album |
| Eric Gales Band | Picture of a Thousand Faces | 1993 | |
| The Flaming Lips | - | 2011 | 15 minute performance of the song at NYE Freakout in Oklahoma City, in honor of the special guest performance by The Plastic Ono Band |
| George Benson | The Other Side of Abbey Road | 1970 | |
| George Lynch | Furious George | 2004 | Cover album |
| Groove Collective | - | 1996 | Single, which charted in the US |
| Halestorm | ReAnimate: ThE cOvErS eP (EP) | 2011 | |
| Jambi's Revenge | Origins | 2010 | |
| Joe Anderson, Dana Fuchs and T.V. Carpio | - | 2007 | Performance by cast members for Julie Taymor's film Across the Universe' |
| John Legend | Live in Philadelphia | 2008 | |
| The Last Shadow Puppets | - | 2008 | Performance during the BBC Electric Proms[8] |
| Noir Désir | Dies Irae | 1994 | Live album; the title means Days of Wrath (lat.) |
| Robyn Hitchcock | CD: Various Artists - Abbey Road Now! | 2009 | Album of covers of songs from Abbey Road |
| Sarah Vaughan | Songs of the Beatles | 1981 | Omits any "She's So Heavy" vocals |
| Soda Stereo | - | 1990−91 | Covered song in several live performances during that time |
| Soulive | Rubber Soulive | 2010 | Beatles cover album |
| Steel Train | 1969 | 2004 | Cover album |
| Thrice | - | 2010 | Released as download track for their label Vagrant Records[9] |
| Transatlantic | All of the above | 2000 | Live album, cover appears as last segment of the closing medley |
| Type O Negative | World Coming Down | 1999 | As part of a medley with "Day Tripper" and "If I Needed Someone" |
| Phillips, Grier & Flinner | Looking Back | 2002 | Instrumental version, with David Grier on acoustic guitar, Todd Phillips (musician) on acoustic bass, and Matt Flinner on mandolin |
Notes [edit]
- ^ The Beatles. J Lennon, P McCartney, G Harrison… - John Lennon - books.google.com
- ^ a b c "59 - 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)' -". 100 Greatest Beatles Songs. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
- ^ "George Harrison interview with Ritchie Yorke, September, 1969". Ottawa Beatles Site. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
- ^ Voice Leading and Harmony as Expressive Devices in the Early Music of the Beatles:'She Loves You'W Everett - College Music Symposium, 1992 - JSTOR
- ^ Willman, Chris (2006-12-26). "peace". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2010-07-25.
- ^ "The Beatles: LOVE". Yahoo!. 2006-11-20. Retrieved 2010-07-25.
- ^ MacDonald 2005, p. 342.
- ^ "Last Shadow Puppets cover The Beatles in Liverpool". NME. 2008-10-25. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
- ^ "Competition to win Thrice songs for download". Vagrant Records. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
References [edit]
- 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 [edit]
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