I've Got a Feeling

"I've Got a Feeling" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1970 album Let It Be. It was recorded on 30 January 1969 during the Beatles' rooftop concert. It is a combination of two unfinished songs: Paul McCartney's "I've Got a Feeling" and John Lennon's "Everybody Had a Hard Year". [Wikipedia]

I've Got a Feeling is a song by The Beatles, written by Lennon–McCartney and led on vocal by Paul McCartney & John Lennon. Two unfinished songs welded — Paul's title and John's 'Everybody Had a Hard Year.' Within the catalogue, its rooftop thread connects it to Dig a Pony, One After 909, Get Back. This composition emerged from two unfinished songs welded together: Paul's titular 'I've Got a Feeling' and John's fragment 'Everybody Had a Hard Year.' The fusion of distinct compositional voices created structural uniqueness within the Beatles catalog. Lewisohn documents the song's evolution across multiple sessions, with Billy Preston's Hammond organ providing crucial rhythmic and harmonic support. The piece exemplified collaborative songwriting under pressure, combining disparate ideas into cohesive performance. More hard-driving than typical McCartney, with Lennon's late 1968 fragment creating an unusual compositional blend. (Kozinn 1995, p.195)

The session work falls within the band's Get Back / Rooftop (Jan 1969) period, recorded 30 Jan 1969 at Apple Studios rooftop, 3 Savile Row, London. George Martin produced; Glyn Johns, Alan Parsons (2nd) engineered. For session-by-session detail, see Mark Lewisohn's account on p.164 of The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions (excerpt below). Recorded across multiple Apple Studios sessions in late January, the song received intensive studio attention including performances for film footage. The rooftop performance on 30 January captured the song with four distinct takes of varying lengths. Billy Preston's organ playing provided production sophistication while maintaining the 'live' aesthetic the Beatles pursued. Glyn Johns's mixing emphasized the rhythmic drive and call-response vocal interplay between Paul and John, creating dynamic tension and release (Lewisohn 1988, p.164-170). The hybrid structure combining McCartney's core with Lennon's late-added fragment created production complexities during mixing. (Emerick 2006, p.523) MacDonald details how Lennon's "Everybody Had a Hard Year" fragment was grafted late into McCartney's composition as a secondary melody. (MacDonald 1994, p.241)

In the canonical discography it appears on the LP Let It Be. Documented alternate versions include Let It Be… Naked (2003), 2009 Stereo Remasters, Let It Be 50th Anniversary (2021). Mono and stereo histories vary by era — see the dedicated section below. Duration at 3m 37s places it at 90th percentile canonically and 83rd percentile within rooftop era. Paul McCartney and John Lennon dual lead vocals appear in only 6 canon songs (1 in rooftop era). A major key is shared by 34 canon songs (3 in era). The rooftop performance became iconic footage and the track established itself as concert staple, with the welded-composition structure providing model for later Lennon-McCartney collaborations emphasizing structural innovation (Lewisohn 1988, p.164-170). Multiple takes documented from Apple sessions; the addition of Lennon's fragment created variant versions across Get Back and final mixes.

Other recordings sharing era, vocalist, writer, key, studio, or producer with this one. Higher scores indicate stronger overlap on documented attributes.

• One After 909 (score 11)
• Get Back (score 10)
• Maggie Mae (score 9)
• Birthday (score 8)
• Dig It (score 8)
• The Ballad of John and Yoko (score 8)
• A Day in the Life (score 7)
• A Hard Day's Night (score 7)