Got to Get You into My Life
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Got to Get You into My Life" | ||
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| Single by The Beatles | ||
| from the album Revolver | ||
| B-side(s) | "Helter Skelter" | |
| Released | 31 May 1976 (U.S.) | |
| Format | 7" | |
| Recorded | Abbey Road 7 April and 17 June 1966 |
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| Genre | Rock | |
| Length | 2:27 | |
| Label | Capitol 4274 (U.S.) | |
| Writer(s) | Lennon/McCartney | |
| Producer(s) | George Martin | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| The Beatles singles chronology | ||
| "Yesterday" (UK-1976) ------ "The Long and Winding Road" (US-1970) |
"Got to Get You into My Life" (1976) |
"Back in the USSR" (1976) |
| Music sample | ||
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"Got to Get You into My Life" (file info) |
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| Revolver track listing | ||
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"Got to Get You into My Life" is a song by The Beatles on the album Revolver. It was released as a single in the US in 1976, a decade after its initial release. This was the single that was released for as a promo for the Rock and Roll Music compilation album. It hit #7 on the pop charts- this was 6 years after the band broke up, The Beatles last top ten hit there until their 1995 release "Free as a Bird". A cover version by Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers made the British Top 10 in the summer of 1966. Another cover version by Earth, Wind & Fire topped the US R&B charts and reached number 9 on the US pop charts in 1978.
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[edit] Development of song
Though officially credited to Lennon-McCartney, Paul McCartney was primarily responsible for the writing of this track, to which he also contributes lead vocals. John Lennon was said to have been very fond of the song, saying this was, "Paul at his best," according to a 1980 Playboy interview. McCartney attempted to write in the style of American soul music for this song, as particularly inspired by the Stax label. The soul revue-style horns are especially allusive to the Stax "Memphis soul" sound. Traces of Motown influence are apparent as well. It was recorded at Abbey Road Studios between 7 April and 17 June 1966 and evolved considerably between the first takes and the final version released on album.
[edit] Song structure
Following the outro chords of "I Want to Tell You", the song immediately starts with the horns. McCartney's vocals clock in at 0:07. The predominant instrument playing is the horns, similar to the soul records of the late '50s and early '60s. The chorus of the song appears at 1:04, with the song's title sung. The song switches between a verse and the refrain. The electric guitar solo clocks in at 1:53, and at 2:10 the horns come in, playing the same chords as the song opened with. The song closes with fading vocals of McCartney, much akin to the soul records of the time. The percussion instrument most predominant is the tambourine, overdubbed onto the standard drum kit.
[edit] Meaning
Although many believed it was a love song Paul was writing for a girl, he later disclosed the song was about marijuana in Barry Miles' book Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now. Many lyrics from the song suggested this - "I took a ride I didn't know what I would find there / Another road where maybe I could see some other kind of mind there.", "What can I do, what can I be when I'm with you I want to stay there / If I am true I will never leave and if I do I know the way there."
[edit] Further reading
- Lewisohn, Mark, The Complete Beatles Chronicle : Hamlyn / Octopus Publishing Group Limited, London, 1992, reprint paperback edition 2003, ISBN 0-681-02890-4
