Who knew that ‘Get Back’ by The Beatles began as a song mocking the immigration policies of the Conservative British government at the time? To a lesser extent The Beatles took a swipe at the xenophobic policy displayed by the ‘Great American Melting Pot’ known as the United States.
Back in 1968 tensions were swirling in Great Britain as factions of the government were appealing to public fear in order to manufacture dissent. Member of Parliament, Enoch Powell delivered a scathing and divisive oration during parliamentary session famously referred to as the ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech.
Similarities to some of the hate spewed by modern day politicians should be noted.
“Here is a decent, ordinary fellow Englishman, who in broad daylight in my own town says to me, his Member of Parliament, that the country will not be worth living in for his children. I simply do not have the right to shrug my shoulders and think about something else. What he is saying, thousands and hundreds of thousands are saying and thinking – not throughout Great Britain, perhaps, but in the areas that are already undergoing the total transformation to which there is no parallel in a thousand years of English history. We must be mad, literally mad, as a nation to be permitting the annual inflow of some 50,000 dependents, who are for the most part the material of the future growth of the immigrant descended population. It is like watching a nation busily engaged in heaping up its own funeral pyre. So insane are we that we actually permit unmarried persons to immigrate for the purpose of founding a family with spouses and fiancées whom they have never seen.”
Enoch Powell
Sound familiar? Powell went on and on.
For reasons which they could not comprehend, and in pursuance of a decision by default, on which they were never consulted, they found themselves made strangers in their own country. They found their wives unable to obtain hospital beds in childbirth, their children unable to obtain school places, their homes and neighbourhoods changed beyond recognition, their plans and prospects for the future defeated; at work they found that employers hesitated to apply to the immigrant worker the standards of discipline and competence required of the native-born worker; they began to hear, as time went by, more and more voices which told them that they were now the unwanted. On top of this, they now learn that a one-way privilege is to be established by Act of Parliament; a law which cannot, and is not intended to, operate to protect them or redress their grievances, is to be enacted to give the stranger, the disgruntled and the agent provocateur the power to pillory them for their private actions.”
Enoch Powell
Powell’s diatribe was issued as an effort to suppress what was known as the Race-Relations Bill. It was his determination along with the rest of the Conservative Party that such a government act would be an act of discrimination against old stock British citizens.
The discrimination and the deprivation, the sense of alarm and of resentment, lies not with the immigrant population but with those among whom they have come and are still coming. This is why to enact legislation of the kind before parliament at this moment is to risk throwing a match on to gunpowder.”
Enoch Powell
Like many Conservatives through the years, Powell failed to address the root cause of the need for immigration and the reason why destinations like the United Kingdom, the United States and even Canada were seen as a safe haven. Rather than focus on foreign policy and the result of imperialism and exploitive and predatory economic practices, Powell determined that all immigrants were a plague on humanity and like any systemic flaw, they needed to be ‘controlled’.
In these circumstances nothing will suffice but that the total inflow for settlement should be reduced at once to negligible proportions, and that the necessary legislative and administrative measures be taken without delay.”
Enoch Powell
He managed to double down on this premise by suggesting that these undesirables would not integrate, but they would instead only form pockets of unwanted ethnic communities within their country, thus creating a vast nation rife with racial and religious differences.
Powell went on to point out the social issues and Civil Rights crises in the United States as an example of what would befall ol’ Britannia if they continued down the same path. You will note that this speech was delivered a short time after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.
As I look ahead, I am filled with foreboding. Like the Roman, I seem to see “the River Tiber foaming with much blood”. That tragic and intractable phenomenon which we watch with horror on the other side of the Atlantic but which there is interwoven with the history and existence of the States itself, is coming upon us here by our own volition and our own neglect. Indeed, it has all but come. In numerical terms, it will be of American proportions long before the end of the century. Only resolute and urgent action will avert it even now. Whether there will be the public will to demand and obtain that action, I do not know. All I know is that to see, and not to speak, would be the great betrayal”
Enoch Powell
Drawing from the Conservative playbook, Powell brought in religious tropes and loosely relevant biblical quotes to emphasize his weak and grossly intolerant stance.
Naturally, the often-reactionary church going community complimented Powell on his stance.
Fortunately, ‘The Times’ openly declared his proclamation as ‘evil’, aptly pointing out that the essence of his speech harkened on policy that brought the world to war just over one generation previously.
This is the first time that a serious British politician has appealed to racial hatred in this direct way in our postwar history.”
The Times
With the benefit of hindsight, the fallout from this address appears to be both completely by design and predictable.
Almost immediately these words divided the country. Protestors took to the streets and people in support of this Conservative stance displayed signs that read “Back Britain not Black Britain.”
Sound familiar?
Moved to such an extent by the events unfolding, George Harrison wrote this short piece that he titled ‘Sour Milk Sea’ which repeated the line;
Get back to where you should be”
George Harrison
The essence of this song, which Harrison wrote as a means to promote the value of meditation in an effort to improve oneself became somewhat obscured by time, but not completely lost. While Enoch Powell was espousing hatred and fear of others as a way of justifying one’s shortcomings, George Harrison had famously advocated that we look within ourselves in order to achieve a greater purpose.
In a 1979 interview George Harrison offered this cryptic gem.
Looking for release from limitation? There’s nothing much without illumination …Get out of ‘Sour Milk Sea’. You don’t belong there…”
George Harrison
Here is ‘Sour Milk Sea’ which never made it to a Beatles album. Despite Harrison’s emergence as a song writer, the track was cut from what would become ‘The White Album’.
It was later recorded by Jackie Lomax with George Harrison producing and Paul McCartney on bass.
Note the complete set of lyrics which are a pointed attack on people who look to blame everybody but themselves for their lot in life.
Months later when the calendar turned to 1969 tensions were still high and while The Beatles were getting together at Twickenham Studios the jam session flowed from a rhythm track Paul McCartney created on his Hohner bass. As the music unfolded Paul McCartney remembered George Harrison’s ‘Get Back’ message from ‘Sour Milk Sea’ and he altered it to “Get Back to where you once belonged”.
Two days later, McCartney had a rough draft of ‘Get Back’ ready that was written as a social commentary relates to the racial unrest that was prevailing in Great Britain.
Elements of the lyrics were dripping in sarcasm and they took dead aim at the racist undertones that existed on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Lines such as “don’t need no Puerto Ricans living in the USA”; and “don’t dig no Pakistanis taking all the people’s jobs” in Great Britain. Later during the same session, the subject of immigration came up again in an improvised jam that has become known as “Commonwealth”. The lyrics included a line
Dirty Enoch Powell said to the immigrants, immigrants you better get back to your commonwealth homes/Heath said to Enoch Powell you better get out, or heads are gonna roll.”
John Lennon and Paul McCartney
These lyrics were meant to be a parody and a criticism of those prejudiced against immigrants, but the group was somewhat reluctant to share these words because they were concerned that they would be misconstrued. Public alert: Sometimes people don’t understand sarcasm. This is a common trait amongst the humourless CONservative population. Nuance is often an issue.
This is all just a prelude to explain how the concept for ‘Get Back’ unfolded. It serves as a fine example of how such a happy and upbeat song started out as something so completely different.
The beauty of ‘Get Back’ as a study in The Beatles song writing process is captured in its evolution, that to our eternal blessing is pretty much all captured on film as a result of Peter Jackson’s acclaimed documentary ‘The Beatles: Get Back’.
It was on this day exactly 55 years ago that The Beatles along with Billy Preston recorded as many as 14 takes of ‘Get Back’. Check out this passage that includes the anti- Pakistani verse and some footage of the protests that emerged as a result of the racist stance presented by Enoch Powell.
Meanwhile back at home too many Pakistanis
John Lennon and Paul McCartney
Living in a council flat
Candidate Macmillan, tell us what your plan is
Won’t you tell us where you’re at?”
And the Puerto Rican verse goes something like this.
A man came from Puerto Rico, oh, he joined the middle class. Where I came from, I don’t need no Puerto Ricans. Take the English job, only Pakistanis riding on the buses, man. All the people said we don’t need Pakistanis, so you better travel home. Don’t dig no Pakistanis taking all the people’s jobs. Don’t need no Puerto Ricans living in the U.S.A. Don’t want no black man.”
John Lennon and Paul McCartney
To paraphrase the mental midget who somehow became President of the United States.
This is an island surrounded by water, big water, ocean water,”
Rapist in Chief
Sadly, when the bootleg versions of these takes got out, people completely missed the satire, and accusations of racism plagued The Beatles, specifically Paul McCartney who had to vociferously defend himself.
When we were doing ‘Let it Be’ there were a couple of verses to ‘Get Back’ which were actually not racist at all – they were anti-racist. There were a lot of stories in the newspapers then about Pakistanis crowding out flats – you know, living 16 to a room or whatever. So, in one of the verses of ‘Get Back’, which we were making up on the set of ‘Let It Be’, one of the outtakes has something about ‘too many Pakistanis living in a council flat’ – that’s the line. Which to me was actually talking out against overcrowding for Pakistanis… If there was any group that was not racist, it was the Beatles. I mean, all our favourite people were always black. We were kind of the first people to open international eyes, in a way, to Motown.”
Paul McCartney
The verse we all know as ‘Sweet Loretta’ was created to replace the ‘No Pakistani’ passage. It was modified on the spot because the band understood that the ‘No Pakistanis’ angle, although it was socially relevant and provocative, it was falling flat in terms of lyrical flow.
We were sitting in the studio and we made it up out of thin air … we started to write words there and then … when we finished it, we recorded it at Apple Studios and made it into a song to roller-coast by.”
Paul McCartney
Here is an example of the banter that was famously captured amidst all of the recordings by Michael Lindsay-Hogg during The Beatles ‘Let it Be’ recording sessions, and what would become both the ‘Let it Be’ documentary and ultimately the acclaimed ‘The Beatles: Get Back’ documentary.
Just one more example of the John Lennon wit.
Who are you talking about?
John Lennon
Sweet Loretta Fart. She thought she was a cleaner
Sweet Rosetta Martin
But she was a frying pan, yeah
Rosetta
The picker! The picker! Picture the fingers burning!
Oo-wee!
OK?”
The ’Get Back’ single included a coda that began after a false ending.
Get back Loretta, your mummy’s waiting for you, wearing her high-heeled shoes and her low-neck sweater, get back home, Loretta.”
Paul McCartney
It was while The Beatles were piecing together ‘Get Back’ that Billy Preston dropped by the Twickenham studios on January 21, 1969. Up until that point the sessions had been somewhat stale. Earlier in the month things were so bad that George, famously quit the band briefly. As we all know he returned soon after but this period of time was definitely The Beatles’ swan song. The band was splintering.
Billy Preston was cited as the ray of sunshine that brought George Harrison back to the Beatles during the ‘Let it Be’ sessions, and above and beyond that, each of the members seemed to be invigorated by his presence.
The relationship between Billy Preston and The Beatles goes all the way back to 1962 when they met while performing in nightclubs in Hamburg. After Harrison left the band in early January, he met up with Preston who was playing piano for Ray Charles. He invited his old friend to drop by the studios to rekindle their old friendship. Here is George Harrison’s recollection of how the entire studio dynamic changed when Billy Preston arrived on the scene.
He came in while we were down in the basement, running through ‘Get Back’, and I went up to reception and said, ‘Come in and play on this because they’re all acting strange’. He was all excited. I knew the others loved Billy anyway, and it was like a breath of fresh air. It’s interesting to see how nicely people behave when you bring a guest in, because they don’t really want everybody to know that they’re so bitchy… He got on the electric piano, and straight away there was 100% improvement in the vibe in the room. Having this fifth person was just enough to cut the ice that we’d created among ourselves.”
George Harrison
The result of this chemistry can be heard in virtually every studio version that is available, as well as the famous ‘Rooftop Sessions’ that were captured on a blustery morning in late January of 1969. Here is take one.
The Billy Preston piano solo was spontaneous. The only negative to this video is the fact he gets so little camera time as he is obscured as a result of the camera angles. You can briefly see him behind Paul just before the ‘Sweet Loretta Martin’ verse.
Speaking of solos, you will notice that John Lennon plays the lead guitar solo on ‘Get Back’. John speaks to this decision here.
Yes, I played the solo on [‘Get Back’]. When Paul was feeling kindly, he would give me a solo! Maybe if he was feeling guilty that he had most of the a-side or something, he would give me a solo. And I played the solo on that.”
John Lennon
Another version of ‘Get Back’ from the ‘Rooftop Concert’ features Paul McCartney deriding the police who had arrived on the scene due to the noise complaints. This can be heard on ‘Beatles Anthology 3’.
You been out too long, Loretta! You’ve been playing on the roofs again! That’s no good! You know your mommy doesn’t like that! Oh, she’s getting angry… she’ll have you arrested! Get back!”
Paul McCartney
Anecdotes related to ‘Get Back’ and this period of the band are plentiful, but sometimes a lot of the story can be found within the song itself.
So, without further-adieu, here are the ultimate lyrics for ‘Get Back’.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney
Jo Jo was a man who thought he was a loner
But he knew it couldn’t last
Jo Jo left his home in Tucson, Arizona
For some California grass
Get back, get back
Get back to where you once belonged
Get back, get back
Get back to where you once belonged
Get back Jo Jo
Go home
Get back, get back
Get back to where you once belonged
Get back, get back
Back to where you once belonged
Get back, Jo
Sweet Loretta Martin thought she was a woman
But she was another man
All the girls around her say she’s got it coming
But she gets it while she can
Oh, get back, get back
Get back to where you once belonged
Get back, get back
Get back to where you once belonged
Get back, Loretta
Go home
Oh, get back, get back
Get back to where you once belonged
Get back, get back
Get back to where you once belonged
Get back
Woo…”
Now you can join in and sing along.
Through the years John Lennon’s famous closing quip has often been quoted. The utterance in its complete context has been somewhat lost to time. Lennon did say this after following what became known as Take 3 but it slightly drowns out Paul’s reaction to Ringo Starr’s wife Maureen, who was cheering loudly.
In the actual footage Paul says ‘Thanks Mo!” and then Lennon offers his appreciation on behalf of the group.
John Lennon
I’d like to say “thank you” on behalf of the group
And ourselves and I hope we passed the audition!)”
It was Phil Spector who opted to edit this tribute onto the end of the ‘Let it Be’ version of ‘Get Back’.
Further to John Lennon, he loved ‘Get Back’ as a Beatles song. He considered it;
Get Back’ is Paul. That’s a better version of ‘Lady Madonna’. You know, a potboiler rewrite.”
John Lennon
Through the years there has been a contention that Yoko Ono played a role in breaking up The Beatles and some of the evidence to this point was footage from Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s ‘Let it Be’ editing. John Lennon added to this theory in his famous 1980 ‘Playboy’ interview. He suggested that Paul sang it at her in studio.
I’ve always thought there was this underlying thing in Paul’s ‘Get Back.’ When we were in the studio recording it, every time he sang the line ‘Get back to where you once belonged,’ he’d look at Yoko.”
John Lennon
When interview David Sheff responded “Are you kidding”, incredulously, Lennon backed off slightly by saying;
No. But maybe he’ll say I’m paranoid.”
John Lennon
Perhaps the lengthy reels that Peter Jackson unveiled in his comprehensive documentary will serve to acknowledge that this perspective on The Beatles history was not entirely accurate.
Today’s look at ‘Get Back’ is complimented by about a dozen covers and additional performances through the years. This will take us on a chronological tour from 1970 to the present. It all begins with ‘Mama Soul’; the legendary Doris Troy. This version was recorded for her self-titled album that was released on Apple Records in 1970 and co-produced by George Harrison. It didn’t make the cut for the original release but it did get added to the 1992 re-issue. This is so good.
For more on this check out:
Just know that guest musicians on this album included:
George
Billy Preston
Ringo
Alan White
Peter Frampton
Klaus Voorman
Stephen Stills
Leon Russell
Bonnie and Delaney
Rita Coolidge
Eric Clapton
Bobby Whitlock
Jim Gordon
It’s like the roots that gave us ‘All Things Must Pass’, meshed with the cast of Mad Dogs and Englishmen and Derek and the Dominos. They all converged during one brief period. This is just one of the incredible offerings as we look back through the time capsule. All I am saying is take a listen to this album, because Doris Troy is a gift to music.
Speaking of special moments in time, if you thought Doris Troy reminded you a little of Tina Turner you are likely not alone. Listen to this rollicking live version by Ike and Tina Turner and see what I mean.
Still in 1970, enjoy the Count Basie Orchestra. This is some quality listening.
Classify this 1974 Billy Preston recording as an essential chapter within the ‘Get Back’ story. Billy Preston’s role in ‘Get Back’ can never be forgotten. Another key takeaway from Peter Jackson’s documentary was the fact that Billy Preston was the glue that held The Beatles together during these sessions. That piano…Yes!
When I was growing up in Acton, my friend Nick’s parents were an influential part of my music journey. Bernie and Maggie were from England and they saw many of the acts I only dreamed of seeing. Maggie saw The Beatles at the Cavern Club. Imagine! They had cool stories. They were the coolest of the cool parents in my friend group. Part of the musical past they shared was how important Cliff Richard was as a performer in Great Britain. By the early part of this century Cliff Richard was the third top selling artist in UK chart history, behind just The Beatles and Elvis Presley. While he didn’t gain the same notoriety on this side of the pond this little lesson has always stuck with me. I was reminded of this when I saw that Richard performed ‘Get Back’ during his 1974/5 tour. This is part of a 2009 remaster.
Once again, while researching covers of ‘Get Back’ I was greeted by this great moment in music history. This is from Don Kirshner’s ‘Rock Concert’ in 1975. Joe Walsh is joined on stage by Don Felder and Glenn Frey. This foreshadows their eventual joining of forces, in what would become the best version of the Eagles. This is just a great jam, especially when you consider the comfort Walsh and Felder display while playing together. Within a couple of years they would compose ‘Hotel California’
The rest of this ensemble is pretty powerful too, so it needs to be mentioned. That’s Joe Vitale on drums. Joe Ferguson is playing the piano. Willie Weeks is the bassist. Rocky Dzidzornu gives us his unique percussion style. Rocky is the guy who shared the stage with Charlie Watts in studio while The Rolling Stones recorded ‘Sympathy for the Devil’, ‘Straycat Blues’ and ‘Factory Girl’ for ‘Beggars Banquet’. Finally, the organ player is none other that David (don’t call me Dave; different musician) Mason. Mason had just recently worked with Todd Rundgren and Utopia. This is truly an all-star cast.
The incredible high energy performances keep on coming. Here is Rod Stewart live in 1976. This band is also a ton of fun. Among others, Stewarts band on this tour included Phil Chen on bass, who I recently included in a post about Jeff Beck (‘Freeway Jam’) and Carmine Appice on drums (‘Freeway Jam and ‘Superstition’). This is all about the energy Rod Stewart brings to the stage, and the band is all in on the presentation.
For a nice change of pace check out this 1981 recording from Sarah Vaughan who recorded ‘Get Back’ on her ‘Songs of the Beatles’ album.
Remember Tina Turner’s recording from 1970? Well, here she is again on stage at the 1986 Prince’s Trust concert along with Paul McCartney and many others. How about Paul Young, Bryan Adams, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Midge Ure, John Mellencamp and Mark Knopfler? When you see musicians having fun on stage the spirit is contagious. This happens at every level. In the smallest pubs, all the way to the biggest stages of the world. It seems to me, there is no bigger stage in the world than Wembley Stadium.
Another prominent U.K. act that doesn’t get the love in North America is Status Quo. Here is their quality take on ‘Get Back’. This is from their 30th anniversary album ‘Don’t Stop’ in 1996. These guys never disappoint.
Bringing it into the 2000s with yet another act that has been around almost as long as The Beatles, check out this 2004 offering from Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The album ‘Welcome to Woody Creek’ presents ‘Get Back’ as a bluegrass track and all of a sudden, we are getting back to the Appalachians. This is incredible. If you ever want to spend some quality time listening to great music while exploring a fascinating musical family tree, check out the roots that the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band laid down. Hint: Jackson Browne cut his performing teeth with an early incarnation of this band.
Before I leave you to explore the many avenues I created in today’s labyrinth, let’s have a look at Sir Paul as he invites a couple of old friends on stage with him in 2018. In this clip, we see Paul McCartney along with Ronnie Wood, who seems to be everywhere. Then, who should come bounding out but the ‘ever fantastic’ Mr. Ringo Starr. He is 78 years old, and he displays the energy of someone less than half that age.
What else can be said about The Beatles?
Just sit back and take it all in. The more I type, the more I love them.
The more I listen, the more I marvel at the timelessness of their catalogue.
The legend continues. We are so lucky to share the same carbon footprint.
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