Peter Jackson's documentary Get Back is a one of a kind look into the process of the world's most famous band, The Beatles. The film was compiled from over 60 hours of footage that was taken back when The Beatles were recording their album Let It Be in 1968. Until now, these sessions were known for causing the split between the group when Yoko Ono allegedly sat on Paul's amp. However, Peter Jackson's eight-hour cut shows audiences an unfiltered look at the band. It shows their ups and downs, and how they manage to find enjoyment working together through difficult times.
Throughout the film, The Beatles are tasked with making an album they can perform live. To achieve this, the group sifts through a wide array of material before figuring out which songs make the cut and which don't. The following list contains songs that were played by the band in the documentary, but not finished for the Let It Be album they are seen working on.
10 "Jealous Guy"
The very first song that is played in the film is by John Lennon alone by his amp. As the Apple crew sets up the sound stage the fab four will be rehearsing and recording on, John sings a familiar melody. At that point, it was his unfinished song "On the Road to Marrakesh". The lyrics revolve around being a child of nature who doesn't need much to feel free. George Harrison harmonizes with John at the end of what is the supposed to be the song's chorus.
Ultimately unfinished, the song was shelved for a few years before being finished by Lennon in 1971 for his album Imagine. Only by then the lyrics of the song had completely changed. Lennon maintained the very same chord progression and melody only changing the lyrics to be an apology song. His introspection of his own behaviors lead to what we know and love today to be "Jealous Guy". A track where Lennon is fully vulnerable due to the unabashed honesty of the words.
9 "Thinking of Linking"
In the early days of the Let It Be sessions, The Beatles were trying just about any and every song to see what felt good to record. Somewhere during the beginning of this process, Paul McCartney briefly performs a rendition of an older song of his. "Thinking of Linking" was a song McCartney wrote in the early days and used to perform with The Beatles under the old pseudonym, The Quarrymen. The tune was overlooked in these sessions, but was much later resurrected during filming sessions for the Anthology documentary series.
In the Anthology DVD there is a recording of George, Paul, and Ringo, performing the song for the cameras. Although never officially released on any Beatles records, the performance can be found as a special feature on the aforementioned DVD. A very special treat for hardcore fans of the group.
8 "Gimme Some Truth"
The radically political rock n roll track "Gimme Some Truth" was shocking to see in this documentary. From the public's perspective Lennon was always the political one of the group, Paul was the uncontroversial family man. However, Get Back clearly shows the two of them in cahoots over "Gimme Some Truth" with Paul even saying that he'd like to finish it together. This has led fans to believe that the two may have started the song together despite the credit for it belonging solely to Lennon.
"Gimme Some Truth" would later be finished on John Lennon's Imagine album. He altered some lyrics to be more potent for the time, calling out President Nixon by an unflattering nickname. The song sparked controversy for the singer as the FBI attempted to deport him and his wife Yoko Ono soon after its release.
7 "All Things Must Pass"
What would go on to become the title of his debut solo record, "All Things Must Pass" is one of the many songs George Harrison attempted to have included on the Let It Be album. Now heralded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, then George Harrison's talents were being stuffed down by his peers. There was an expectation that John and Paul were the songwriters, George was just the guitarist. This attitude towards his work frustrated George, and he eventually walked out of the session and had to be properly convinced over the course of days to return.
When The Beatles attempted Harrison's "All Things Must Pass" they sang in three part harmony. It was such a beautiful sound, it's a wonder why they didn't go through with it. The lyrics are a reminder of the impermanence of all that is. Perhaps too serious of a theme for the group's catalog.
6 "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window"
A Beatles' song with funnier imagery than most, "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" came up multiple times throughout the Get Back documentary. It was consistently brought up by Paul McCartney and seemed to be a song he started. The band tried the song altogether in Twickenham studios before moving into a basement at EMI. The thought-provoking title of the song was the source of numerous quips during conversations throughout the documentary.
When Billy Preston joined the group later on as a keyboard player, the tune began to take a more proper shape. However, it went unfinished until being revisited later on The Beatles' final album together Abbey Road. "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" became an iconic moment of the album's medley which comprised a majority of the B-side.
5 "Maxwell's Silver Hammer"
"Maxwell"s Sliver Hammer" is frequently regarded as one of The Beatles' strangest songs. The lyrics revolve around a murderous young man who liked to bludgeon his victims with a hammer. After trying the song a few times in the documentary, the groups takes a break for lunch. Paul offhandedly shouts to their assistant Mal Evans that he should acquire a real hammer and anvil. By the time lunch his over, Mal delivered exactly that. He then went on to strike the anvil in time with the band for the song's recording. Though the song was not used on Let It Be, it did land a prominent spot on the A-side of Abbey Road.
4 "Carry That Weight"
Similarly, Paul is playing the piano to Ringo, showing off more potential songs. At one point he transitions to what we know today as "Carry That Weight" from Abbey Road. At the time however, the song was incomplete and featured a whole verse that was lost in favor of the song's inclusion in the medley. In the context of the medley, "Carry That Weight" functions like an associative poem and implores an emotional weight. However, in Paul's rendition in Get Back, the song is outwardly about a drunkard carrying the weight of a hangover the next day. A fitting theme for the Get Back documentary since The Beatles are seen indulging in drinks at nearly every session.
3 "The Back Seat of My Car"
Another song rifled off by McCartney during this piano scene, "The Back Seat of My Car" would not go on to be finished until Paul's second solo album, Ram. In Get Back, Paul sings the main lyric of the song aloud to Ringo and some of the Apple assistants. It is a soft and beautiful chord structure with lyrics of playful sexual youth. It is clearly an unfinished idea that Paul brings up in case anyone takes interest in developing it. He sings an impersonation of brass instruments with his mouth. One would think real brass would eventually take place of the onomatopoeia, however, it remains in the final version.
The finished song is credited to both Paul and his wife Linda McCartney. Much expanded from Paul's preview in Get Back, "The Back Seat of My Car" is a widely atmospheric piece that shifts through multiple moods, ending in a fairly different place from where it started.
2 "Oh! Darling"
One of the group's greatest recordings, "Oh! Darling" was left on the cutting room floor of Let It Be, but eventually properly finished on Abbey Road. Compared to McCartney's growling vocals in the final version, the snippet seen in Get Back is very soft and unrefined. Paul has stated he used to go into the studio extra early on days spent recording "Oh! Darling" in order to tire out his voice until it sounded the way it's heard on the final recording.
John is heard harmonizing with Paul on the song during the documentary. He stated to press at a later date that he thought it was a great song, but it wasn't for Paul's voice. John may have sung it better entirely.
1 "I Want You (She's So Heavy)"
Towards the end of the documentary, John strikes up a jam of "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" a couple of times. At first singing "need" rather than "want", the song was in an underdeveloped stage. The second time he plays it, him and Billy Preston are grinning cheek to cheek as they duet a version of the song with lyrics that reference Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, reflecting issues of civil rights. This song went on to become one of The Beatles' heaviest rock tunes on Abbey Road.
Imagine how much more impactful the song could have been if they followed through with the civil rights message. This moment of Get Back is a great example of how the documentary pulled back the curtain on the band and showed audiences the process of creating, and the many possibilities of how the famous recording could have gone.