The Beatles - I Want You (She's So Heavy)

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The Beatles - I Want You (She's So Heavy) 1969

"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.

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.

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)". "'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."

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.

In other words, I have added the lyrics to the song so you can sing along, or perhaps learn the song! This is how I learned my first Beatles song :-) Enjoy!