| "Got to Get You into My Life" | ||||||||
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| Song by The Beatles from the album Revolver | ||||||||
| Released | 5 August 1966 | |||||||
| Recorded | EMI Studios 7 April and 17 June 1966 |
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| Genre | R&B, blues rock, soul, pop[1] | |||||||
| Length | 2:27 (stereo version) 2:35 (mono version) |
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| Label | Parlophone PMC 7009 (mono), PCS 7009 (stereo) | |||||||
| Writer | Lennon–McCartney | |||||||
| Producer | George Martin | |||||||
| Revolver track listing | ||||||||
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| "Got to Get You into My Life" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The Beatles | ||||
| B-side | "Helter Skelter" | |||
| Released | 31 May 1976 | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Label | Capitol 4274 | |||
| Certification | Gold (RIAA)[2] | |||
| The Beatles singles chronology | ||||
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"Got to Get You into My Life" is a song by The Beatles, first released in 1966 on the album Revolver. Written by Paul McCartney (though officially credited to Lennon–McCartney),[3][4] it made prominent use of a brass section. A cover version by Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers peaked at number six in 1966.[5]
The Beatles' version was released in the United States as a single in 1976, a decade after its initial release and six years after The Beatles split up, as a promo for the Rock 'n' Roll Music compilation album. It reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart,[6] The Beatles' last top ten hit there until their 1995 release "Free as a Bird".
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Though officially credited to Lennon–McCartney, McCartney was primarily responsible for the writing of the song,[3][4] to which he also contributed lead vocals.[7] 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.[8] The song seems to have been hard to arrange until the soul-style horns, strongly reminiscent of the Stax' Memphis soul and Motown sound, were introduced. The brass was close-miked in the bells of the instruments then put through a limiter.[9] The percussion instrument most predominant is the overdubbed tambourine.
The song starts with a blaring brass fanfare, McCartney's vocals entering at 0:07. The chorus of the song appears at 1:04, with the song's title sung. The song then switches between a verse and the refrain. A short electric guitar solo that is nearly identical to the riff from Paperback Writer appears at 1:53 and at 2:10 the horn fanfare re-enters. The song closes with fading vocals of McCartney, much akin to the soul records of the time. The mono and stereo mixes of the recording feature completely different ad libs in the fade-out - the presence of a second vocal track is also far more subtle for most of the mono version. Backing vocals were recorded early but later eliminated.
In Barry Miles' 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now, McCartney disclosed that the song was about marijuana.[3] "'Got to Get You into My Life' was one I wrote when I had first been introduced to pot... So [it's] really a song about that, it's not to a person."[3] Many lyrics from the song suggest 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'll know the way there."
Thomas Ward of Allmusic said, "McCartney’s always been a great vocalist, and this is perhaps the best example of his singing on Revolver. One of the overlooked gems on the album."[10] When asked about the song in his 1980 Playboy interview, John Lennon said, "Paul's again. I think that was one of his best songs, too."[4]
| Chart (1976) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[6] | 7 |
| "Got to Get You into My Life" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Earth, Wind & Fire | ||||
| from the album The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 | ||||
| B-side | "I'll Write a Song for You" | |||
| Released | 14 July 1978 | |||
| Format | 7", 12" | |||
| Recorded | 1977 | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 4:03 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Writer(s) | Lennon–McCartney | |||
| Earth, Wind & Fire singles chronology | ||||
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Earth, Wind & Fire remade the song for the 1978 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band soundtrack. They released it as a single and included it on their album The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1. Their version reached number 1 on the Black Singles chart and number nine on the Pop singles chart.[11]
The song won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) and also garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.[12]
"Got to Get You into My Life" sold over 1 million copies, enough for the RIAA to certify it gold.
| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[11] | 9 |
| US Billboard Hot Soul Singles[11] | 1 |
| Preceded by "Holding On (When Love Is Gone)" by L.T.D. |
Billboard Hot Soul Singles number-one single 23 September 1978 |
Succeeded by "One Nation Under a Groove (Part 1)" by Funkadelic |
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