"Everybody Had a Hard Year..."


While my favourite Beatles song changes with my mood - and there’s inevitably so much great material to choose from - one I always come back to for its energy and excitement, is the rooftop concert highlight I’ve Got a Feeling.

It’s just so fucking robust. Anyone who doubts the band could rock need only turn to nearly every version in existence, from the footage and outtakes from the film Let it Be to the various official releases, to be put right. The swagger of John & Paul's vocals, particularly when they sing in counterpoint, is joyous, and a clear indicator that even when the group were falling apart, they were still the best.

Paul’s voice in the middle eight is ridiculously high, yet still sounds effortless, and is one of so many examples of his vocal versatility. The fact he’d regularly commit takes to tape on the same day as Let it Be and The Long and Winding Road is madness.

It's illustrative of how well Lennon & McCartney worked together, even when their relationship was at its most tense. When it counted, they could put their differences aside and still have fun. There’s a wonderful scene in the film Let it Be when they rip through an uptempo version of the song, sharing a mic, spurring each other on, as if they’re trying to both out-belt and out-funny each other in one go. Watching it makes me want to be in a band again, as does the other classic from the time, 'Don't Let Me Down', which is proof why it's impossible to choose a favourite.

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