Monday 11 August 1969 | Abbey Road, Studio
| Studios | Studios Two and Three, EMI Studios, Abbey Road, London |
| Producer | George Martin |
| Engineers | Geoff Emerick, Phil McDonald |
| Session time | 1pm (copying); 2.30–11.30pm (recording, Studio Two) |
Two Abbey Road songs were completed on 11 August 1969: ‘Oh! Darling’ and ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’. The session also saw further work on ‘Here Comes The Sun’.
The session
The day began at 1pm with engineer Phil McDonald making copies in the control room of Studio Three — without The Beatles present — of the 13 March 1969 mix of ‘Dig It’ and the 6 August mix of ‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer’.
The main recording session took place in Studio Two from 2.30 to 11.30pm, with John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison present.
‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’
Lennon, McCartney and Harrison taped the repeated “she’s so heavy” vocals onto the track. These were double-tracked onto tracks four and seven of the 18 April 1969 reduction mix, although three days previously Lennon and Ringo Starr had added further recordings onto the 23 February master tape made at Trident Studios.
Towards the end of the session, a copy of ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ was made and the “she’s so heavy” parts were edited into the original Trident Studios version, allowing Lennon to delay the decision as to which version to use. The final release was an edit of mixes made of the two versions, completed on 20 August 1969.
‘Oh! Darling’
‘Oh! Darling’ was given new backing vocals by Lennon, McCartney and Harrison. This was John Lennon’s final contribution to a Beatles recording, and marked the completion of the song. McCartney had recorded his lead vocal for the track over several sessions earlier in the year, famously arriving at the studio each morning to sing it while his voice was still rough.
‘Here Comes The Sun’
Before the session ended, George Harrison added more guitar to ‘Here Comes The Sun’. The song would receive further orchestral and synthesizer overdubs on 15 and 19 August 1969.
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Significance
The completion of ‘Oh! Darling’ on 11 August 1969 marked John Lennon’s last studio contribution to a Beatles recording. By this point the group were in the final weeks of recording Abbey Road, their eleventh studio album, which would be released on 26 September 1969.
‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ is notable for its abrupt ending — the tape cuts off mid-phrase at the end of Side One of the original vinyl. Lennon himself made the edit, cutting the tape at a point he felt was right without warning the other Beatles or the engineers.
The session also took place on the same day that Lennon and Ono moved into Tittenhurst Park in Ascot.
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EMI Studios, Abbey Road
EMI Studios (now Abbey Road Studios), 3 Abbey Road, London — where The Beatles recorded and edited ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’, ‘Oh! Darling’ and ‘Here Comes The Sun’ on 11 August 1969.
Key Facts
| Date | Monday 11 August 1969 |
| Songs worked on | ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’, ‘Oh! Darling’, ‘Here Comes The Sun’ |
| Songs completed | ‘Oh! Darling’; ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ (final edit 20 August) |
| Significance | John Lennon’s final contribution to a Beatles recording |
| Album | Abbey Road (released 26 September 1969) |
Frequently Asked Questions
What was John Lennon's final contribution to a Beatles recording?
John Lennon's final contribution to a Beatles recording was the backing vocals he added to 'Oh! Darling' on 11 August 1969 at EMI Studios, Abbey Road, alongside Paul McCartney and George Harrison.
Why does 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)' end so abruptly?
John Lennon made the edit himself, cutting the tape at a point he felt was right without warning the other Beatles or the engineers. The final release was an edit of mixes from two versions of the song, completed on 20 August 1969.
When was Abbey Road released?
Abbey Road was released on 26 September 1969. It was The Beatles' eleventh studio album.
When was 'Here Comes The Sun' completed?
George Harrison added guitar to 'Here Comes The Sun' on 11 August 1969. The song received further orchestral and synthesizer overdubs on 15 and 19 August 1969.
→ John Lennon and Yoko Ono move into Tittenhurst Park – 11 August 1969
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