Abbey Road (1969) — Full UK Tracklist in Order

Abbey Road was the eleventh studio album by The Beatles and the last album the band recorded together, released on 26 September 1969. Produced by George Martin at EMI Studios, Abbey Road — with additional sessions at Trident and Olympic Studios — the album is particularly celebrated for its Side Two medley, a sequence of interconnected songs that forms one of the most celebrated closing passages in rock history. The cover photograph, taken by Iain Macmillan on 8 August 1969, became one of the most famous images in music history. Explore the Let It Be Era (1969–1970)

Full UK Tracklist

Side One

1. Come Together
2. Something
3. Maxwell's Silver Hammer
4. Oh! Darling
5. Octopus's Garden
6. I Want You (She's So Heavy)

Side Two

7. Here Comes The Sun
8. Because

The Abbey Road Medley:

9. You Never Give Me Your Money
10. Sun King
11. Mean Mr. Mustard
12. Polythene Pam
13. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
14. Golden Slumbers
15. Carry That Weight
16. The End
17. Her Majesty (hidden track)

Songwriting Breakdown

George Harrison compositions (2): Something, Here Comes The Sun — both among the most celebrated songs in the Beatles catalogue

Ringo Starr composition (1): Octopus's Garden (credited Richard Starkey) — written with help from Harrison

Lennon–McCartney compositions (14): all remaining tracks

Lead vocal highlights:

• Paul McCartney: Maxwell's Silver Hammer, Oh! Darling, She Came In Through The Bathroom Window, Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight, The End, Her Majesty, You Never Give Me Your Money
• John Lennon: Come Together, I Want You (She's So Heavy), Sun King, Mean Mr. Mustard, Polythene Pam
• George Harrison: Something, Here Comes The Sun
• Ringo Starr: Octopus's Garden
• All three (Lennon, McCartney, Harrison): Because — three-part harmony triple-tracked

Key Songs: The Story Behind the Tracks

Something

Written by George Harrison and the first Harrison composition released as a Beatles A-side single. Frank Sinatra called it the greatest love song of the past fifty years and regularly performed it — mistakenly attributing it to Lennon–McCartney. The orchestral arrangement was by George Martin. Harrison began writing it during the White Album sessions in 1968, completing it for Abbey Road.

Here Comes The Sun

Written by Harrison in the garden of Eric Clapton's house in Surrey on a spring morning in 1969, playing an acoustic guitar he had borrowed. He had been skipping a particularly difficult Apple Corps business meeting. The song's warmth and simplicity made it one of the most beloved Beatles recordings — it is now one of the most streamed songs in the entire catalogue.

Come Together

Written by Lennon originally as a campaign song for Timothy Leary's California gubernatorial run. The opening line — "Here come old flat top" — was borrowed from Chuck Berry's You Can't Catch Me, which later led to a copyright lawsuit settled out of court. The song's swampy, hypnotic groove was built around McCartney's bass line.

The End

The closing track of the medley — and effectively the final song on the last album the band recorded together. It features the only drum solo Ringo Starr ever played on a Beatles record, followed by a three-way guitar solo trade-off between Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison — two bars each, three times around. The closing couplet — "And in the end, the love you take / is equal to the love you make" — was written by McCartney and is widely regarded as the Beatles' farewell statement.

Oh! Darling

Written by McCartney as a deliberate homage to 1950s R&B vocal style. He came into the studio every morning for a week to record the lead vocal, believing his voice would sound most raw and strained first thing in the day. Lennon later said he wished he had sung it instead.

The Side Two Medley

The medley — running from You Never Give Me Your Money through to The End — was McCartney's concept, a way of weaving together song fragments that were too short or incomplete to stand alone. George Martin orchestrated the transitions and arranged the Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight sequence. The medley was recorded largely in sequence during July and August 1969 and represents the band's final sustained act of musical collaboration.

Historical Notes

• Something was the first George Harrison composition released as a Beatles A-side single. Frank Sinatra called it the greatest love song of the past fifty years.
• Here Comes The Sun was written by Harrison in Eric Clapton's garden while skipping an Apple Corps business meeting.
• The End features the only drum solo Ringo Starr ever played on a Beatles record, followed by a three-way guitar trade-off between Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison.
• The cover photograph was taken by Iain Macmillan on 8 August 1969 — six takes, with a policeman holding up traffic.
• Come Together's opening line borrowed from Chuck Berry's You Can't Catch Me, leading to a copyright lawsuit settled out of court.
• Oh! Darling — McCartney came in every morning for a week to record the lead vocal, wanting his voice to sound raw and strained.
• Abbey Road was recorded on Apple Records — the label The Beatles had founded in 1968 — rather than Parlophone.
• George Martin orchestrated the Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight sequence and arranged the transitions throughout the Side Two medley.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was Abbey Road the last Beatles album?

Abbey Road was the last album the band recorded together, though Let It Be was released later in 1970 using sessions recorded earlier in January 1969. Abbey Road was produced by George Martin; Let It Be was produced by Phil Spector.

What is the Abbey Road medley?

The Side Two medley runs from You Never Give Me Your Money through to The End — eight interconnected song fragments conceived by McCartney as a way of weaving together incomplete ideas. George Martin orchestrated the transitions. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest closing sequences in rock history.

Who wrote Something?

George Harrison wrote Something — the first Harrison composition released as a Beatles A-side single. The orchestral arrangement was by George Martin. Frank Sinatra called it the greatest love song of the past fifty years.

Where was the Abbey Road cover photograph taken?

The cover was photographed by Iain Macmillan on the zebra crossing outside EMI Studios on Abbey Road, London, on 8 August 1969. Six shots were taken while a policeman held up traffic.

What is Her Majesty?

Her Majesty is a 23-second acoustic fragment by McCartney that appears as a hidden track after a gap following The End. McCartney had asked for it to be removed from the medley sequence; an engineer appended it to the end of the tape rather than deleting it, and it was left in by accident.

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