John recorded an early demo of “Don't Let Me Down,” presumably at his Kenwood home sometime in December of 1968. The acoustic guitar demo begins with Lennon conferring with Yoko, saying “That could be part of that,” and then immediately proceeds to premier this newly written composition with what we identify as the verses and bridge of the song, displaying somewhat mumbled unfinished lyrics and impressive chord changes that were eventually scrapped. After this exercise was complete, he stated, “that'll do,” and then stopped the tape.
January 2nd, 1969, was the first day of rehearsals for what became the “Let It Be” movie and soundtrack. “Don't Let Me Down” was the first Lennon offering for the project, the only composition anywhere close to being a completely written song other than "Dig A Pony." John and George arrived first and, after tuning their guitars, Lennon introduced his “Don't Let Me Down” ideas to George, who attempted to play along. A snippet of this is heard at the beginning of the “Fly On The Wall” disc included in the “Let It Be...Naked” CD set released in 2003. Ringo arrived a little later and joined in on drums on this song as well as George's newly debuted composition “All Things Must Pass” and others, Paul arriving around 12:30 because of being delayed due to problems with public transport.
They ended up rehearsing fifteen versions of “Don't Let Me Down” on this day, the choruses concluding at this stage with John singing “I'm in love for the first time / please don't let me down.” Paul began re-arranging the song some time after he arrived, suggesting to begin it with the title being sung twice. John did a bit of additional experimenting as well, adding a verse with five repeats of a phrase beginning with "everybody got a ..." This, of course, was quickly dropped, a similar sounding verse being added to Paul's "I've Got A Feeling" a little later that month. Discussions occurred on this day as to the instrumentation to be used on the song, Nicky Hopkins' name being suggested for keyboards as he had been recently recruited to play on the single version of "Revolution." Billy Preston was eventually used to fill this role.
The second day of rehearsals for the “Let It Be” project was January 3rd, 1969 at Twickenham Film Studios, Lennon being the last to arrive on this day. They ran through ten versions of “Don't Let Me Down” at this rehearsal, the final arrangement becoming quite complete by this time. John inserted a segment of “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” into one of the rehearsals of the song as a humorous ad lib.
After the weekend, The Beatles reconvened at Twickenham on January 6th, 1969, for another rehearsal. They worked extensively on “Don't Let Me Down,” performing 28 versions of the song, nailing down the guitar introduction John was to eventually perform on the finished recording. They attempted many harmonies, lyrical changes, falsetto voices and call and response vocals on this day, some of which are heard on the “Fly On The Wall” disc on the “Let It Be...Naked” release. Much of this was dropped, but discussion ensued as to the presence of a keyboard on the finished song. George said he would move to bass to allow for Paul to play keyboard if necessary, but John insisted that he wanted two guitars in the arrangement. Keeping to the agreed-upon “no overdubs” policy for this project, a keyboardist needed to be enlisted to fulfill Lennon's desire. To differentiate the two guitarists, George used a wah-wah effect on many of the rehearsals of the song on this day.
The next session, January 7th, 1969, saw the group rehearse twelve more versions of “Don't Let Me Down,” further refinements to the arrangement being done, especially to the bridge. The song was mooted for the live performance they were to perform at the completion of these rehearsals, although the venue for the final performance was not agreed upon as of yet.
Two rehearsals of “Don't Let Me Down” were performed the next day, January 8th, 1969, which saw the group in high spirits and very cooperative despite John's inability to remember the lyrics to his song. The group's enthusiasms waned as the rehearsal progressed, however, especially during trial runs of George's song “All Things Must Pass.” January 9th saw yet another rehearsal of “Don't Let Me Down,” while other songs, such as “Let It Be,” “For You Blue” and “Across The Universe” received much more attention.
January 10th, 1969, was a monumental day among the rehearsals for the “Let It Be” project. Paul arrived first, ran through many of the songs on piano that the band had been recently rehearsing, including two versions of “Don't Let Me Down,” and then proceeded to rehearse many songs with the other Beatles once they arrived. George, however, appeared tense and disinterested in the proceedings. Then, during lunch, the guitarist announced, “See you 'round the clubs” and proceeded to leave, thereby quitting the group. After John immediately proposed that they recruit Eric Clapton to complete the project, the three Beatles, with Yoko on vocals, continued the session for the day.
A week-and-a-half later, on January 21st, 1969, the four Beatles reconvened for another “Let It Be” rehearsal, this time re-locating to Apple Studios on Saville Row instead of Twickenham per George's requirements for re-joining the group. The session didn't start until the afternoon due to installation of EMI recording equipment, the resulting rehearsal being rather sloppy and without much direction. Nonetheless, two rehearsals of “Don't Let Me Down” were performed in order to recapture the progress they had previously made. George no longer used his wah-wah pedal at this stage, playing his newly acquired rosewood Fender Telecaster through a rotating Leslie speaker instead, while John resorted to various vocal ad-libs, imitating Little Richard at one point.
The following day, January 22nd, 1969, shows keyboardist Billy Preston joining the fray. With his appearance, at George Harrison's insistence, John fulfills his desire to have a keyboardist on “Don't Let Me Down.” The mood lifted dramatically at this session, the first song receiving extensive attention being John's “Don't Let Me Down.” With Lennon first on organ to help Billy learn the chords, they ran through eighteen rehearsals of the song with John on his usual rhythm guitar, one of which being chosen by producer Glyn Johns for inclusion on his first “Get Back” album incarnation, this inevitably being rejected by The Beatles. As caught on tape, John instructs Ringo to crash a cymbal just before he begins singing in order to “give me the courage to come screaming in.” This version, which was featured in many early bootlegs of the album, features John ad-libbing “she done me good...goody, goody, goody good,” as well as his encouragement,”Hit it, Bill” before the electric piano solo begins. This rendition concludes with John repeating the title of the song just before some unwarranted cymbal crashes from Ringo followed by John instructing, “Well, ladies and gentlemen, we'd like to change the tempo a little,” John then demonstrating a fast paced rhythm guitar.
The Beatles touched on “Don't Let Me Down” once on their January 24th, 1969 Apple Studios session, but returned to it in earnest on January 27th. Five renditions were performed on this day, which further refined the arrangement and performance, specific sections of the song being focused on and obvious vocal glitches being apparent.
On the following day, January 28th, 1969, The Beatles and Billy Preston recorded the version of “Don't Let Me Down” at Apple Studios that ultimately appeared as the B-side to the single “Get Back.” Four attempts were made, two of which were near perfect performances. Along with the usual instrumentation was both Paul and George on backing vocals. John flubbed some lyrics in the first verse, this being corrected during the mixing stage by dropping in a vocal performance from another take, additional vocalizations also being added from another take to double-track John's voice in the bridge and during the final instrumental verse.
With the ensuing rooftop performance being decided upon, The Beatles, without Billy Preston, rehearsed the song once again at Apple Studios the following day, January 29th, 1969. Bruce Spizer, in his book “The Beatles On Apple Records,” relates the details of this rehearsal: “To avoid straining his vocals chords, John sang in a deeper and more relaxed voice than on previous performances. Paul stopped the song midway through the first verse to work on his harmony part with John. During some of the choruses, John sang the title to 'Keep Your Hands Off My Baby, which was a 1962 hit for Little Eva...Towards the end of the song, John calls out, 'Go, Bill,' and does a brief vocalization of the missing solo.”
The following day, January 30th, 1969, was the momentous rooftop concert The Beatles performed on the roof of Apple Studios. Two versions of “Don't Let Me Down” were performed, the tighter first version being chosen for inclusion in the “Let It Be” film. However, John forgot the opening lyrics to the second verse, these coming out as mumbled gobbldey-gook.
Wanting to see if the rooftop performance could be mixed in a suitable way for release in some form, producer Glyn Johns, who was chosen to oversee the "Get Back / Let It Be" project, and engineer Alan Parsons (and possibly George Martin) assembled in Apple Studios on February 5th, 1969, to create stereo mixes of the songs The Beatles performed six days prior. The mix of "Don't Let Me Down" created on this day, however, has never been released on disc.
On March 10th, 1969, after given the task from John and Paul to assemble the next Beatles album, Glyn Johns entered Olympic Studios in London to sift through the stack of eight-track tapes The Beatles recorded at Apple Studios in January. Johns chose one of the January 22nd renditions of "Don't Let Me Down," for creating the stereo mix for this proposed album. George Martin may also have been present on this day.
By April 7th, 1969, Management decided that the songs "Get Back" and "Don't Let Me Down" would be released as the next Beatles single. Paul attended the mixing session for these songs at Olympic Sound Studios in London on this day. Glyn Johns was present, along with engineer Jerry Boys. While no producer credit appeared on the new single, it is unclear whether George Martin controlled the producer's chair on this day, although many speculate that he indeed took charge. One of the versions of "Don't Let Me Down" recorded on January 28th sounded superior, whereby Glyn Johns had chosen previously for the proposed album. It was during this mixing session that John's vocal flubs were corrected, and vocal double-tracking occurred by 'flying-in' his performances from a different take, other vocalizations by John and Paul being brought in during the song's conclusion as well. Only one mono mix was needed to get the desired take, as for the stereo mix, then immediately shipped to the US for the single release.
Interestingly, plans were still in place for releasing a "Get Back" album in the early summer of 1969. So Glyn Johns included his stereo mix of "Don't Let Me Down" from the January 22nd performance even though the superior January 28th mix had already reached stores as a single in early May. Nonetheless, Paul rejected this album (and possibly others) delaying an LP release. When a second attempt at releasing a "Get Back" album was banded and compiled by Glyn Johns on January 5th, 1970, he still insisted on the inferior January 22nd performance of "Don't Let Me Down." This proposed album was also rejected and, when these songs were eventually released in May of 1970 on the "Let It Be" soundtrack album, "Don't Let Me Down was omitted altogether due to its recent inclusion on the US album "Hey Jude" earlier that year.
Sometime in 2003, at the instigation of Paul McCartney, the engineering team of Paul Hicks, Guy Massey, and Allan Rouse created a composite stereo mix of both rooftop performances of "Don't Let Me Down" from January 30th, 1969 for inclusion on a new album entitled "Let It Be...Naked." Since the song originally received a spot on what became the "Let It Be" album, the "Let It Be...Naked" release in 2003, finally included John's composition among the material The Beatles recorded in January of 1969, albeit with a completely different Beatles performance.
Song Structure and Style:
The framework for the song consists of 'chorus / verse / chorus / bridge / chorus / verse / chorus / chorus (instrumental)' (or abacabaa). A quick introduction was all that was needed to round out the song's structure.
This introduction is two measures long and is a premier of what we will hear as the final two measures of each verse. The downbeat of this introduction consists of a crashing beat from all four Beatles: Paul on bass, John on rhythm guitar, Ringo on crashing cymbal and kick drum, and George beginning his iconic guitar riff, which he continued until the downbeat of the second introductory measure. The second beat of the second measure brings in Paul's pulled bass note and Ringo's cymbal crash, the latter placed strategically at John's request to help the singer bolster up the “courage to come screaming in,” as detailed above. Lennon does this in the third and fourth beat of the introduction, the title of the song gets sung in triplet form, while Ringo puts in a slight drum fill on the snare drum.
The first chorus runs eight measures in length and lyrically consists primarily of repeating the song's title four times. All measures are in 4/4 time except for the eighth measure, which is in 5/4, the extra beat needed to fit in John's first verse lyric “Nobody ever loved my like she...” Ringo plays a straight-forward rock beat focusing on the hi-hat, the exceptions include the triplet-like mimic of John's vocals whenever he sings the song's title, as well as a simple drum fill in the seventh measure and a 'Beatles, break' in measure eight, while John and Paul harmonize on the final lyric. Paul also joins in on harmony vocals during the third and fourth repetition of the song's title. George and John play straight rhythm guitar throughout the chorus. However, George repeats the iconic riff in measures three, four, seven, and eight. Billy Preston accentuates this riff with ad-lib runs on an electric keyboard.
The first verse is also eight measures long, all measures being in 4/4 except for measure four, which is in 5/4 to allow for the lengthened lyric “and if somebody loved me like she...” Ringo plays a laid back bossa-nova-style beat throughout except for another “Beatles break” in measure four during John and Paul's harmonized vocal line, and a repeat of the triplet crashes in measure eight to coincide with another repeat of the song's title that brings in the chorus that follows. George plays descending guitar figures higher up on the neck (as witnessed in the rooftop footage), which is accentuated by Billy Preston on keyboards while John plays straight-forward rhythm guitar. Paul's bass line is somewhat simple throughout the verse played suitably within the arrangement. The second beat of the eighth measure has Ringo tap his closed hi-hat along with a bass note from Paul, which ushers in a harmonized repeat of the title of the song by John, Paul, and George as Ringo once again crashes his cymbals appropriately.
The second chorus that follows runs similar to the first instrumentally but played in a much more intense style. Billy Preston's keyboard riffs are much more to the fore this time around as John, Paul, and George harmonize on all four repeats of the song's title. Ringo puts in a slightly more intricate drum fill at the seventh measure than he did on the first chorus. Also noteworthy is that, since the song's bridge follows immediately after this chorus, all eight measures therein are in 4/4 time, within the standard 4/4 length.
The eight-measure bridge has John's lead vocals double-tracked throughout, the vocals from another take being 'flown in' to add some depth to this section of the song. One of the vocal tracks catches John, saying what sounds like “just leave it” in the seventh measure, notifying the engineers to leave in what could have been considered a vocal flaw. (See “Lovely Rita” for a similar Lennon instruction that made it onto the released version.) George plays an intricate lead guitar figure throughout the bridge and ends with the iconic guitar riff in measure seven, and Lennon plays only rhythm strums throughout his middle. John, with Paul and George on backing vocals, usher in the third chorus that follows with gut-wrenching vocals.
This eight-measure chorus is similar to the first with the eighth measure in 5/4 time to accommodate the extended lyric “and from the first time that she really...” Also, this chorus is similar to the second chorus, whereas Paul and George harmonize with John throughout, and that they all performed in a very spirited and emotional way with Billy Preston's keyboards to the forefront.
This chorus is also noteworthy for Paul's intricate bass playing, due mostly to his use of his 1963 Hofner bass. "One thing I've noticed when I've seen old films," McCartney related to interviewer Tony Bacon in 1994 about his Hofner bass guitar, "it's so light, you play it a bit like a guitar. All this sort of high stuff I used to do, I think it was because of the Hofner. A heavier bass...sits me down a bit, and I play just bass. But I noticed in the 'Let It Be' film, I play it right up there...and I think it was just because it was such a light little guitar that it led you to play anywhere on it, it led you to be a bit freer." Also noteworthy in this chorus is John's first slip into falsetto in the fifth measure. Lennon's extended lyric, as mentioned above, is performed this time single-tracked and solo, without any harmonies whatsoever, this adding an intimate setting for the suggestive lyrical content that the following verse contains.
This second verse is performed similarly to the first, although with a more subdued class. John's single-tracked vocals take on an exaggerated Dylan-esque quality for comedic effect, undoubtedly to emphasize the sexual nature of the lyrics. The band adds yet another chorus, performed in an even more passionate way. John's vocals are searing and at the top of his range, offering up a “Hey!” at the end of the first measure and a falsetto “pleeeeeeeease” in the fourth measure while Paul and George continue their conforming “don't let me down” backing vocals underneath. Paul also stretches the limits as a bass guitarist during this chorus. Billy Preston also improvises to good effect. The break in the final measure merges two vocal takes for the remainder of the song, revealing John singing a falsetto “pleeeeeeease” and an “ooow!” as this chorus ends.
An instrumental chorus then occurs, which features Billy Preston's keyboards as the primary focus. Two improvised vocal performances are contained here through another vocal track being 'flown in,' both of these being placed somewhat in the background to allow the keyboardist to have center stage. Both Paul and Ringo take advantage at the final stage to express themselves without much restraint. John throws in a “Can you dig it?” in the background, a catchphrase among the band at the time (as displayed in the improvised track “Dig It” featured on the “Let It Be” album). George then puts the final touch on the song with his iconic guitar riff in the seventh measure, concluding on the downbeat of the eighth measure along with the rest of the musicians' performances.
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