The Hidden Voice in I Want You (She's So Heavy)

I Want You (She's So Heavy) is one of the Beatles' rare hidden gems: an often overlooked song that features some of the finest musicianship of their entire career. Produced over an 8 month period in 1969 and finally released on the iconic Abbey Road album, I Want You is a layered masterpiece. But there's an anomaly hidden in its many layers that you might not have a noticed before. And as a warning, once you hear it...you can't unhear this.

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[georgyorgy]

I’ve always heard these “ghost” vocals and assumed it was just their style. They did this all the time. I didn’t know about there being two different versions of the song, though. Very cool.

[stepitup]

These guys were so good that fifty years later we are watching a video about a background voice. They were like no other and there will never be another like them.

[bloomingfieldhd]

I love the fact that Ringo came up with the idea to add some Conga Drums on 4/20/69, absolute legend.

Beatles songs are full of "ghost" shouts, which are them, nobody else. It's part of the magic.

[johngerson]

It's McCartney vocalizing his bass-line.

[strawberifieldsforeva]

I feel that this song was made in the 1990s but its from 1969. The Beatles really are ahead of their time. And yes, this is an amazing song.

[everettbrown]

It is my voice. I
was hiding inside of one of Ringo's drums. I am partially deaf now but what an experience!

[DrAnne-mcer]

*Hello. I don't know if it's of any interest to you, but outside of the immediate family, our Uncle Bob was formally **_"Professor Robert Arthur Moog, BA, MA, Ph.D."_** He invented the world's first commercial analog synthesizer back in 1964. But anyway, the only reason I mention him, is because intermittently throughout 1969, he lived in London and worked with a young man called Michael Vickers at Abbey Road studios. Mr Vickers was employed by George Martin at the studios, and had been given the unenviable task of programing the Moog synthesizers used on the Abbey Road album. Uncle Bob knew George Martin pretty well, and so he asked him as a favor, if he could go over to London and work with, or perhaps train Michael (Vickers) on the Moog programing used on the album, which of course he did. Anyway, in 1979, and as part of EMI celebrations for the 10th anniversary of the release of the album, Uncle Bob was invited to take part in a number of interviews on local radio stations, and he was actually asked at a couple of these interviews about the screaming in the background of **_"I Want You (She's So Heavy)"._** And Uncle Bob was pretty adamant that it was just Paul, vocalizing the sound he wanted to **_'squeeze out of'_** his own guitar. Something he apparently did quite often in both live and studio performances. Although with family, he used to joke that it was probably Paul screaming at Yoko to leave the effing studio! So that's my little contribution on the subject. Take care all.*

[dougdoesall]

This song really scared many fans way back. See, by then many other bands saw the Beatles as too pop and not heavy enough. Well...they put everyone to shame. And we all stood at attention. When 'Abbey' came out we had all known, through the grapevine, they were breaking up, that it was over. There was a feeling of death, and this song was too much to bear. It seemed really really scary. Mixed emotions going on.

[lillyanne]

"No one would dare yell at a Beatle during recording" except Yoko.

[cookiemonster]

In the nineties my classmates laughed at me because i was 'still' listening to the Beatles.
I still listen to it in 2020
and will continue to do so.

[inkadinkadoodle]

I Want You is a such a beast that not even its own creators could find it a fitting end. All The Beatles could do to stop it was just...stop it.
And it was BRILLIANT!

[TheKicklukassen]

“The neighbors were complaining about the noise the band was making”.imagine having the balls to complain to the beatles about their music being “noise”.

[zoleroid]

"You'll never be able to unhear it"

I'll forget about the ghost vocal 10 minutes from now

[tomperkins]

In college we had a party and I, a budding recording engineer, was in charge of music and I had a tape recorder. At one point in the evening's playlist I looped the end of "She's so Heavy" so it lasted about 20 minutes. It became such a part of the background that when it eventually came to its natural end it was like the air was sucked out of the room. People nearly fell over.

[peter_aka_hamamass]

Sounds like Macca mimicking the bassline he plays.

[franklee]

It's Paul's voice scat singing his bass line. That's all it is, no biggie. Oh brother.

[DavidJackson]

I've always loved this song. For me, nothing beats John or Paul in their scream/singing voice.

[idno]

You say I can't unhear this?


I think you overestimate my memory.

[MichaelThomas-begq]

I love 'She's so heavy' because like many tracks on Abbey Road, it sets a possible trajectory *if* they kept going through the 1970s. However, what I really like about it's brooding menace is 'Here Comes the Sun' follows. Not only do you have this masterpiece, but the counter to it is another majestic Beatles song.