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The powerful and bluesy "I've Got A Feeling," which John Lennon jokingly called "I've Got A Fever," is a true Lennon/McCartney composition. It blends — via alternation and superimposition — two incomplete songs, one by Paul McCartney, one by Lennon.
Both happened to have been written around the same period and based on the same two-chord motif built around a first-position A chord (with the high A note fingered with the pinky). It is the last true collaboration by Lennon and McCartney.
McCartney's share of the song, called "I've Got A Feeling" from the get-go, includes a verse, chorus and bridge and was inspired by his relationship with his soon-to-be-wife, Linda Eastman. Lennon provides alternate verses inspired by his personal upheavals of 1968.
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"I've Got A Feeling" is one of three "live" songs to be included on Let It Be, having been performed as part of the January 30, 1969, rooftop concert. It features McCartney on vocals and his 1963 Hofner 500/1 (adorned with the rectangular "Bassman" sticker from his Fender Bassman amp), Lennon on vocals and his Epiphone Casino, George Harrison on backing vocals and his rosewood Fender Telecaster, Ringo Starr on Ludwig Hollywood Maple drums and Billy Preston on Hohner electric piano.
The gritty, hard-edged song, which McCartney still performs live today, benefits from McCartney's screaming vocals, creative, octave-infused bass line (especially during Lennon's portion of the song) and Harrison's tasteful bends and double stops during McCartney's raucous bridge.
Although the version featured on Let It Be is the result of a single live take, Phil Spector edited together three mixes to come up with the final product.
Because actual rooftop footage of the Beatles has become scarce on YouTube (Maybe they're finally working on releasing the Let It Be film on DVD), we've included an audio-only clip of "I've Got A Feeling." However, we did manage to find a live rooftop version of "Don't Let Me Down," which we've included so you can get a feel for the moment.
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Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
