The Story and Meaning Behind "I've Got a Feeling," the Beatles Song that Mashed Up Paul
The songwriting partnership of John Lennon and Paul McCartney evolved during The Beatles’ amazing run. By the end of the band’s time together, the pair were mostly a collaboration in name only. But on “I’ve Got a Feeling,” they once again melded their talents for a fascinating hybrid of a song.
What is the song about? How was it assembled? And why was it an accurate representation of where the two songwriters were at that point in their lives? To get all the answers, we have to go back to a somewhat fraught time in The Beatles’ history: the making (and unraveling) of their Let It Be album/film project.
The original idea behind Let It Be (or Get Back, as it was originally known) was for The Beatles to rehearse and learn new songs for a concert that would allow them to debut the material. All the while, cameras would track their progress. But their best laid plans soon turned to mush, forcing them to improvise.
When George Harrison temporarily quit the band over a spat with Paul McCartney, the only way he could be coaxed back was if they moved out of the soundstage where they had been working and returning to the more natural environs of the recording studio. In addition, since they could never agree on a location for the live show, they finally threw up their hands and did a quick but memorable show on the roof of the building that housed their Apple label.
Source: Jim Beviglia/americansongwriter.com
