Got to Get You into My Life



"Got to Get You into My Life" is a song by the Beatles, first released in 1966 on the album Revolver. It was written by Paul McCartney, though officially credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song is a homage to the Motown Sound, with colourful brass instrumentation, and lyrics that suggest a psychedelic experience. "It's actually an ode to pot," McCartney explained. A cover version by Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers peaked at number six in 1966 in the UK. The song was issued in the United States as a single from the Rock 'n' Roll Music compilation album in 1976, six years after the Beatles disbanded. It reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the Beatles' last top ten US hit until their 1995 release "Free as a Bird".

Composition and recording
Though officially credited to Lennon–McCartney, McCartney was primarily responsible for the writing of the song, to which he also contributed lead vocals. It was recorded at Abbey Road Studios between 7 April and 17 June 1966 and evolved considerably between the first takes and the final version released on album. The song seems to have been hard to arrange until the soul-style horns, strongly reminiscent of the Stax' Memphis soul and Motown sound, were introduced. The brass was close-miked in the bells of the instruments then put through a limiter. The percussion instrument most predominant is the overdubbed tambourine.

The song starts with a blaring brass fanfare, McCartney's vocals entering at 0:07. The chorus of the song appears at 1:04, with the song's title sung. The song then switches between a verse and the refrain. A short electric guitar solo that is reminiscent of the riff from "Paperback Writer" appears at 1:53 and at 2:10 the horn fanfare re-enters. The song closes with fading vocals of McCartney, much akin to the soul records of the time. The mono and stereo mixes of the recording feature different ad libs in the fade-out - the presence of a second vocal track is also more subtle for most of the mono version. Backing vocals were recorded early but later eliminated.

In Barry Miles' 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now, McCartney disclosed that the song was about marijuana. "'Got to Get You into My Life' was one I wrote when I had first been introduced to pot ... So [it's] really a song about that, it's not to a person." Many lyrics from the song suggest this: "I took a ride, I didn't know what I would find there / Another road where maybe I could see some other kind of mind there.",'"What can I do? What can I be? When I'm with you, I want to stay there / If I am true, I will never leave and if I do, I'll know the way there." "It's actually an ode to pot," McCartney explained, "like someone else might write an ode to chocolate or a good claret."

Reception
Thomas Ward of AllMusic said, "McCartney's always been a great vocalist, and this is perhaps the best example of his singing on Revolver. One of the overlooked gems on the album." When asked about the song in his 1980 Playboy interview, John Lennon said, "Paul's again. I think that was one of his best songs, too." The song can be heard in the end credits of the 2015 film Minions.

Personnel

 * Paul McCartney – double-tracked lead vocal, bass
 * John Lennon – rhythm guitar, organ
 * George Harrison – lead guitar
 * Ringo Starr – drums, tambourine
 * Eddie Thornton – trumpet
 * Ian Hamer – trumpet
 * Les Condon – trumpet
 * Alan Branscombe – tenor saxophone
 * Peter Coe – tenor saxophone
 * Personnel per Ian MacDonald; MacDonald was unsure if Lennon played the rhythm guitar part.

Earth, Wind & Fire version
Earth, Wind & Fire covered the song for the 1978 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band soundtrack. They released it as a single and included it on their album The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1. Their version reached number 1 on the Soul singles chart and number nine on the Hot 100 singles chart. In the autumn of 1978 it reached number 33 in the BBC Top 75 singles chart recorded on CBS records CBS 6553.

The song won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) and also garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

Reception
"Got to Get You into My Life" sold over one million copies, enough for the RIAA to certify it gold.

Cover versions

 * The Baby Dolls (Hollywood Records 1111) US 7" single in 1966
 * Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers in 1966
 * Johnny Hallyday with a French version "Je veux te graver dans ma vie" (1966).
 * Chris Clark (Motown Records) on August 1967
 * Canadian rock band Stitch in Tyme covered this song in 1967 (released as a single on Yorkville Records and Arc Records).
 * Diana Ross & The Supremes recorded it in 1968 but it wasn't released until 2004 on the Diana Ross & The Supremes and The Temptations - Joined Together: The Complete Studio Duets collection
 * Ella Fitzgerald on August 1969
 * The Four Tops on the album Soul Spin (1969)
 * Tom Jones has the song on many of his compilation albums
 * Chicago performed this song live on tour in the 1970s as an encore with Peter Cetera on vocals.
 * Lou Rawls in 1971
 * Blood, Sweat & Tears on the album New City (1975)
 * Thelma Houston with Pressure Cooker on I've Got the Music in Me (1975)
 * Earth, Wind & Fire in 1978 (see above)
 * Daniel Johnston in 1990
 * Joe Pesci on the album Vegas Goodfellas (1999)
 * Parody band Beatallica covered the song in 2007 on their album "Masterful Mystery Tour". It was amalgamated with the Metallica song "Trapped Under Ice" to create "Got to Get You Trapped Under Ice".
 * Australian rock band Koritni covered the song on their debut album Lady Luck, released in 2007.
 * Syesha Mercado of American Idol on March 12, 2008
 * Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs from the soundtrack of the movie Imagine That (2009)
 * Ali Campbell covered the song on his 2010 album Great British Songs
 * Groove for Thought on the album Inspired (2012)
 * Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss) and Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) performed this song in Glee's fifth-season premiere episode "Love Love Love" in 2013.
 * Matt Corby of Australian Idol
 * Courtney Murphy of Australian Idol
 * Phillip Phillips, Joshua Ledet and Jessica Sanchez of American Idol