John Lennon Said 1 Beatles Song Was Based on Motown
TL;DR:
- John Lennon said Motown inspired one of The Beatles’ songs.
- John discussed it in the context of influence.
- Paul McCartney hired members of another band to play on the tune.
John Lennon said Motown inspired one of The Beatles’ songs. He said the song was one of Paul McCartney’s best. Subsequently, he discussed his interpretation of the track.
John Lennon felt 1 of The Beatles’ songs was about acid
The book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono includes an interview from 1980. In it, he was asked about “Got to Get You Into My Life.” “Paul’s again,” he said. “I think that was one of his best songs, too, because the lyrics are good and I didn’t write them. You see?”
John discussed “Got to Get You Into My Life” in the context of Paul’s work. “When I say that he could write lyrics if he took the effort, here’s an example,” he said. “It actually describes his experience taking acid. I think that’s what he’s talking about. I couldn’t swear to it, but I think it was a result of that.”
John Lennon discussed the influences behind the Fab Four’s songs
The book The Beatles: Paperback Writer includes an interview from 1968. In it, John discussed the question of influence. “‘Got To Get You Into My Life’ — sure, we were doing our Tamla Motown bit,” he said. For context, Motown was once known as Tamla Records. “You see, we’re influenced by whatever’s going,” he added. “Even if we’re not influenced, we’re all going that way at a certain time.”
Motown inspired “Got to Get You Into My Life.” However, the book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now says artists who were not members of Motown played on the song. Paul hired Eddie Thornton and Peter Coe from the British group Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames to play on the song.
“Got to Get You Into My Life” became one of the first Beatles songs to use brass instruments. Paul liked the way the horns sounded on the song.
Members of another band played on The Beatles’ ‘Got to Get You Into My Life’
“Got to Get You Into My Life” reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 16 weeks in total. The track appeared on the album Revolver, which topped the Billboard 200 for six weeks. It spent 89 weeks on the chart altogether.
The Official Charts Company reports “Got to Get You Into My Life” never charted in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, Revolver was No. 1 for seven of its 34 weeks on the chart.
“Got to Get You Into My Life” is a classic song and it wouldn’t be the same without Motown.
