The Beatles - I Want You (She's So Heavy) - Guitar Cover

One of The Beatles’ longest songs! John and George’s bluesy guitar phrasing mesh with doomsday arpeggios and a heavy drop D tuned outro. The primary verse structure sees John mimicking his vocal line on the guitar with George playing counterpoint. As such, “I Want You (She’s So Heavy” features a relatively large amount of improvisation for a Beatles record, as well as sophisticated layered guitar arrangements. John’s phrasing is quite nuanced with microtonal bends and intricate hammer-on/pull-offs. Pay special attention to the pick-up switch position throughout the song; they changed it a lot!

Studio photos from the February 22, 1969, Trident Studios session show John playing his sanded Epiphone Casino and George on his red Gibson “Lucy” Les Paul. The 2019 Abbey Road Deluxe Edition album allows for some insight into this session, with a shy Glyn Johns telling John that a passerby to the studio has requested they turn down their loud amplifiers. John diplomatically replies that they will do one more “loud one” before counting off another take. Given the slight level of distortion on the recorded guitar, it is quite reasonable to assume that the Beatles had their amps cranked to achieve that on Fender Twin Reverbs!

The song begins with the hypnotizing guitar arpeggio (0:00), which sounds triple tracked: one by John’s original take, and then I believe 2 more guitars were added to this intro by John and George later during their April 19, 1969, guitar overdub session. I recorded these overdubs using both the Casino and Les Paul and panned them in the stereo field. It is important to note that the song begins significantly faster than it ends, beginning roughly around 170bpm and ending at 140bpm!

George’s original lead guitar is panned left and is very quite on the original mix (0:02, top left). Another overdubbed part comes in slightly thereafter and is panned right (top right). Both these parts use the middle pickup position. A final overdubbed part comes loudly into the left channel at 0:04, this time using the bridge pickup for a brighter sound (bottom). Notice how George’s original part misses the return bend at 0:06. Likewise, he plays the final F note of the lead slightly later than the overdubbed parts (0:10). The first overdubbed part (top right) plays a back and forth conclusion to the phrase, alternating between A and D notes (0:08), while the bridge pickup overdubbed part plays up the entire Aaug arpeggio. Overall, these final few notes create some interesting guitar harmony!

John’s guitar comes in for the first verse, slightly overbending the final note of the phrase (0:11) and falling quickly off it. Notice the bend/pull-off/bend at 0:19. These microtonal aspects of John playing are important to capture for an authentic performance. Double stops are played during the phrase “drivin’ me mad” at 0:28, and John plays closer to the bridge for a more nasal sound at 0:30. Both of these are regular features throughout the song, with minor nuances. George often changes the position of the short chordal interlude in this section (0:26). The lick at 0:33 is a signature late Beatles Harrison lick, one that he plays on “Golden Slumbers”.

The D section of the first verse is similar to the A section, except John plays a Chuck Berry style bend at 0:46. The walk-up at 0:52 has John playing individual G, G#, A, while George plays the same notes with the 4th below. The chord they play following this is an E7b9 (022131). It’s difficult to say who plays the low E note before the chord strumming, so I did it mainly as John’s part, with a light bit from George (0:53).

Verse 2 comes in with slightly more intricate guitar licks from John, such as the overbend waggling at 1:05. Again, I tried to recreate John’s phrasing as accurately as possible, so I shall reserve comment on more mundane phrasing nuances and refer those interested to pay close attention to the video! George goes perhaps a fret too high on the double stop slide (1:27). More Chuck Berry double notes are played by John at 1:30. George plays a light low C note transitioning from the F chord to the C7 at 1:40. He then switches to the bridge pickup at 1:45 while John adds an extra muted whack at 1:54.

The first interlude features the main riff played twice (1:56). Notice how John plays the higher notes of the Bb7 chord the first time while George arpeggiates the middle notes (2:03). George plays a transitory F note to the E note at 2:13.

Description continued in pinned comment below!

Instruments Used:
John Lennon Guitar: 2001 Epiphone Casino Standard (modified)
George Harrison Guitar: 2006 Gibson Les Paul Standard
Amplifier: Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb (1995)

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