“I Me Mine” is a George Harrison composition on The Beatles’ album, “Let It Be” from 1970. However, it also appears on a few more Beatles’ albums too.
In Detail
Albums
Release Date: 8th May, 1970
Recorded: 3rd January & 1st April, 1970
Studio: Abbey Road, London
Genre: Rock
Track Duration: 2:25
Record Label: Apple
Songwriter: George Harrison
Producer: Phil Spector
Performers
George Harrison: lead and harmony vocal, acoustic guitars, lead guitars
Paul McCartney: harmony vocal, bass guitar, Hammond organ, electric piano
Ringo Starr: drums
Other Performers
Uncredited: 18 violins, four violas, four cellos, harp, three trumpets, three trombones
Richard Hewson: brass and string arrangements
Track Sources
Let It Be
Anthology 3
Let It Be… Naked
I Me Mine
Written and sung by George Harrison, “I Me Mine” became the last new recording by The Beatles before they broke up in April, 1970. Indeed, the lyrics alert us to the stresses within the band around that time.
Let It Be Album (1970)
Anthology 3 Album (1996)
Let It Be… Naked Album (2003)
“Suddenly I looked around and everything I could see was relative to my ego, like ‘that’s my piece of paper’ and ‘that’s my flannel’ or ‘give it to me’ or ‘I am’. It drove me crackers, I hated everything about my ego, it was a flash of everything false and impermanent, which I disliked. But later, I learned from it, to realise that there is somebody else in here apart from old blabbermouth.
Who am ‘I’ became the order of the day. Anyway, that’s what came out of it, I Me Mine. The truth within us has to be realised. When you realise that, everything else that you see and do and touch and smell isn’t real, then you may know what reality is, and can answer the question ‘Who am I?'”
George Harrison
I Me Mine (autobiography)
Obviously, we would like to see The Beatles disband on a high. However, the fact is, they didn’t. So, maybe it’s fitting that this George Harrison song was their last one.
Recording Studio
Filming began for the documentary film, “Let It be” in January 1969 and this includes the band singing “I Me Mine”. Since the song featured in the film, The Beatles decided to record it properly in the studio for the soundtrack album of the same name.
The Beatles began recording the song on the 3rd January, 1970, in Studio Two of the Abbey Road Studios, London, during the 2.30pm-12.15am session. However, John Lennon took no part in this recording where they recorded 16 takes. In essence, by this time, Lennon had left the group and he was on holiday in Denmark.
Sad though it may seem, George Harrison makes the following statement on take 15 in reference to the departure of Lennon:
“You all will have read that Dave Dee is no longer with us. But Mickey and Tich and I would just like to carry on the good work that’s always gone down in number two [studio].”
The Beatles’ 1996 album, “Anthology 3”, has this announcement preceding take 16, but it doesn’t have the orchestration added by Phil Spector.
Meanwhile, on the 2003 album, “Let It Be… Naked”, there is a slightly different recreation of Spector’s edit.
