The band recorded the song with keyboardist Billy Preston; the single release with "Get Back" was credited to "the Beatles with Billy Preston". Originally released as a B-side, producer Phil Spector excluded the song from Let It Be. However, it was eventually included on an alternate mix of the album, Let It Be... Naked.
Composition
Written by John Lennon as an anguished love song to Yoko Ono, it was interpreted by Paul McCartney as a "genuine plea", with Lennon saying to Ono, "I'm really stepping out of line on this one. I'm really just letting my vulnerability be seen, so you must not let me down."
The song is in the key of E major and is in 4/4 time during the verse, chorus and bridge, but changes to 5/4 in the pick-up to the verse.It grew (like "Sun King") from the F♯m7–E changes from Fleetwood Mac's "Albatross" with McCartney arranging instrumental and vocal parts and George Harrison adding a descending two-part lead guitar accompaniment to the verse and a countermelody in the bridge. Alan W. Pollack states that "the counterpoint melody played in octaves during the Alternate Verse by the bass and lead guitars is one of the more novel, unusual instrumental touches you'll find anywhere in the Beatles catalogue."
Recording
Multiple versions of "Don't Let Me Down" were recorded by the Beatles during the Get Back (Let It Be) recording sessions. The version recorded on 28 January 1969, with vocal overdubs in late February, was released as a B-side to the single "Get Back", recorded the same day. The Beatles performed "Don't Let Me Down" twice during their rooftop concert of 30 January 1969, and the first performance was included in the Let It Be (1970) film, directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg.
Don't Let Me Down
Beatles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't let me down, don't let me down
Nobody ever loved me like she does
Oh, she does, yeah, she does
And if somebody loved me like she do me
Oh, she do me, yes, she does
Don't let me down, don't let me down
I'm in love for the first time
Don't you know it's gonna last
It's a love that lasts forever
It's a love that had no past
Don't let me down, don't let me down
Don't let me down, don't let me down
And from the first time that she really done me
Oh, she done me, she done me good
I guess nobody ever really done me
Oh, she done me, she done me good
Don't let me down, don't let me down
Don't let me down
The lyrics to the Beatles song Don't Let Me Down express a deep yearning for the security and love of another person. The singer is asking their lover not to disappoint them, not to fail them, and to be the one constant in their life. The repetition of the refrain "don't let me down" emphasizes the singer's desperation for this love to continue and for their lover to stay true. The first verse describes the unmatched love the singer feels for their lover, and how they have never experienced anything like it before. The second verse confirms that this love is a new and everlasting experience for the singer, one that has no past and will never end.
The lines "and from the first time that she really done me oh, she done me, she done me good" indicate that this love has been tested and approved by the singer. They trust their lover and believe that they will always be there for them. The singer's vulnerability is clear throughout the song, as they are admitting their need for their lover and acknowledging that without them, they would be lost. The repetition of the phrase "don't let me down" throughout the song creates a mournful, desperate tone that reflects the singer's fear of losing their love.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't let me down, don't let me down
Please don't disappoint or fail me
Nobody ever loved me like she does
No one has ever shown me love like she has
Oh, she does, yeah, she does
She really does love me as much as the singer claims
And if somebody loved me like she do me
If someone else loved me as much as she does
Oh, she do me, yes, she does
But she's the only one who can love the artist that much
I'm in love for the first time
This is the singer's first true love
Don't you know it's gonna last
The singer is convinced that this love will endure
It's a love that lasts forever
This is a love that will never die
It's a love that had no past
This love was not influenced by past experiences or relationships
And from the first time that she really done me
From the moment she truly loved the artist
Oh, she done me, she done me good
She has loved the singer in the best way possible
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN LENNON, PAUL MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jihadmakhoul6328
That's not just a live performance ....its a piece of history
@kk-om5zm
Yeah!!
@AthosRac
This is studio.
@jasveerkhinda8816
@RatusNatus Do you are have stupid?
@phrahm
@Heildir Ezekiel it's from a meme lol
@slimva6547
Certainly not live. Still historic though. Live performances were a lot poorer quality audio back then, not that they couldn't pull it off though
@megatronusXZ
Only the beatles could make a live performance sound better than the studio version
@iiangmariiomega2639
Also bob marley was live really Good
@sathira_anuk5179
Eagle's could do it too
@user-yr7xi1om3h
And dominick fike on his song "rollerblades" some artists are pressured to change stuff to make ot more broadly appealing or less impactful. Guess it depends on the message