Preston first came to widespread attention of a U.S. mainstream audience as the organist (and sometimes vocalist) in the house band on the television show 'Shindig,' popular during 1964-66. On tour backing stars Little Richard and Sam Cooke, he met the Beatles (early in their career) in Hamburg, Germany in 1962. He was later invited by George Harrison to join The Beatles in the studio for the filming/recording of 'Let It Be' (1970). Preston's most memorable performance with the Beatles is on the track "Get Back".
The apparent reason for the collaboration was that the project was being done live— without overdubs— and the Beatles wanted a second keyboardist. Preston's soulful style was to compliment the rhythm and blues approach the Beatles had for this album. His was a genre they'd grown up listening to and were reaching back to as well as paying tribute to.
Another apparent reason for Preston's involvement was to buffer the growing tensions between the members of the band (that had started around the time of filming). Everyone set aside their differences to make Preston feel welcome at the sessions. Members of the band have later commented on their joy with working with Preston, whom they respected as a talented musician.
While Preston was never considered for permanent membership in the Beatles (despite stories to the contrary), he did continue working with them through to the end of the 60s: releasing two solo albums on Apple Records (the Beatles' label), collaborating with George Harrison on 'All Things Must Pass', and joining in on the Concert for Bangladesh— one of the first significant benefit concerts of its kind (at Madison Square Garden in 1972). Preston also later made an appearance in the infamous Beatles tribute film 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' (1978), as the title character— Sgt. Pepper. He's sometimes been referred to as a 'Fifth Beatle'.
In addition to work with said group, Preston also played and toured with The Rolling Stones, playing on significant albums such as 'Sticky Fingers' and 'Exile on Main St.' In the 70s, Preston also worked with Bob Dylan, playing as an accompanist on ' Blood on the Tracks', and Aretha Franklin, on her record 'Young, Gifted and Black'. As the years went on, Preston collaborated with numerous other artists including Barbra Streisand and Miles Davis, also notable touring with Sly and the Family Stone for a time. He also played organ with the Ray Charles big band on tour in the late 60s.
In terms of his solo career, Preston's hit tracks "Will It Go 'Round in Circles" and "Nothing From Nothing" both reached all the way to number one in the U.S. and still remain staples of oldies stations. He won a Grammy Award for best pop instrumental performance for "Outa Space" in 1971, and he received an invitation to the White House no less in 1974. Though perhaps overshadowed by his collaborative work, he devolved a strong and devoted fan-base as album after album made it into the Billboard top 200 album chart.
Preston was also the music director and band leader for the Garry Shandling show in the 80s, returning to the TV work that had given him his start. Yet, in the 80s and 90s, Preston sadly suffered substance abuse and financial issues. He spent three years in prison in 1997 for a drugs possession charge handed out earlier that year (cocaine possession and assault).
His last recordings were on the Red Hot Chili Peppers' album 'Stadium Arcadium' and with Neil Diamond for his "12 songs" record, both produced by Rick Rubin.
A U.S. musical legend, Preston passed away at the age of 59 in a hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona, as a result of "malignant hypertension that resulted in kidney failure and other complications".
Get Back
Billy Preston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Get back to where you once belonged
Get back, yeah, get back
Get back to where you once belonged
Get back Jo Jo
Jo Jo was a man
Who thought he was a loner
Jo Jo left his home in Tucson, Arizona
For some California grass
Get back, get back
Get back to where you once belonged
Get back, get back, yeah
Get back to where you once belonged
Sweet Loretta Martin thought she was a woman
But she was another man
All the girls around her said she's got it comin'
But she gets it while she can
Get back, get back, yeah
Get back to where you once belonged
Get back, yeah, woo, get back
Get back to where you once belonged
Get back, yeah, get on back
Get back to where you once belonged
Get back, yeah, woo, get back
Get back to where you once belonged, nah
Get back yeah, get on back
Get back to where you once belonged
Get back, yeah, woo, get back
Get back to where you once belonged
Woo, woo
Get back Loretta
Your mama's waiting for you
With her high heel shoes
And a low neck sweater
Get back home Loretta
Get back, yeah, get on back
Get back to where you once belonged
Get back, yeah, get on back
Get back to where you once belonged
Get back, yeah, woo, get back, yeah, woo
Get back to where you once belonged
Get back, yeah, get on back
Get back to where you once belonged
Get back, yeah, woo, get back
Get back to where you once belonged
Get back, yeah, get on back
Get back to where you once belonged (get back, yeah, woo, get back)
"Get Back" is a song by English rock band The Beatles, but the version in question is the one performed by Billy Preston, who was a keyboardist and friend of the Beatles. The song is a rock and roll number with catchy melodies and an upbeat tempo that makes it a great track to dance to. The lyrics are relatively simple but still manage to convey a sense of fun and energy.
The song opens with the repeated phrase "Get back, get back, get back to where you once belonged" which serves as the chorus throughout the song. The verse then introduces two characters, Jo Jo and Loretta, who are both seeking to escape their current situations and return to a place where they feel they belong. Jo Jo is a loner who leaves his home in Arizona to find "California grass", while Loretta is a woman who is mistaken for a man by those around her but still "gets it while she can". The final verse tells Loretta to "get back" to her mother who is waiting for her in "high heels and a low neck sweater", suggesting that she should return to a place of safety and familiarity.
Line by Line Meaning
Get back, get back
Return to a previous place or situation
Get back to where you once belonged
Return to a place or situation which was more favorable in the past
Get back, yeah, get back
Re-emphasizing the need to return to the previous place or situation
Get back Jo Jo
Addressing someone named Jo Jo to return as well
Jo Jo was a man
Introducing a character named Jo Jo
Who thought he was a loner
Jo Jo believed he was alone
But he knew it wouldn't last
Jo Jo realized that being alone wouldn't continue
Jo Jo left his home in Tucson, Arizona
Jo Jo moved away from his home in Tucson, Arizona
For some California grass
Jo Jo was looking for marijuana in California
Sweet Loretta Martin thought she was a woman
Introducing a character named Loretta Martin who identified as a woman
But she was another man
Loretta Martin was transgender
All the girls around her said she's got it comin'
Other women were gossiping about Loretta Martin
But she gets it while she can
Loretta Martin lives life on her own terms
Get back Loretta
Addressing Loretta Martin to return as well
Your mama's waiting for you
Loretta Martin's mother is back home waiting for her
With her high heel shoes
Her mother is wearing high heels
And a low neck sweater
Her mother is wearing a low-cut sweater
Woo, woo
An interjection used to express enthusiasm or excitement
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind