Two of Us
Encyclopedia
"Two of Us" is a 1969 song by The Beatles
, written by Paul McCartney
(credited to Lennon–McCartney).
"Two of Us" was originally released on Let It Be
and was later released on Anthology 3
and Let It Be... Naked. Its title was used for a film Two of Us
about a fictional 1976 reunion between McCartney and Lennon.
, though the lyrics (e.g.: "you and I have memories/longer than road that stretches out ahead" or "you and me chasing papers/getting nowhere") sounded to author Ian MacDonald
like they were actually addressing Lennon.
An early performance of the song, in a guitar-driven rock style, can be seen in the Let It Be
film. Unsatisfied with this style, which McCartney described as "chunky", the band reworked the song around acoustic guitars. The Beatles performed a finished version of the song live at Apple Studios
on 31 January 1969; this performance was included in both the Let It Be film and album.
In May 1969, McCartney produced a recording of the song using this title by the group Mortimer, a New York City trio that briefly recorded for Apple, but this recording was never released.
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, written by Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
(credited to Lennon–McCartney).
"Two of Us" was originally released on Let It Be
Let It Be (album)
Let It Be is the 12th and final studio album released by the English rock band The Beatles. It was released on 8 May 1970 by the band's Apple Records label shortly after the group announced their break-up....
and was later released on Anthology 3
Anthology 3
Anthology 3 is a compilation album by The Beatles released in October 1996 by Apple Records as part of The Beatles Anthology series. The album includes rarities and alternative tracks from the final two years of the band's career, ranging from the initial sessions for The Beatles to the last...
and Let It Be... Naked. Its title was used for a film Two of Us
Two of Us (2000 television)
Two of Us is a 2000 television drama which offers a dramatized account of April 24, 1976 , the day in which Lorne Michaels made a statement on Saturday Night Live offering The Beatles $3,000 to reunite on his program.It was directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg Two of Us is a 2000 television drama (and...
about a fictional 1976 reunion between McCartney and Lennon.
History
The song was originally titled "On Our Way Home". McCartney claimed it was dedicated to his wife-to-be Linda EastmanLinda McCartney
Linda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney was an American photographer, musician and animal rights activist. Her father and mother were Lee Eastman and Louise Sara Lindner Eastman....
, though the lyrics (e.g.: "you and I have memories/longer than road that stretches out ahead" or "you and me chasing papers/getting nowhere") sounded to author Ian MacDonald
Ian MacDonald
Ian MacCormick was a British music critic and author, best known for Revolution in the Head, his forensic history of The Beatles which borrowed techniques from art historians, and The New Shostakovich, a controversial study of the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich...
like they were actually addressing Lennon.
An early performance of the song, in a guitar-driven rock style, can be seen in the Let It Be
Let It Be (film)
Let It Be is a 1970 documentary film about The Beatles rehearsing and recording songs for the album Let It Be in January 1969. The film features an unannounced rooftop concert by the group, their last performance in public...
film. Unsatisfied with this style, which McCartney described as "chunky", the band reworked the song around acoustic guitars. The Beatles performed a finished version of the song live at Apple Studios
Apple Corps
Apple Corps Ltd. is a multi-armed multimedia corporation founded in January 1968 by the members of The Beatles to replace their earlier company and to form a conglomerate. Its name is a pun. Its chief division is Apple Records, which was launched in the same year...
on 31 January 1969; this performance was included in both the Let It Be film and album.
In May 1969, McCartney produced a recording of the song using this title by the group Mortimer, a New York City trio that briefly recorded for Apple, but this recording was never released.
Personnel
- George HarrisonGeorge HarrisonGeorge Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
– basslineBasslineA bassline is the term used in many styles of popular music, such as jazz, blues, funk, dub and electronic music for the low-pitched instrumental part or line played by a rhythm section instrument such as the electric bass, double bass, tuba or keyboard...
on electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... - John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
– harmony vocal, rhythm acoustic guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, whistlingWhistlingHuman whistling is the production of sound by means of carefully controlling a stream of air flowing through a small hole. Whistling can be achieved by creating a small opening with one's lips and then blowing or sucking air through the hole... - Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
– lead vocal, lead acoustic guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... - Ringo StarrRingo StarrRichard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Covers
- Boney M. covered the song on their 1979 album Oceans of FantasyOceans of FantasyOceans of Fantasy is the fourth studio album by Boney M. Released in September 1979, Oceans Of Fantasy became the second Boney M. album to top the UK charts and features hits "El Lute" based on Eleuterio Sánchez life, "I'm Born Again", "Bahama Mama" and "Gotta Go Home"...
. - Aimee MannAimee MannAimee Mann is an American rock singer-songwriter, guitarist and bassist.-Early life:Aimee Mann grew up in Bon Air, Virginia, graduated from Open High School in 1978 and attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, but dropped out to sing with her first punk rock band, the Young Snakes...
and Michael PennMichael PennMichael Penn is an American singer, songwriter and composer. He is the eldest son of actor/director Leo Penn and actress Eileen Ryan, and the brother of actors Sean Penn and the late Chris Penn.-Career:...
coveredCover versionIn popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
"Two of Us" as part of the soundtrack for the 2001 film, I Am SamI Am SamI Am Sam is a 2001 American drama film written and directed by Jessie Nelson, and starring Sean Penn as a father with a developmental disability, Dakota Fanning as his inquisitive seven-year-old daughter, and Michelle Pfeiffer as his lawyer...
. On some releases of this soundtrack "Two of Us" appeared also in a version of Neil FinnNeil FinnNeil Mullane Finn, OBE is a New Zealand Pop recording artist. Along with his brother Tim Finn, he was the co-frontman for Split Enz and is now frontman for Crowded House...
, in a duet with his son Liam FinnLiam FinnLiam Mullane Finn is a New Zealand musician and songwriter. Born in Australia, he moved to New Zealand as a child...
. - GusterGusterGuster is an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 1991, the group is known for its live performances and humor, founding members Adam Gardner, Ryan Miller, and Brian Rosenworcel came about to begin practice sessions while attending Tufts University in Medford,...
covered "Two of Us" on their 2007 EP SatelliteSatellite EPSatellite EP is the fifth EP by rock band Guster. It was released on April 10, 2007. It is Guster's third EP with musician Joe Pisapia.The EP is made of both live recordings and songs recorded during the creation Ganging Up On The Sun but not included on the album.The Astronauts, a producing team,...
. - Kenny LogginsKenny LogginsDuring the next decade, Loggins recorded so many successful songs for film soundtracks that he was referred to as, King of the Movie Soundtrack.He began with "I'm Alright" , "Mr. Night", and "Lead the Way" from Caddyshack...
covered it on his 2009 album All Join InAll Join InAll Join In is the thirteenth studio album and third childrens album by Kenny Loggins.The first Kenny Loggins childrens album to be released by Walt Disney Records in 2009.His previous childrens albums Return to Pooh Corner was released by Columbia Records/Sony Wonder and More Songs From Pooh...
.
Cultural references
- Two of UsTwo of Us (2000 television)Two of Us is a 2000 television drama which offers a dramatized account of April 24, 1976 , the day in which Lorne Michaels made a statement on Saturday Night Live offering The Beatles $3,000 to reunite on his program.It was directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg Two of Us is a 2000 television drama (and...
is the title of a 2000 VH1VH1VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
television dramaDramaDrama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
which offers a fictionalized account of 24 April 1976, the day Lorne MichaelsLorne MichaelsLorne Michaels, CM is a Canadian-American television producer, writer, and comedian best known for creating and producing Saturday Night Live and producing the various film and TV projects that spun off from it.-Early life:...
of Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
offered the Beatles $3,000 to appear on the program, when by coincidence McCartney was visiting Lennon at his New York apartment and watching the program.