I Me Mine

"I Me Mine" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1970 album Let It Be. Written by George Harrison, it was the last new track the group recorded before their break-up in April 1970. The song originated from their January 1969 rehearsals at Twickenham Film Studios when they were considering making a return to live performance. [Wikipedia]

I Me Mine is a song by The Beatles, written by Harrison and led on vocal by George Harrison. Last song the Beatles ever recorded as a band (John was in Denmark). George Harrison's final Beatles composition, recorded on 3 January 1970 without John Lennon, who remained in Denmark on extended vacation. The piece emerged from Harrison's critique of ego and self-absorption, employing waltz-rocker structure unusual within the canon. Lewisohn documents George's mock press statement before recording, sarcastically referencing Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich's group dynamics as commentary on the absent fourth member's impact on group functioning. Harrison's straightforward critique of marriage dynamics stood in stark contrast to Lennon and McCartney's more abstracted material during this period. (Kozinn 1995, p.196)

The session work falls within the band's Let It Be (1969–70) period, recorded 3 Jan 1970 at Twickenham Film Stages (Jan 1969). George Martin (sessions); Phil Spector (post-production overdubs March/April 1970) produced; Glyn Johns, Phil McDonald (sessions); Peter Bown, Phil Spector engineers (post) engineered. For session-by-session detail, see Mark Lewisohn's account on p.171 of The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions (excerpt below). Recorded with Paul, George, and Ringo—the last time all four Beatles would work simultaneously on new material, though not all present simultaneously. Sixteen basic track takes captured George's acoustic guitar, guide vocal, Paul's bass, and Ringo's drums without John's participation. The session preserved George's sardonic humor on eight-track tape, capturing the group's fraught state as four members attempted completion of Get Back album without complete participation. Later stereo mixing at Olympic Sound Studios finalized the release version (Lewisohn 1988, p.195-196).

Studio recording showcased Harrison's developing solo voice, with subsequent Spector overdubs adding lush orchestration despite challenges from degraded tape stock. (Emerick 2006, p.524) MacDonald emphasizes the uniqueness of Harrison's composition: a rare three-time signature song employing an intricate 3/4 time guitar figure. (MacDonald 1994, p.250)

In the canonical discography it appears on the LP Let It Be. Documented alternate versions include Anthology 3 (1996), Let It Be… Naked (2003), 2009 Stereo Remasters, Let It Be 50th Anniversary (2021). Mono and stereo histories vary by era — see the dedicated section below. At 2m 25s, duration places it at 43rd percentile canonically and 29th percentile within Let It Be era. George Harrison lead vocals appear in 28 canon songs (2 in Let It Be era). A minor key is shared by only 10 canon songs (1 in era), reflecting the minor key's rarity in Beatles catalog. The track's status as ultimate Beatles recording established it as poignant coda to the group's studio career (Lewisohn 1988, p.195-196). The original 1969 recording received substantial Spector orchestration in 1970; Let It Be… Naked restoration presented Harrison's more austere version.

• Let It Be is the sound of four grown men with shared histories and diverging futures trying to squeeze blood from stones ... "I Me Mine" famously stands as the last new Beatles song recorded before the group's split.
• Although a session on 20 August 1969, to oversee the creation of the master tape of their Abbey Road album, marked the last time that all four Beatles were present in the recording studio, "I Me Mine" was the last new song recorded by the Beatles. In his book Revolution ...
• Engrossed with things that don't really matter, we become preoccupied with the visible, with the transient instead of the transcendent ..." In an article coinciding with the release of Martin Scorsese's 2011 documentary George Harrison: Living in the Material World, Steve Rabey of the Religion...
• Long, an advocate for religious pluralism, credited Harrison, followed by the 1982 film Gandhi and the work of writer Fritjof Capra, as the influences that led him to study the Bhagavad Gita and embrace Hindu Dharma.
• In a 2015 interview, Long quoted "I Me Mine" when outlining how the concepts of self and consciousness differ in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions. Speaking at a TED Conference in June 2007, Tibetan Buddhist Robert Thurman referenced the song when he discussed the power of true empathy that accompanies th...
• In March 2015, the NME listed the track at number 94 in its list "100 Greatest Beatles Songs As Chosen By Music's A-Listers".