Two of Us

"Two of Us" is a song written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The song was recorded by the Beatles on 31 January 1969. [Wikipedia]

Two of Us is a song by The Beatles, written by McCartney and led on vocal by Paul McCartney & John Lennon. Acoustic; about Paul and Linda but feels like John–Paul valediction. Paul McCartney's acoustic composition emerged from the Apple Studios sessions in late January 1969, ostensibly about Paul and his wife Linda despite lyrical ambiguity suggesting John as the subject. Working title 'On Our Way Home' reflected the song's journey metaphor, with Paul and John sharing lead vocals on the ultimately released version. McCartney later 'gave' this song to a New York trio called Mortimer for a planned Apple single release, though their version never materialized, establishing this as one of few Lennon-McCartney compositions offered outside the group. A folksy acoustic tune that recalled McCartney's earlier work "I'll Follow the Sun," performed by Paul and John in stage formation with clean, crisp mixing that Spector wisely left untouched. (Kozinn 1995, p.209)

The session work falls within the band's Let It Be (1969–70) period, recorded 31 Jan 1969 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.166 of The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions (excerpt below). Recorded on 31 January 1969 as part of the Apple Studio Performance sequence of piano and acoustic songs unsuitable for the rooftop broadcast. Three takes were recorded using film clapperboard numbering; the group arranged themselves in stage formation for the performance. George Martin's production emphasized the acoustic intimacy and vocal harmonies without orchestral enhancement. The take later included on the original Get Back LP featured Paul's spoken conclusion about 'the little town of London,' capturing the informal studio atmosphere characteristic of these sessions (Lewisohn 1988, p.170). The Apple Studios sessions captured informal studio atmosphere where Paul's spoken conclusion about "the little town of London" underscored McCartney's nostalgic framing. (Emerick 2006, p.416)

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. Duration at 3m 37s places it at the 89th percentile canonically and 57th percentile within the Let It Be era. Paul McCartney and John Lennon dual lead vocals appear in only 6 canon songs total, with 1 in the Let It Be era, making this a rare vocal configuration. G major key is shared by 33 canon songs (2 in era). The song's straightforward acoustic arrangement and accessible melody established it as a concert favorite and fan-beloved track, overshadowing its compositional origin story (Lewisohn 1988, p.166-170). The January 24 take recorded at Apple was mixed in March for the album; edited master tape features the rooftop concert performance fragment from January 30 mixed with studio takes.

• The Two of Us (1930 film), a Swedish film directed by John W. Brunius
• The Two of Us (1939 film), a Swedish film directed by Schamyl Bauman
• The Two of Us (1967 film), a French Holocaust related film directed by Claude Berri
• The Two of Us (2014 film), a South African film directed by Ernest Nkosi
• Two of Us (1987 film), a gay-themed British television film
• Two of Us (2000 film), an American television drama about a fictionalized meeting between Paul McCartney and John Lennon
• Two of Us (2019 film), a French film
• The Two of Us (1981 TV series), a sitcom starring Peter Cook and Mimi Kennedy
• The Two of Us (1986 TV series), a British comedy starring Nicholas Lyndhurst and Janet Dibley
• The Two of Us (2009 TV series) or Tayong Dalawa, a Filipino primetime drama series

Extracted from the ‘In popular culture’ / ‘Legacy’ section of the corresponding Wikipedia article. Verify against the linked article before quoting.

Other recordings sharing era, vocalist, writer, key, studio, or producer with this one. Higher scores indicate stronger overlap on documented attributes.

• Maggie Mae (score 10)
• Let It Be (score 8)
• The Long and Winding Road (score 8)
• Carry That Weight (score 6)
• Golden Slumbers (score 6)
• Her Majesty (score 6)
• I've Got a Feeling (score 6)
• Maxwell's Silver Hammer (score 6)