Carry That Weight

For the performance art piece, see Mattress Performance (Carry That Weight).

"Carry That Weight"
Song

"Carry That Weight" is a song by the Beatles. Released on Abbey Road and part of the long, climactic medley that closes the album, it features vocals from all four Beatles (a rarity in their songs). It is preceded by "Golden Slumbers", and segues into "The End".

The middle bridge, featuring brass instruments, electric guitar and vocals, reprises the beginning of "You Never Give Me Your Money", but with different lyrics. The ending also reprises the arpeggiated guitar motif from the end of that track, similar to the figure featured prominently in the George Harrison written tracks "Here Comes the Sun" and "Badge" (co-written by Harrison and Eric Clapton). The song was written by Paul McCartney, but credited to Lennon–McCartney.

Interpretation

Music critic Ian MacDonald interpreted the lyric as an acknowledgement by the group that nothing they would do as individual artists would equal what they had achieved together, and they would always carry the weight of their Beatle past. McCartney said the song was about the Beatles' business difficulties and the atmosphere at Apple at the time. In the film Imagine: John Lennon, Lennon says that McCartney was "singing about all of us."

Recording

They began recording "Golden Slumbers"/"Carry That Weight" as one piece on 2 July 1969. McCartney, Harrison and Starr recorded 15 takes of the two songs while Lennon was in the hospital recovering from a car accident in Scotland.

The rhythm tracks featured McCartney on piano, Harrison on bass guitar and Starr on drums. The best were takes 13 and 15, which were edited together on 3 July. That day and the next, McCartney overdubbed his lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Harrison added lead guitar, and all three sang the chorus.

On 30 July, they added more vocals, including Lennon, who had rejoined the sessions on 9 July. More vocals, timpani and drums were overdubbed on 31 July. The orchestra was recorded on 15 August.

Personnel

• Paul McCartney – lead vocal, piano, rhythm guitar, chorus vocal
• George Harrison – bass guitar, lead guitar, chorus vocal
• Ringo Starr – drums, timpani, chorus vocal
• John Lennon – chorus vocal

Production

• George Martin – producer, arranger

Orchestra

• Uncredited – twelve violins, four violas, four cellos, double bass, four horns, three trumpets, trombone, bass trombone

Personnel per MacDonald and Mark Lewisohn

Cover versions

• In 1972, Melbourne-based Australian pop singer Colleen Hewett had a hit on the Australian singles charts with her cover of the song and her interpretation had both the song and sections of Golden Slumbers.
• In 1976, the Bee Gees covered the song for the musical documentary All This and World War II. Two years later, they did the same for the movie version of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
• Les Fradkin has an instrumental version included in his 2005 release "While My Guitar Only Plays".
• In 2009, Cheap Trick released Sgt. Pepper Live, which includes the song.
• Orange Bicycle covered this song interposing it with You Never Give Me Your Money.

References in Popular Culture

• The anime series Cowboy Bebop likely references the song in the final episode "The Real Folk Blues (Part 2)", which concludes the series with the quote "You're gonna carry that weight."