Editing Get Back (section)

===Single version===
On 11 April 1969, [[Apple Records]] released "Get Back" as a single in the UK, paired with "Don't Let Me Down" on the B-side. The single began its 17-week stay in the charts on 23 April at No. 1, a position it held for six weeks. It was the first Beatles single to enter the official UK singles chart at the top.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ukcharts.20m.com/number1.html#enter1 |title=Number One Hits: Facts & Feats: Straight In At Number One |access-date=13 December 2013}} (On the NME chart, eight earlier Beatles singles had entered at the top.)</ref> In the US, "Get Back" began its first of 12 weeks on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart the week ending 10 May. Two weeks after the song's chart debut, it hit No. 1, where it stayed for five weeks. "Get Back" became the band's 17th No. 1 song on ''Billboard'', matching [[Elvis Presley]]'s previous record of 17 number ones.

In both the UK and US, the single was released by Apple, although EMI retained the rights to the song as part of their contract. It was the only Beatles single to include an accompanying artist's name, crediting "Get Back/Don't Let Me Down" to "The Beatles with Billy Preston". Neither Apple nor [[Capitol Records]] created a picture sleeve for the single—it was modestly packaged in a black sleeve with a cursive-style font simply stating "The Beatles on Apple".<ref>{{cite book |last=Spizer |first=Bruce |author-link=Bruce Spizer |title=The Beatles on Apple Records |publisher=498 Productions |year=2003 |page=47}}</ref> Apple launched a print ad campaign for the song concurrent with its release showing a photo of the band with the slogan ''The Beatles as Nature Intended'', indicating that the sound of "Get Back" harked to the group's earlier days.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=The Beatles as nature intended |url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Billboard-IDX/IDX/60s/1969/Billboard%201969-04-26-OCR-Page-0013.pdf |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|location=New York City|date=26 April 1969|access-date=30 January 2018}}</ref>

The single version of the song contains a chamber reverb effect throughout and a coda after a false ending, with the lyrics "Get back Loretta / Your mommy's waiting for you / Wearing her high-heel shoes / And her low-neck sweater / Get back home, Loretta." This does not appear on the album version; the single version's first LP appearance would come three years later on the ''[[1967–1970]]'' compilation. This version also appeared in the albums ''[[20 Greatest Hits (Beatles album)|20 Greatest Hits]]'', ''[[Past Masters]]'' and ''[[1 (Beatles album)|1]]''. It was also included in the original line-up of the proposed ''Get Back'' album, which was scheduled to be released in the fall of 1969.

In the UK and Europe, "Get Back/Don't Let Me Down" was the Beatles' last single to be released in [[Monaural|mono]], but in the US, the single was released in stereo. It was the Beatles' first single to be released in true stereo instead of mono as part of the "stereo only" movement gaining force in 1969. In both versions, the lead guitar played by Lennon is in the left channel, and the rhythm guitar played by Harrison is in the right channel. The single was also released in the experimental [[PocketDisc]] format by Americom in conjunction with Apple and Capitol in the late 1960s.