One After 909

Travel is one of its subjects (Train journey, leaving), along with the motifs of absurdist humor and storytelling, one of 23 songs spread over 7 years of writing. The lyric turns to simile, and a multi-syllabic rhyme arrives once, "station/location". The title carries a number ("one") and also comes back in the refrain, and the language is tonally neutral (comic story, no strong emotional payload) and built on a limited vocabulary.

'One After 909' is a rock and roll and rockabilly song in B major, around 125 BPM, and it owes something to skiffle and Elvis Presley (the once-and-twice demand and the phrase 'cold as ice', both of them in 'Treat Me Nice'). This is one of only 5 Beatles records in that key, the earliest of them 'Doctor Robert'. The record has a vocal ad-lib. Also, it has a guitar solo. It is a 12-bar blues, one of 32 in the catalogue, such as 'Roll Over Beethoven' and 'Little Child'. The outro here stands out ('Oh, Danny boy' ad-lib unrelated to verse content). Fun fact, the harmony moves E → B → C♯ → F♯, the same shape 'Blackbird' takes as C → G/B → A7 → D7sus4. 'Hold Me Tight' plays B♭ → F → G7 → C and 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' plays C7 → G → A7 → D7: the same progression in different keys, which 'Blackbird' and this song also make.

Captured live during the Apple rooftop concert, with Billy Preston, the guest musician, on Fender Rhodes, and it is one of only eleven Beatles records cut at Apple Studios. Lennon is on the Epiphone Casino ES-230TD, his guitar, one of 55 songs spread over 5 years of writing. It shares its session day with one others, the 191st and 192nd of their career.

Lennon wrote it and shares the lead with McCartney. It has a guest player on it, Billy Preston, who plays organ on six Beatles records in all, such as 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)' and 'Something'. Phil Spector is credited with a Let It Be album production.

The record reached listeners on May 8, 1970, as one track among many on Let It Be. The Beatles have 5 songs played on the Apple roof on 30 January 1969, and they are 'Don't Let Me Down', 'Get Back', 'Dig a Pony', 'I've Got a Feeling', and this song. This track was the 10th of 12 released in 1970, and the 212th in their whole run.