Her Majesty (song)

"Her Majesty" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, from their 1969 album Abbey Road. Written and sung by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney, it is a humorous, somewhat ungracious ode to Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. McCartney said that he "wrote it as a joke" and that "[it's] almost like a love song to the Queen." The song consists of one lead vocal and an acoustic guitar melody. It appears at the end of Abbey Road twenty seconds after "The End", but the original album sleeve did not list it; in fact, some music critics consider it one of the first hidden tracks. Lasting 23 seconds, "Her Majesty" is the shortest Beatles song.

"Her Majesty" was first performed during the Get Back sessions and subsequently recorded on 2 July 1969 in three takes. While intended to be included in the Abbey Road medley between "Mean Mr. Mustard" and "Polythene Pam", McCartney later decided to have it removed. However, the sound engineer John Kurlander had been ordered never to scrap Beatles recordings, so he slipped it into the end of Abbey Road and attached twenty seconds of leader tape before it. McCartney reportedly approved of it in this setting. Because its initial placement was altered, the raucous opening chord of "Her Majesty" is the final one of "Mean Mr. Mustard", and its final chord is to be found at the beginning of "Polythene Pam".

In general Beatles songs rankings, "Her Majesty" often features in the lower half. On the other hand, critics such as Tim Riley praise its placement at the end of Abbey Road, which, in their view, serves to abate the seriousness and grandeur of "The End". McCartney performed the song at Buckingham Palace in 2002.