Let It Be (song)

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"Let It Be"
Single by The Beatles
from the album Let It Be
B-side "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)"
Released March 6, 1970 (1970-03-06) (UK)
March 11, 1970 (1970-03-11) (US)
Format vinyl record 7"
Recorded Apple Studios
31 January 1969
EMI Studios, Abbey Road
30 April 1969
4 January 1970
Genre Rock
Length 3:50 (single)
4:03 (album)
Label Apple Records
Writer(s) Lennon/McCartney
Producer George Martin and Chris Thomas (single version)
Phil Spector (LP version)
Certification 2x Platinum (RIAA)[1]
The Beatles singles chronology
"Something"/"Come Together"
(1970)		 "Let It Be"
(1970)		 "The Long and Winding Road" / "For You Blue"
(1970)
Music sample
[[:Image:|Let It Be]]

[[Image:|180px|noicon]]
"Let It Be… Naked" version
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

"Let It Be" is a song by The Beatles, released in March 1970 as a single, and as the title track of their album Let It Be. Although credited to Lennon/McCartney it is generally accepted to be a Paul McCartney composition.

The single reached number one in the U.S., Australia, Italy, Norway and Switzerland and number two in the UK. It was the final single released by the Beatles while the band was officially considered an active group. Both the Let It Be album and the single, "The Long and Winding Road", were released after Paul McCartney's announced departure and subsequent break-up of the group.

Contents

[edit] Inspiration

See also: Jim and Mary McCartney

McCartney said he had the idea of "Let It Be" after a dream he had about his mother during the tense period surrounding the sessions for The Beatles (the "White Album"). McCartney explained that his mother—who died of cancer when McCartney was fourteen—was the inspiration for the "Mother Mary" lyric.[2][3] McCartney later said, "It was great to visit with her again. I felt very blessed to have that dream. So that got me writing 'Let It Be'."[4][5] He also said in a later interview about the dream that his mother had told him, "It will be all right, just let it be."[6]

[edit] Piano theme

Main Piano Theme

The main piano theme from Let it be, in C Major, introduces the song, in a sober yet powerful series of cadences, consisting of bouncing four-beat-bar triads riding over left hand piano single note tempered keystrokes, which drive the whole harmony, from a nascent confidence feeling (first measure), to subsequent melancholic anxious sentiment (measures second and third) and back to a definite grateful, self assured stance (last measure).

The effect of a pleading gloomy mood is achieved by McCartney blending in major 6th and 7th intervals, when playing F and C chords, in the middle of the theme. As harmony is circumscribed by the bass tones, inversions are also a frequent feature worth mentioning in the composition, that lastly shape the settling of emotions of the tune’s intent. [7]

[edit] Recording and version history

The first recording of "Let It Be" took place at Twickenham Film Studios on 3 January 1969, where The Beatles had the previous day begun what would become the Let It Be film. During this stage of the film the group was only recording on the mono decks used for syncing to the film cameras, and were not making multi-track recordings for release. A single take was recorded, with just Paul McCartney on piano and vocals. The first group attempt was made on 8 January. Work continued on the song throughout the month. Multi-track recordings commenced on 23 January at Apple Studios.[8]

The master take was recorded on 31 January 1969, as part of the 'Apple studio performance' for the project Get Back. McCartney played piano (a Blüthner Flügel from Leipzig), Lennon played bass, Billy Preston played organ and George Harrison and Ringo Starr assumed their conventional roles on guitar and drums.[9] This was one of two performances of the song that day. The first version, designated take 27-A, would serve as the basis for all officially released versions of the song. The other version, take 27-B, was performed as part of the 'live studio performance', along with "Two of Us" and "The Long and Winding Road". This performance, in which Lennon and Harrison harmonised with McCartney's lead vocal and Harrison contributed a subdued guitar solo, can be seen in the film Let It Be.

On 30 April 1969, Harrison overdubbed a new guitar solo on the best take from 31 January that year.[10] He overdubbed another solo on 4 January 1970. The first overdub solo was used for the original single release, and the second overdub solo was used for the original album release. Some fans mistakenly believe that there were two versions of the basic track—based mostly on the different guitar solos, but also on some other differences in overdubs and mixes.[11]

[edit] Single version

The label of the "Let It Be" single on Apple.

The single used the same cover photograph as the Let It Be album, and was originally released on 6 March 1970, backed by "You Know My Name (Look up the Number)", with a production credit for George Martin. This version includes orchestration and backing vocals overdubbed on 4 January 1970—under the supervision of Martin and McCartney—with backing vocals that included the only known contribution by Linda McCartney to a Beatles song.[11][12] It was during this same session that Harrison recorded the second overdubbed guitar solo. The intention at one point was to have the two overdub solos playing together. This idea was dropped for the final mix of the single, and only the 30 April solo was used, although in practice the 4 January overdub can he heard faintly during the final verse. Martin mixed the orchestration very low in this version.[11]

The single mix was included on the 1967-1970 compilation album. Original pressings erroneously show the running time of 4:01 (as per the Let It Be album), and not the single version's running time of 3:52. This version was also included on 20 Greatest Hits, Past Masters Volume 2, and 1

[edit] Album version

On 26 March 1970, Phil Spector remixed the song for the Let It Be album.[13] This version features the "more stinging" 4 January 1970 guitar solo, no backing vocals (except during the first chorus), an echo effect on Ringo's cymbals, and more prominent orchestration.[14] The other guitar solo can be heard faintly through the right speaker, as the original was planned. There are three lines in the last chorus of the song as the "There will be an answer" line is sung twice instead of once as on the single. On the album, before the song Lennon is heard saying in a falsetto voice, mimicking Gracie Fields: "That was 'Can You Dig It' by Georgie Wood, and now we'd like to do 'Hark The Angels Come'," and then giggles. Allen Klein brought in Spector to mix the album without telling McCartney or asking for his agreement, because McCartney had not signed Klein's management contract.[15] McCartney later complained that he was not happy with Spector's production of the recording.[16][17]

[edit] Film version

Another version appears in the Let It Be film. The film poster also used the same photos on the single cover, and was titled "an intimate bioscopic experience with THE BEATLES".[18] In this version, McCartney makes several improvisations on piano, placing fill-in notes and sometimes substituting long notes for several short notes. As with the album version, McCartney repeats the "there will be in an answer" line in the chorus. Unlike the album version, however, he does this during the second chorus, not the final chorus. During the final verse and final chorus, McCartney also substitutes the lines "speaking words of wisdom" and "there will be an answer," replacing them with "there will be no sorrow." This version also uses Ringo's more simplified drumming, but has a more sophisticated guitar solo played by Harrison. The film version, which has never been officially released on record, has a running time of 4:01.

[edit] "Anthology" version

An early version of the song also appears on Anthology 3 (Volume 3) which was released on 28 October 1996. This version, Take 1, was recorded on 25 January 1969. It is a much more simplified version, as McCartney had still not written the final verse yet ("And when the night is cloudy...I wake up to the sound of music..."). Instead, the first verse is simply repeated. The song also features studio talk between Lennon and McCartney prior to another take:

“ John: Are we supposed to giggle in the solo?

Paul: Yeah.
John: OK.
Paul: This'll-this is gonna knock you out, boy.

 ”

Also, following the end of the recording, John can be heard saying, "I think that was rather grand. I'd take one home with me. OK let's track it. Ugh you bounder you cheat!" The running time of the "Anthology" version is 4:05.

[edit] "Let It Be... Naked" version

Still another version of the song appeared on the Let It Be… Naked album in 2003. Starr disliked Spector's version where his drumming was augmented by Spector's "tape-delay-effect" to his hi-hats during the song's second verse and added shakers, so Let It Be… Naked features his original "stripped-down-approach" drumming. Also departed were the tom-tom overdub rolls, heard after the guitar solo during the third verse. The guitar solo used in this version—similar to the single version—was taken from the subsequent take as seen in the film "Let It Be". Starr also commented that after the release of Naked, he would now have to listen to McCartney saying, "I told you so", when talking about Spector's production.[19] The song's running time on Naked is 3.54.[20]

[edit] Live versions

McCartney released live performances of the song in 1990, on Tripping the Live Fantastic (as well as its abridged Tripping the Live Fantastic: Highlights! version), and in 2002, on Back in the U.S. The former was performed in Miami, and the latter in New York City. On Tripping the Live Fantastic, following the second verse, McCartney sings the chorus line only once, rather than twice, as he had done in most previous versions. On Back in the US, he sings the chorus line twice again. Both versions also feature heavier guitar solos and a shorter singing rhythm.

[edit] Unused mixes

Glyn Johns mixed the song on 28 May 1969 as he finished the mixing for the Get Back album. This version was never released.[21] He used the same mix in a 5 January 1970, which was an attempt to compile an acceptable version of the LP. Again, this version of the LP was never officially released.[22] Both versions, however, have made their way onto bootlegs over the years usually along with bootlegged versions of Johns' two attempts at mixing the Get Back Sessions into a cohesive whole.

[edit] Critical assessments

Critical reception for "Let It Be" has been positive.[23] In 2004, it was ranked number 20 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.[24] Allmusic said it was one of "The Beatles' most popular and finest ballads".[25] Ian MacDonald had a dissenting opinion, writing that the song "achieved a popularity well out of proportion to its artistic weight" and that it was "'Hey Jude', without the musical and emotional release."[26]

John Lennon also commented on "Let It Be". Prior to a take during the 31 January 1969 recording session, he asked, "Are we supposed to giggle in the solo?"[9][26] (This is a similar quote to Lewisohn's "The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions" (p170) but Lennon says "during the solo" not "in the solo" as quoted here). In Lennon's Playboy interview in 1980, he disavowed any involvement with composing the song. He said,

“ That's Paul. What can you say? Nothing to do with the Beatles. It could've been Wings. I don't know what he's thinking when he writes [sic] 'Let It Be.' I think it was inspired by 'Bridge over Troubled Waters.' That's my feeling, although I have nothing to go on. I know that he wanted to write a 'Bridge over Troubled Waters.'[27] ”

As MacDonald explained, Lennon is wrong about "Bridge over Troubled Water" being McCartney's inspiration: "Let It Be" was recorded approximately a year before 'Bridge over Troubled Water' was released[26], and half a year before the latter was written.

Interestingly, "Let It Be" knocked "Bridge over Troubled Water" out of the top spot as the Billboard Hot 100 number-one single in the United States on 11 April 1970.

[edit] Live performances

Although the song is performed regularly during McCartney's performances, there are a few noteable performances.

[edit] Personnel

  • Paul McCartney – piano, maracas, lead and backing vocals.
  • John Lennon – Fender Bass VI.
  • George Harrison – lead guitar
  • Ringo Starr – drums
  • Billy Preston – organ and electric piano
  • Linda McCartney – backing vocals (on single release only)

[edit] Selected cover versions

"Let It Be" has been covered numerous times by various artists, but this is just a short selection:[30]

[edit] Singles charts

  • The Beatles:[33]
  • Release: 6 March 1970
  • Tracks: 7" Single (Apple) Let It Be b/w You Know My Name Look Up The Number
  • Producer: George Martin and Chris Thomas
  • UK chart position: #2
  • U.S. chart position: #1 (2 weeks)
  • U.S. adult contemporary chart: #1 (4 weeks)[34]
Preceded by
"Bridge over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel		 Billboard Hot 100 number-one single
11 April 1970		 Succeeded by
"ABC" by The Jackson Five

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ "RIAA Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - The Beatles Platinum Singles". http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=The%20Beatles&format=SINGLE&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=Platinum&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2009&sort=Artist&perPage=25. Retrieved on 2009-07-09. 
  2. ^ Miles (1997), p20
  3. ^ Spitz (2005), pp73-76
  4. ^ Spitz (2005), pp88-90
  5. ^ The Beatles Anthology (2000), p19
  6. ^ a b c d "Sold on Song - Let It Be". BBC Song Library. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/soldonsong/songlibrary/covers/letitbe.shtml. Retrieved on 2009-04-10. 
  7. ^ Pollack (1995)
  8. ^ "The Beatles Bible: Let It Be". http://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/let-it-be/2/. Retrieved on 2007-10-15. 
  9. ^ a b Lewisohn (1988), p170
  10. ^ Lewisohn (1988), p175
  11. ^ a b c Lewisohn (1988), p195
  12. ^ Lewisohn (1996)
  13. ^ Lewisohn (1988), p198
  14. ^ Lewisohn (1988), pp195-198
  15. ^ Spitz (2005), p851
  16. ^ Long, Chris (2003-11-24). "The Beatles - Let It Be... Naked". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/music/2003/11/24/let_it_be_naked.shtml. Retrieved on 2009-04-10. 
  17. ^ Walker, Andrew (2003-02-14). "Phil Spector: Off the wall?". BBC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/uk/2000/newsmakers/2737229.stm. Retrieved on 2007-10-13. 
  18. ^ "The Beatles Anthology" DVD (2003), Episode 8 – 0:53:40, film poster.
  19. ^ "The Beatles, Let it Be... Naked". The Guardian. 2003-10-19. http://observer.guardian.co.uk/omm/10bestcds/story/0,,1062879,00.html. Retrieved on 2009-04-10. 
  20. ^ "LET IT BE… NAKED" ©2003 Apple Corps Ltd./EMI Reords Ltd. PM: 518 07243 59571423
  21. ^ Lewisohn (1988), p176
  22. ^ Lewisohn (1988), p196
  23. ^ "Letting 'Let It Be' Be: McCartney Wins". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/14/arts/music/14LEVI.html?ex=1386738000&en=3daebd9799749d55&ei=5007&partner=USERLAND. Retrieved on 2007-10-13. 
  24. ^ "The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs. 
  25. ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Review of Let It Be". allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=33:e2jv7ipng76r. Retrieved on 2009-04-10. 
  26. ^ a b c MacDonald (1994), p270
  27. ^ Sheff (2000), p202
  28. ^ "Linda McCartney farewell celebrates her passions". CNN. 1998-06-08. http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Music/9806/08/mccartney.memorial.update/index.html. Retrieved on 2009-04-10. 
  29. ^ "McCartney plays Red Square". http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/2935244.stm. Retrieved on 2009-04-10. 
  30. ^ "Second Hand Songs - Let It be". http://www.secondhandsongs.com/song/2767.html. Retrieved on 2007-10-21. 
  31. ^ Wexler, Jerry (2007). Album notes for Rare and Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul by Aretha Franklin [booklet].
  32. ^ "Lesley Garrett's homepage". http://www.lesleygarrett.co.uk/. Retrieved on 2009-04-10. 
  33. ^ "Single chart placing". http://www.jpgr.co.uk/r5833.html. Retrieved on 2007-10-11. 
  34. ^ The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition, 1996

[edit] References

[edit] External links

v • d • e
The Beatles singles discography
UK:
(Parlophone,
Apple Records)
1962: "Love Me Do" / "P.S. I Love You"
1963: "Please Please Me" / "Ask Me Why"  · "From Me to You" / "Thank You Girl"  · "She Loves You" / "I'll Get You"  · "I Want to Hold Your Hand" / "This Boy"
1964: "Can't Buy Me Love" / "You Can't Do That"  · "A Hard Day's Night" / "Things We Said Today"  · "I Feel Fine" / "She's a Woman"
1965: "Ticket to Ride" / "Yes It Is"  · "Help!" / "I'm Down"  · "Day Tripper" / "We Can Work It Out"
1966: "Paperback Writer" / "Rain"  · "Eleanor Rigby" / "Yellow Submarine"
1967: "Strawberry Fields Forever" / "Penny Lane"  · "All You Need Is Love" / "Baby, You're a Rich Man"  · "Hello Goodbye" / "I Am the Walrus"
1968: "Lady Madonna" / "The Inner Light"  · "Hey Jude" / "Revolution"
1969: "Get Back" / "Don't Let Me Down"  · "The Ballad of John and Yoko" / "Old Brown Shoe"  · "Something" / "Come Together"
1970: "Let It Be" / "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)"
1995: "Free as a Bird" / "Christmas Time (Is Here Again)"
1996: "Real Love" / "Baby's in Black"
U.S.:
(Vee-Jay,
Swan,
Tollie,
Capitol,
Apple Records)
1963: "Please Please Me" / "Ask Me Why" (VJ)  · "From Me to You" / "Thank You Girl" (VJ)  · "She Loves You" / "I'll Get You" (Swan)  · "I Want to Hold Your Hand" / "I Saw Her Standing There"
1964: "Twist and Shout" / "There's a Place" (Tollie)  · "Can't Buy Me Love" / "You Can't Do That"  · "Do You Want to Know a Secret" / "Thank You Girl" (VJ)  · "Love Me Do" / "P.S. I Love You (Tollie)  · "Sie Liebt Dich (She Loves You)" / "I'll Get You" (Swan)  · "A Hard Day's Night" / "I Should Have Known Better"  · "I'll Cry Instead" / "I'm Happy Just to Dance with You"  · "And I Love Her" / "If I Fell"  · "Matchbox" / "Slow Down"  · "I Feel Fine" / "She's a Woman"
1965: "Eight Days a Week" / "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party"  · "Ticket to Ride" / "Yes It Is"  · "Help!" / "I'm Down"  · "Yesterday" / "Act Naturally"  · "We Can Work It Out" / "Day Tripper"
1966: "Nowhere Man" / "What Goes On"  · "Paperback Writer" / "Rain"  · "Eleanor Rigby" / "Yellow Submarine"
1967: "Penny Lane" / "Strawberry Fields Forever"  · "All You Need Is Love" / "Baby, You're a Rich Man"  · "Hello Goodbye" / "I Am the Walrus"
1968: "Lady Madonna" / "The Inner Light"  · "Hey Jude" / "Revolution"
1969: "Get Back" / "Don't Let Me Down"  · "The Ballad of John and Yoko" / "Old Brown Shoe"  · "Something" / "Come Together"
1970: "Let It Be" / "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)"  · "The Long and Winding Road" / "For You Blue"
1976: "Got to Get You into My Life" / "Helter Skelter"  · "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" / "Julia"
1978: "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" ("With a Little Help from My Friends") / "A Day in the Life"
1982: "The Beatles Movie Medley" / "I'm Happy Just to Dance with You"
1986: "Twist and Shout" / "There's a Place" (reissue)
1995: "Free as a Bird" / "Christmas Time (Is Here Again)"
1996: "Real Love" / "Baby's in Black"
v • d • e
The Beatles
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Pete Best · Stuart Sutcliffe
Studio albums
U.S. albums
EPs (new material)
Post-breakup albums
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