Written by: Lennon-McCartney
Recorded: 25, 26, 31 January; 30 April 1969; 4 January 1970
Producers: George Martin, Chris Thomas
Engineers: Glyn Johns, Jeff Jarratt, Phil McDonald
Released: 6 March 1970 (UK), 11 March 1970 (US)
Paul McCartney: vocals, backing vocals, piano, bass guitar, maracas
John Lennon: backing vocals
George Harrison: backing vocals, lead guitar
Ringo Starr: drums
Billy Preston: organ, electric piano
Linda McCartney: backing vocals
Uncredited: two trumpets, two trombones, tenor saxophone, cellos
Available on:
Let It Be
1
Past Masters
Anthology 3
Let It Be... Naked
The Beatles' final single prior to the 1990s Anthology releases, Let It Be was also the title track of the last album of their career.
The song was written during the sessions for the White Album, at a time when Paul McCartney felt isolated as the only member of The Beatles still keen to keep the group together. His enthusiasm and belief had kept them going after the death of Brian Epstein, but increasingly he found the others at odds with his attempts to motivate them.
Although his public persona remained upbeat, privately McCartney was feeling insecure and wounded by the gradual disintegration of the group. During this period, his mother Mary – who had passed away in 1956 when McCartney was 14 – appeared to him in a dream.
One night during this tense time I had a dream I saw my mum, who'd been dead 10 years or so. And it was so great to see her because that's a wonderful thing about dreams: you actually are reunited with that person for a second; there they are and you appear to both be physically together again. It was so wonderful for me and she was very reassuring. In the dream she said, 'It'll be all right.' I'm not sure if she used the words 'Let it be' but that was the gist of her advice, it was, 'Don't worry too much, it will turn out OK.' It was such a sweet dream I woke up thinking, Oh, it was really great to visit with her again. I felt very blessed to have that dream. So that got me writing the song Let It Be. I literally started off 'Mother Mary', which was her name, 'When I find myself in times of trouble', which I certainly found myself in. The song was based on that dream.
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
It was perhaps inevitable – even fortuitous for the group – that Let It Be took on religious overtones, with many listeners interpreting it as referring to the Virgin Mary.
Mother Mary makes it a quasi-religious thing, so you can take it that way. I don't mind. I'm quite happy if people want to use it to shore up their faith. I have no problem with that. I think it's a great thing to have faith of any sort, particularly in the world we live in.
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
John Lennon felt little affection for the song, and was partly responsible for sandwiching it between the throwaway Dig It and Maggie Mae on the Let It Be album, which effectively sent up any perceived portentousness.
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 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 he wanted to write a Bridge Over Troubled Waters.
All We Are Saying, David Sheff
Chart success
Let It Be was the last single to be released by The Beatles before their split was announced to the press. A final US single, The Long And Winding Road, was issued two months later, and a month after Paul McCartney revealed to the press that the band were no more.
Let It Be was released in the UK on 6 March, billed as "an intimate bioscopic experience with THE BEATLES". Its b-side was You Know My Name (Look Up The Number).
The single reached number two in the charts. It fared better elsewhere, charting at number one in the US, Australia, Italy, Norway and Switzerland.
Another day when Lennon was asked about a McCartney song, and he hadn’t caught the dragon. People drone on and on about McCartney wanting “Lennon’s mind”. Lennon’s remarks here are pure jealousy.
Let It Be was written during the White Album sessions, fully a year before “Bridge….Waters” was out.
Lennon with his typical Paul-attacks. Rarely based on fact (and ever-changing).
Let It Be is gorgeous.
All the published versions of Lennon’s Playboy interview are riddled with transcription errors and deliberate edits which often distort the meaning of what was said. The actual transcription of Lennon’s comments about “Let it Be” are as follows:
Playboy: “Let it Be”?
Lennon: That’s Paul.
Playboy: Nothing (unintelligible) Beatles?
Lennon: What can you say? Nothing to do with the Beatles, no… it could have been Wings, right?
Playboy: Yeah. Except it, I mean that was the one that everybody said was the statement after Paul was…
Lennon (interrupting): Oh, I have no idea, you see I don’t know what he’s thinking when he writes “Let it Be.” He probably heard a gospel song. No, I think he was inspired by “Bridge Over Troubled Waters.”
Playboy: Uh huh.
Lennon: That’s my feeling, although I have no, nothing to go on, you know… that he wanted to write a “Bridge Over Troubled Waters.”
From the correct transcription, it’s clear that his intent is not to disparage the song but simply to say that he does not know what type of statement Paul might have been trying to make.with the song.
Thank you for the full transcription. I agree that it’s clear John didn’t set out to disparage the song and was just trying to brush the question off, as he didn’t want to speculate on one of Paul’s songs. Of course, it’s quite likely not to be his favourite song, but I don’t think he actually intends to bash it as it’s now been insisted everywhere from Wikipedia to various biographies.
If anything, the banter at the end of the take in the Anthology indicates that he thought it was at least decent — “I think that was rather grand. I’d take one home with me. OK let’s track it.”
Lennon also was quoted in the Playboy interview as saying:
He had a little spurt just before we split. I think the shock of Yoko and what was happening gave him a creative spurt including “Let It Be” and “Long And Winding Road,” ‘cuz that was the last gasp from him.
Suggesting “Let it Be” was part of a creative spurt also is clearly a positive comment. It’s too bad the myth that he disliked the song is so widely disseminated.
Well, it seems to have depended on which side of Paul’s face he wanted to slap.
Your quote presents a textbook example of a “left-handed compliment”.
When I was 10 years old way back in 1970 my parents gave me an AM/FM small radio I used to listen to at night.That’s when I first heard “Let it be” such a beautiful song that you just can’t forget.That’s when I became a Beatles fan.I went to the record store and bought the 45.Anyone remember 45’s?? I sure have enjoyed them through the years and still like them as much as ever.
Yet more evidence that Lennon could be an utter twat at times. Let it be was recorded a full year before Bridge over troubled waters was released.
I’m I the only one who , on watching the infamous scene in Let it Be where Harrison is throwing a strop saying to Paul, I’ll play what you want me to play or not play at all, thinks, Harrison was a precious jealous member of the awkward squad? McCartney is walking on eggshells in this scene , going out if his way to not annoy the precocious little child.
Hey,
No, I don’t think George was being precious or jealous. I think he was genuinely (and reasonably) fed up with be instructed on what to play.
George just had enough of being bossed around by Paul! After that scene, George left, went home and wrote “WAH-WAH” which appeared on his up and coming solo album “All Things Must Pass” George was Great 😉
I don’t think George wanted to be there in the first place, according to Anthology.
I was only 11 years old when Let It Be was released. It was one of the best years of my life and this song as well as the LP Abbey Road in late 1969 were a major part of my soundtrack.
I was also 11 when Let It Be came out. Born in 1959, I love this song. I still do, but I must admit that the message is just so-so to me. What type of statement is it? I mean, Paul says to just let things be. So, bad lyrics but a lovely melody and musical arrangement.
I have a reel to reel recording of this song . The song is not finished and paul is humming in a lot of it. Has ajyone heard something like this . Any information wouldbe great
Maybe it’s only me, but I can hear Lennon’s bass part in the released version:
If you listen to Take 27A (the original take), you can hear that Lennon plays “F”-“A”-“C” notes just after McCartney sings “Let It Be”, in every verse.
McCartney’s bass part, in those sections, goes like: “F”-“E”-“D”-“C”.
So, Lennon plays an “A” instead of McCartney’s “E” and “D”.
So it’s like:
F – E – D – C (McCartney);
F – A – C (Lennon).
On the Past Masters version (and on the Let It Be version too), I can clearly hear an “A” under the “E” and “D”, especially at 2:11 and 2:39. It sounds like there are two bass parts together in those spots.
What do you think?
I’ve never liked the song, either. It’s pretty on the surface, but that’s all it is, it’s another impressive, but empty, genre exercise from the master of empty genre exercises.