Let It Be (song)

Template:Short description Template:For Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox song "Let It Be" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 6 March 1970 as a single, and (in an alternative mix) as the title track of their album Let It Be. It was written and sung by Paul McCartney, and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The single version of the song, produced by George Martin, features a softer guitar solo and the orchestral section mixed low, compared with the album version, produced by Phil Spector, featuring a more aggressive guitar solo and the orchestral sections mixed higher.

At the time, it had the highest debut on the Billboard Hot 100, beginning its chart run at number 6 and eventually reaching the top. It was the Beatles' final single before McCartney announced his departure from the band. Both the Let It Be album and the US single "The Long and Winding Road" were released after McCartney's announced departure from and the subsequent break-up of the group.

Composition and recording

Origins

Two conflicting explanations exist concerning the origins of the song. McCartney himself has stated that he had the idea of "Let It Be" after he had a dream about his mother, Mary Patricia McCartney, who had died of cancer in 1956, when Paul was fourteen.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn 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'."Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn In a later interview he said about the dream that his mother had told him, "It will be all right, just let it be."Template:Sfn While it is widely interpreted as an allusion to the Virgin Mary, in particular the Annunciation,<ref name="cathedralatl">Template:Cite web</ref> McCartney has typically replied that listeners can interpret the song however they like.<ref name=uoooao>A Lesson on Text Criticism and the Beatles' Let it Be Jeff McLeod, Catholic Stand, 30 July 2013, Accessed 9 February 2014</ref>

An earlier, differing explanation of the origins of the song was given by the Beatles' road manager Malcolm Evans, who claimed that McCartney had conceived the song after having a vision of Evans during the group's meditation sessions in India in March 1968. In a 1975 interview with David Frost, Evans stated:

Paul was meditating one day and I came to him in a vision. And I was just standing there saying let it be, let it be, and that's where the song came from. And it's funny, because I drove him home from a session one night, and it was three o'clock in the morning, raining, dark in London, and Paul was telling this, you know, saying I've wrote this song, he told me the instant, the song is gonna be 'Brother Malcolm', but uh, I want to change 'Brother Malcolm' in case we give the wrong idea!<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref>

McCartney first began to play around with "Let It Be" in the recording studio in between takes of "Piggies" on 19 September 1968, during the sessions for The Beatles ("The White Album"). During this rehearsal, "Brother Malcolm", referring to Evans, is sung instead of "Mother Mary", corroborating Evans' explanation; the former lyric would also occasionally be sung by McCartney during later rehearsals of the song.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Sfn

Recordings

Template:Listen The song would be rehearsed properly at Twickenham Film Studios on 3 January 1969, where the group had, the previous day, begun what would become the Let It Be film. During this stage of the film they were 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 McCartney on piano and vocals. The first attempt with the other Beatles was made on 8 January. Work continued on the song throughout the month. Multi-track recordings commenced on 23 January at Apple Studios.<ref>Lewisohn, Mark (1988). The Beatles Recording Sessions. New York: Harmony Books. Template:ISBN.</ref>

The master take was recorded on 31 January 1969, as part of the "Apple studio performance" for the project. McCartney played a Blüthner piano, Lennon played six-string electric bass (replaced by McCartney's own bass part on the final version at the behest of George Martin),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> George Harrison and Ringo Starr assumed their conventional roles, on guitar and drums respectively, and Billy Preston contributed on Hammond organ.Template:Sfn This was one of two suitable performances of "Let It Be" recorded 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 included in the film Let It Be as part of the Apple studio performance along with "Two of Us" and "The Long and Winding Road".

Before 2021, the film performance of "Let It Be" was never officially released as an audio recording. The lyrics in the two versions differ a little in the last verse. The studio version has mother Mary comes to meTemplate:Nbsp... there will be an answer, whereas the film version has mother Mary comes to meTemplate:Nbsp... there will be no sorrow. In addition, McCartney's vocal performance is noticeably different in both versions: in the film version, it sounds rough in certain moments since he is not using anti-pop on his mic; there are also a couple of falsetto vocals performed by him (extending the vocal 'e' on the word 'be'), for instance in the 'let it be' line that precedes the second chorus. Finally, the instrumental progression featured in the middle of the song after the second chorus (that descends from F to C), which is played twice on all released studio versions, is played (or at least is shown being played) only once in the film. A new mix of the take used in the film was included as "Take 28" on the 2021 Super Deluxe edition of the album Let It Be.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 30 April 1969, Harrison overdubbed a new guitar solo on the best take from 31 January.Template:Sfn 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 trackTemplate:Sndbased mostly on the different guitar solos, but also on other differences in overdubs and mixes.Template:Sfn

McCartney sent a demo of this song to Jerry Wexler in late 1969 and he passed along the recording to Aretha Franklin, whose version came out in January 1970, as the first release of "Let It Be".<ref name="af">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Single version

The single used the same cover photographs 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.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn 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 the 4 January overdub can be heard faintly during the final verse. Martin mixed the orchestration very low in this version.Template:Sfn

The single mix made its album debut on the Beatles' 1967–1970 compilation album. Original pressings erroneously show the running time of 4:01 (from 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.

The Let It Be EP (1972 Melodiya) was the Beatles' first release in the Soviet Union.<ref>Nicholas Schaffner -The Beatles Forever – Page 113 1978 Let It Be. E.P., Russia, 1972 (Melodia). The first official Beatles release back in the USSR."</ref> The 3-track 7-inch vinyl EP, M62-36715/6, also included "Across the Universe" and "I Me Mine".

Album version

On 26 March 1970, Phil Spector remixed the song for the Let It Be album.Template:Sfn This version features Harrison's second guitar solo overdub, fewer backing vocals, a delay effect on Starr's hi-hat, and more prominent orchestration.Template:Sfn The final chorus has three "let it beTemplate:Nbsp..." lines, as the "there will be an answer" line is repeated twice (instead of once as on the single) before the "whisper words of wisdom" line to close the song. On the album, as the preceding track "Dig It" ends, 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'."

Anthology version

A previously unreleased January 1969 take of the song (recorded before the master), without heavy production, appeared on Anthology 3 in 1996. This version, take 1, was recorded on 25 January 1969.Template:Sfn It is a much simpler version, as McCartney had 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 repeated. The track, as released on Anthology 3 also features studio talk between Lennon and McCartney prior to a 31 January 1969 take:Template:Sfn Template:Blockquote

Also, at the end of the song on the Anthology 3 version, Lennon can be heard saying, following another 31 January take,Template:Sfn "I think that was rather grand. I'd take one home with me. OK let's track it. (Gasps) You bounder, you cheat!" (This is a reference to the no-overdub policy that the Beatles had adopted for the Get Back project – "tracking" refers to double tracking the vocals on a recording.) The running time of the Anthology version is 4:05.

Let It Be... Naked version

Still another version of the song appeared on the Let It Be... Naked album in 2003. The majority of this remix is take 27-A from 31 January 1969, with parts of take 27-B (as used in the film Let It Be), including the subdued guitar solo, spliced in.Template:Sfn

This version contains a different piano track than the one on the studio and single versions. This piano track was taken in part from take 28 which was subsequently released and can be heard on the Super Deluxe re-release of the Let It Be album in 2021. In the intro, McCartney plays an extra A bass note during the A minor chord (very similar to the way he plays the intro in the film version); he also plays a standard A minor chord in the piano at the first beat of measure two in the last verse (on the lyric "mother", also like in the film version), while the other versions have a different piano harmonisation which can be easily interpreted as an unfixed mistake. The backing vocals in the chorus of this version are similar to those in the single version, but are significantly reduced in volume while still retaining a reverb-heavy, choral effect. Ringo Starr disliked Phil Spector's version where Starr's 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. 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.Template:Sfn The song's running time on Let It Be... Naked is 3:52.Template:Sfn

Glyn Johns mixes

Glyn Johns mixed the song on 28 May 1969 as he finished the mixing for the Get Back album. This version was not released at the time.Template:Sfn He used the same mix on 5 January 1970, which was an attempt to compile an acceptable version of the LP; this version best exemplifies Glyn's drum recording techniques. Again, this version of the LP was never officially released.Template:Sfn The 1969 Glyn Johns version of the LP was included in the 2021 "Super Deluxe" release of Let It Be.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Critical reception

Though widely interpreted to be an allusion to the Virgin Mary, McCartney has typically replied that listeners can interpret the song however they like.

In his review of the single, for the NME, Derek Johnson admired McCartney's performance and the lyrics' "pseudo-religious" qualities. Although he considered that the melody paled beside some of the band's previous singles, Johnson added: "As ever with The Beatles, this is a record to stop you dead in your tracks and compel you to listen attentively."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> John Gabree of High Fidelity magazine found the lyrics "dangerous politically", but viewed the song as possibly "the best thing musically that McCartney has done".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In his album review for Melody Maker, Richard Williams said that McCartney's compositions "seem to be getting looser and less concise" and added that, although the album version of "Let It Be" featured a "much harder guitar solo" than the single, the song "still doesn't have enough substance to become a McCartney standard".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

AllMusic critic Richie Unterberger describes "Let It Be" as one of "the Beatles' most popular and finest ballads".Template:Sfn In Ian MacDonald's view, the song "achieved a popularity well out of proportion to its artistic weight" and it was "'Hey Jude', without the musical and emotional release".Template:Sfn Former Creem critic Richard Riegel included it on his 1996 list of the ten most overrated Beatles tracks, saying that, like Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge over Troubled Water", the song "cater[ed] to the lowest-common-denominator emotional stasis of its listeners. 'Let It Be' left the Beatles no artistic choice but dissolution."<ref>Template:Cite magazine Available at Rock's Backpages (subscription required).</ref>

Lennon also commented disparagingly on "Let It Be". In his 1980 Playboy interview, he disavowed any involvement with composing the song, saying: "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'."Template:Sfn

"Let It Be" was ranked number 2 on CILQ-FM's 2000 list of the "Top 500 Pure Rock Songs Of The Century".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2004, the song was included on Grammy Hall of Fame. Mojo magazine ranked "Let It Be" at number 50 in its 2006 list of "The 101 Greatest Beatles Songs".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In a similar list compiled in 2010, Rolling Stone placed it at number 8.<ref name="RollingStone100">Template:Cite magazine</ref>Template:Sfn The magazine also ranked the track at number 20 on its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> "Let It Be" holds the top spot on "The Fans' Top 10" poll included in The 100 Best Beatles Songs: An Informed Fan's Guide by Stephen J. Spignesi and Michael Lewis.Template:Citation needed The song is ranked third on the 100 Best Beatles Songs list, behind "A Day in the Life" and "Strawberry Fields Forever",Template:Citation needed and continues to bring about numerous pop culture references.<ref>See, for example, Karen Head and Collin Kelley, eds. Mother Mary Comes to Me. A Popculture Poetry Anthology (Lake Dallas, TX: Madville, 2020).</ref>

Music video

On 10 May 2024, a new official music video for the song was released on the band's YouTube channel, featuring clips from the 1970 film Let It Be.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personnel

According to John Winn's That Magic Feeling, Mark Lewisohn's The Complete Beatles Chronicle and Steve Sullivan's Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Volume 1:

The Beatles

• Paul McCartney – lead and backing vocals, piano, maracas, electric piano, bass guitarTemplate:Sfn<ref name="auto">Template:Cite book</ref>
• John Lennon – backing vocals
• George Harrison – lead guitars, backing vocals
• Ringo Starr – drums

Additional musicians

• Linda McCartney – backing vocalsTemplate:Sfn<ref name="auto"/>
• Billy Preston – Hammond organ
• George Martin – string and brass arrangements
• Unknown session musicians – orchestration

Charts

Weekly charts

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1970 weekly chart performance for "Let It Be"

Chart (1970)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	1
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)<ref name=Finland>Template:Cite book</ref>	6
France (SNEP)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	1
Indonesia (Aktuil)<ref name="Indonesia">Template:Cite web</ref>	3
Italy (Musica e Dischi)<ref>Template:Cite web Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Titolo" field, search "Let it be".</ref>	1
New Zealand (Listener)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	1
Sweden (Kvällstoppen)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>	3
Sweden (Tio i Topp)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>	6
West Germany (Musikmarkt)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	2

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2010 weekly chart performance for "Let It Be"

Chart (2010)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100 Recurrents<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	1

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2013 weekly chart performance for "Let It Be"

Chart (2013)	Peak position

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2016 weekly chart performance for "Let It Be"

Chart (2016)	Peak position

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2019 weekly chart performance for "Let It Be"

Chart (2019)	Peak position

Year-end charts

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Year-end chart performance for "Let It Be"

Chart (1970)	Rank
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	4
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	44
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	39
Netherlands (Single Top 100)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	25
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	4
US Billboard Hot 100<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	9
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	8
West Germany (Official German Charts)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	6

Live performances

Film of the Beatles performance was shown on The Ed Sullivan Show on 1 March 1970.

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

• On 13 July 1985, McCartney performed "Let It Be" as one of the closing acts of the Live Aid charity concert in front of an estimated global television audience exceeding one billion people. It was beset by technical difficulties when his microphone failed for the first two minutes of his piano performance, making it difficult for television viewers and impossible for those in the stadium to hear him. As a result, previous performers David Bowie, Bob Geldof, Alison Moyet and Pete Townshend returned to the stage to back him up. He later joked about changing the lyrics to "There will be some feedback, let it be". He re-recorded his vocals afterwards for future home video releases.
• Along with a 700-person congregation, McCartney, Harrison and Starr sang "Let It Be" during a memorial service for Linda McCartney at St Martin-in-the-Fields church in Trafalgar Square, in 1998.Template:Sfn
• McCartney also led a crowd rousing rendition as part of the finale of the Concert for New York City, a benefit concert he organised, featuring many famous musicians, that took place on 20 October 2001 at Madison Square Garden in New York City in response to the 11 September attacks.
• In 2003, before playing his concert in Moscow's Red Square, McCartney performed a private rendition for Russian president Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.Template:Sfn
• On 18 July 2008, McCartney performed "Let It Be" with Billy Joel and his band to close the final concert at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York before its demolition.
• On 4 June 2012, McCartney performed the song as part of his set during the Concert for the Queen, celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.
• On 25 June 2022, McCartney performed the song as he headlined the Pyramid stage at the Glastonbury festival. The crowd of more than 100,000 sang along, likely the biggest crowd the Pyramid stage had ever seen.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• On 11 April 2024, McCartney sang the song live at the Hollywood Bowl backed by The Eagles as a tribute to Jimmy Buffett.

Ferry Aid version

In 1987, the song was recorded by charity supergroup Ferry Aid (which included McCartney). It reached number one on the UK singles chart for three weeks and reached the top ten in many other European countries. McCartney's verse used the original take from the Beatles' "Let It Be" sessions. Ferry Aid covered "Let It Be" as a charity single to raise money for victims of the Zeebrugge Disaster. The featured artists included McCartney, Boy George, Mark Knopfler and Kate Bush, as well as an ensemble chorus made up of media personalities and other musicians.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Although McCartney's contribution was taken from the Beatles' recording, he filmed a segment of himself singing to the track for inclusion in the music video.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The single topped the UK singles chart for three weeks<ref name=ukchart>Template:Cite web</ref> and was certified gold for shipping more than 500,000 copies.<ref>Template:Cite web Search by Title, click on more info>></ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was also a number 1 hit in Norway<ref name=norway>Template:Cite web</ref> and Switzerland.<ref name=switzerland>Template:Cite web</ref>

Track listings

7-inch single

1. "Let It Be" – 6:08
2. "Let It Be" (The Gospel Jam mix) – 2:50

Charts

Weekly charts

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Weekly chart performance for the Ferry Aid version

Chart (1987)	Peak position
Denmark (IFPI)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	1
Italy (Musica e dischi)<ref>Template:Cite web Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Ferry Aid".</ref>	1
Italy Airplay (Music & Media)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	3

Year-end charts

1987 year-end chart performance for the Ferry Aid version

Chart (1987)	Position
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	53
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	34
Netherlands (Single Top 100)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	28
Norway Spring Period (VG-Lista)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	1
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	6
UK Singles (Gallup)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	13
West Germany (Official German Charts)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	46

Dolly Parton version

A Dolly Parton cover of "Let It Be" featuring Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr and contributions from Peter Frampton and Mick Fleetwood was released as a single on 18 August 2023 from Parton's album Rockstar (2023).<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Parton's "Let It Be" marked the first time that two former Beatles were listed as separate artists on the same charting song.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Col-float-begin Associated performers

• Dane Bryant – strings, Wurlitzer organ
• Gary Lunn – bass
• Jennifer O'Brien – background vocalist
• Jerry McPherson – electric guitar
• Jimmy Mattingly – cello, viola, violin
• Mike Rojas – Hammond B3
• Nir Z – percussion
• Paul McCartney – piano, vocals
• Peter Frampton – electric guitar
• Richard Dennison – background vocalist
• Ringo Starr – drums
• Rob Mcnelley – electric guitar
• Vicki Hampton – background vocalist

Template:Col-float-break Production

• Dolly Parton – producer, executive producer
• Don Miggs – producer, additional producer
• Mick Fleetwood – producer, additional producer

Studio personnel

• Kent Wells – producer, editor, engineer
• Brian Judd – additional engineer
• Christine Winslow – assistant recording engineer
• Chris Latham – editor
• Joel Mckenny – editor, engineer
• Kyle Dickinson – editor, engineer
• Kevin Willis – engineer
• Mark Needham – engineer
• Chris Lord-Alge – mastering engineer

Charts

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Weekly chart performance for the Dolly Parton version

Chart (2023)	Peak position
UK Singles Sales (OCC)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	66
US Rock Digital Song Sales (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	2

Sources

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External links

• Template:Notes on