Let It Be

Spotify's official recording from Let It Be (Remastered). Sign-in Spotify users get full playback; everyone else gets a 30-second preview. Open in Spotify →

"Let It Be" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 6 March 1970 as a single, and 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. [Wikipedia]

McCartney later recounted that the song came to him during the Get Back sessions in early 1969, during a period of severe band-tension and personal stress, in the form of a dream of his late mother Mary (who had died of cancer when Paul was 14). The line 'Mother Mary comes to me' was both literal and a Catholic-resonant invocation that critics could not resist mistaking for the Virgin. Paul McCartney's most enduring composition emerged from a dream featuring his deceased mother Mary, providing the song with profound emotional resonance and spiritual dimensions. The piece exemplified gospel-influenced songwriting drawn from American soul traditions while maintaining its identity as a Beatles recording. Lewisohn documents Paul running through the song between takes during White Album sessions, suggesting compositional work predated formal studio recording by several months. The most heavily reworked track in Spector's Let It Be treatments, becoming the focal point of later debates over production choices versus artistic intent. (Kozinn 1995, p.211)

Cut 31 January 1969 at Apple Studios on the day after the rooftop concert. Glyn Johns engineered. Billy Preston played the gospel-flavoured electric piano that gives the song its hymn quality. George Harrison overdubbed his guitar solo on 30 April 1969. The 1970 Phil Spector album version added strings, choir and brass; the 1970 single mix (mixed by Glyn Johns) was the simpler, drier reading. McCartney's 2003 Naked re-edit removed Spector's overdubs. Recorded on 31 January 1969 during the Apple Studio Performance sequence alongside other piano-based material unsuitable for rooftop broadcast. Seven takes were recorded using film clapperboard numbering; Paul's vocal delivery conveyed spiritual conviction while maintaining pop accessibility. Later Phil Spector overdubs added orchestral arrangements without Paul's full approval, a decision that contributed to McCartney's later legal action against the band. The original versions captured pure emotional expression before production-layer expansion (Lewisohn 1988, p.170).

MacDonald analyzes the harmonic development of McCartney's composition, emphasizing its classical structure and emotional restraint. (MacDonald 1994, p.139)

The last UK single released while The Beatles still officially existed (6 March 1970, three weeks before Paul's announcement). UK number two; US number one. Along with Hey Jude one of the band's two most-played live songs by other artists. Aretha Franklin's 1970 cover predated the Beatles single by a few months and reset the song as gospel. Duration at 4m 03s places it at 94th percentile canonically and 100th percentile within Let It Be era, making it among the longest tracks in this period. Paul McCartney lead vocals appear in 65 canon songs (2 in Let It Be era). C major key is shared by 28 canon songs (1 in era). The track became the title song for the final Beatles album and single, achieving number one chart positions globally and establishing McCartney as gifted ballad composer capable of universal emotional appeal (Lewisohn 1988, p.156-170). Documented in multiple variants: original Get Back version, Spector-orchestrated 1970 release, and austere Let It Be… Naked restoration emphasizing the piano-vocal core. (Daniels 2024, p.216)

• Let It Be (1970 film), a documentary about the Beatles album
• Let It Be (2004 film), a Taiwanese documentary about peasant farmers
• "Let It Be" (Grey's Anatomy), a 2005 episode of Grey's Anatomy
• "Let It Be" (Instant Star), a 2007 episode of Instant Star

Extracted from the ‘In popular culture’ / ‘Legacy’ section of the corresponding Wikipedia article. Verify against the linked article before quoting.

Other recordings sharing era, vocalist, writer, key, studio, or producer with this one. Higher scores indicate stronger overlap on documented attributes.

• Carry That Weight (score 11)
• Golden Slumbers (score 11)
• The Long and Winding Road (score 11)
• Her Majesty (score 9)
• Maxwell's Silver Hammer (score 9)
• Oh! Darling (score 9)
• She Came in Through the Bathroom Window (score 9)
• The End (score 9)