Let It Be (1970) 4/22/20

50 years ago this month, The Beatles announced they were breaking up. That's right: FIFTY years ago!

Simultaneously, “Let It Be” hit #1 on Billboard's Hot 100.

There's no question that the song is not only a “Great Song of the '70s,” but of all time!

I could write volumes about this, but instead, I'll just give you some bits of trivia:

#1: Although everyone participated in the recording, Paul was the solo composer.

#2: Linda McCartney added some background vocals, and Billy Preston played the organ.

#3: The group recorded several versions of the song, before deciding on 2 for release: the Album version, and the Single version. The difference between the two is in the instrumentation. (Compare with the links below).

#4: The references to Mother Mary are NOT religious in nature; they refer to Paul's mother.Mary McCartney died when Paul was 14, and Paul had been having vivid dreams about her before writing the song.

#5: The song was a Top 3 hit in 13 countries (#1 in 9 countries—including the US and Canada.)

#6: Rolling Stone Magazine has it at #20 on their list of the “Top 500 Songs of All Time.”

#7: Although The Beatles released a few more songs during the '70s, they were all after John, Paul, George and Ringo had gone their separate ways and started working on solo projects.

“Let It Be,” a “Great Song” for the ages: Then, now, and the future.

Single version:

Album Version: