What is known to be arguably the greatest album ever from The Beatles, it's also the last ever released album from the band. Let It Be was recorded before Abbey Road, however, it was released in 1970, one year later.
By 1969, the dream was ending for the greatest band ever, The Beatles. The fame. The creative differences between all four members. The rule that wives/girlfriends and children weren't allowed into recording sessions applied to everyone except John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The way everyone sees it, The Beatles hated each other in the end and that's why Let It Be is so sad... Or did they? By the previews of the newest Beatles documentary Get Back (a three-part event debuting on Disney Plus November 25) shows the love and connection that the four long-haired men from Liverpool still had.
"This album is so clear, they're in the room with you."
You know how the album kicks off... "Two Of Us" presents perfect harmonies from Paul McCartney and John Lennon have together so well. But what's the most exciting part of this entire album? How amazingly raw and clean this 50th-anniversary album is. It's so clear you feel that they're in the room with you. "Dig A Pony" pulls you in a little closer to the album as it's only the second track, but it's a feel-good one for sure. Something I never noticed until now (listening to the 2021 mix) of it, the chorus - "All I want is you..." the melody, it sounds familiar! But what does it sound like? It sounds just like Joe Cocker's cover of The Beatles' "With A Little Help From My Friends" from Woodstock in 1969. What an amazing connection!
But of course, by the third track, you have to be fully pulled into Let It Be. If you're a Beatles fan, at all, you know what track number three is. Across The Universe. And if you don't know it, or haven't been in love with it since you started to listen to The Beatles, get ready. The 2021 version of this song is AMAZING. You can truly hear everything in this song. Things you never thought you would be able to hear. When this album came out, I can't even imagine how music critics and journalists were feeling and what they were experiencing... I've heard this song most of my life, but every time I hear it, it gets more magical. It's such a trippy song and you can definitely put visuals to it. My favorite lyrics - "Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes, they call me on and on across the universe/Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letterbox, they tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe" are PURE Beatles. If you don't love this song, even just a little, you've got some 'spalinin' to do. "I Me Mine" is a fun song. It's also sung and was written by my favorite Beatle, George Harrison (still love you Paul), and is about the ego, the eternal problem. It's timeless. The ego is as much of a problem today as it was when the song was written. "Dig It" is one of those songs you can sway back and forth to and have fun with. It's an improvised track during two studio jams in January 1969. Here are the lyrics:
"Like a Rolling Stone Like a Rolling Stone Like a Rolling Stone Like the FBI And the CIA And the BBC B.B. King And Doris Day Matt Busby Dig it Dig it Dig it Dig it That was "Can You Dig It?" by Georgie Wood And now we'd like to do "Hark the Angels Come""
"There is still a light that shines on me, shine until tomorrow, let it be."
The title track. My favorite track. Arguably my favorite song by The Beatles. "Let It Be", my favorite story behind any song ever. Paul McCartney was out having a "night" when The Beatles were nearing the end. He was broken. He was lost. His mother (Mary) who passed when Paul was very young, came to him in a dream. "Don't worry. Just let it be.", is what she said to him. That's when the song was born. The song was written during The Beatles' "White Album" sessions when Paul felt he was the only member that was sane enough to keep the band together. "Let It Be" is an anthem for Beatles fans. Even if you're not a Beatles fan, you can't help but be infatuated with the song. The lyrics of this song are so meaningful to me and motivate me every day.
"Maggie Mae" is apparently about a prostitute in Liverpool who robbed a sailor and I don't know about you, but I could have gone my whole life without knowing that. Moving on to "I've Got A Feeling", which I swear I've seen footage of The Beatles' performance on the roof of (maybe in Get Back documentary?). It's another one of those feel-good songs. It's a mix of two unfinished songs - "I've Got A Feeling" by Paul McCartney and "Everybody Had A Hard Year" by John Lennon.
"The Long and Winding Road" is another one of my favorite Beatles songs and one I definitely have a deep connection with. Of course, it's one of the last ever Beatles songs, that Paul wrote because of tensions within the band. The song (and footage from the 1970 film Let It Be) captures the honesty of the song, what was going on within the band, and how Paul was feeling. "For You Blue" was for George's wife Pattie. Unlike most Blues songs, it's upbeat. The ending track is "Get Back", which is a song everyone knows. The beginning of it always makes me think The Beatles should be horseback riding during this song. That's just how it sounds. And that's the last track, on the last Beatles album, ever.
Order and listen to Let It Be: Super Deluxe here and for everything from The Beatles, check out their website.
That John Lennon thing at the end is funny 🤟🏼