5 Fascinating Stories You Might Not Know About the Songs on The Beatles' Grand Finale, 'Let It Be'
The Beatles had already announced their breakup to the world by the time Let It Be was released in 1970. They left behind a somewhat star-crossed project that had been hanging around for more than a year after its initial sessions before its release.
The chaos going on behind the scenes wasn’t able to overwhelm what the Fab Four accomplished from a musical sense. Here are five stories behind the songs on Let It Be that you might not know. The “Two” are Paul and Linda.
When you listen to the song “Two Of Us” without any context behind its making, you might assume that it’s about the relationship between Paul McCartney and John Lennon. After all, the pair sing in close, two-part harmony in the song in a way that they hadn’t done in years. And the lyrics speak with nostalgia about warm memories and great times spent together. But McCartney, who wrote the track, was actually referring to the getaways he took with wife Linda whenever The Beatles’ drama seemed overwhelming.
Faster, then Slower
“Across The Universe” was the song that The Beatles couldn’t get right, despite the inherent beauty of the John Lennon composition. They first recorded it back in 1968, with a pair of female fans pulled from outside of Apple singing backup. Lennon didn’t like this version, although it was sped up and used on a charity compilation album in 1969. The Beatles revived it for Let It Be, only this time with Lennon’s voice slowed down and orchestration added. To hear his voice at its actual speed as recorded, check out the version from Let It Be…Naked.
A Tribute to Mom
John Lennon once criticized “Let It Be” as a rip-off of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon & Garfunkel. The only problem with that theory is that there’s no way Paul McCartney could have even heard of the S&G song before writing his opus. In actuality, McCartney did indeed receive inspiration from a dream, one that recalled his mother, Mary McCartney. She died of cancer when Paul was still a teenager. If anything, “Let It Be”, with its repetitive, sing-along chorus, seemed like an attempt to recapture the magic of “Hey Jude”.
Source: Jim Beviglia/americansongwriter.com
