50 years ago, The Beatles released their final album, Let It Be. The title track, written by Paul McCartney was a number one hit in the U.S. and one of the band's most well known tracks. However, John Lennon, hated the song.
Let It Be was not an easy process for the band. Creatively and personally, the band had drifted apart. Each member of the band has described the experience as miserable.
The Beatles Formed In The Late 1950s
Lennon met McCartney in 1957 when they were teenagers; the latter joined the former's band as a rhythm guitarist. George Harrison became the lead guitarist. Stuart Sutcliffe joined as the bassist in 1959 with Pete Best following on drums in 1960. They named themselves The Beatles in August 1959.
McCartney took over bass duties when Sutcliffe left the band in 1962. The band began recording in 1962 with producer George Martin. He was dissatisfied with Best's drumming who was then replaced by Ringo Starr.
Their first single was 'Love Me Do' which reached #1 on the U.S. charts. Over the course of the 1960s, The Beatles recorded 13 studio albums, toured the world and starred in feature films. Their success, dubbed Beatlemania, was unprecedented. And no acts have had the same impact.
The band stopped touring in 1966 to focus exclusively on recording starting with 1967's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The band broke up in 1970 shortly before the release of Let It Be in 1970.
Let It Be Was The Band's Final Record
While it was their last album released, the recording sessions for Let It Be began before Abbey Road. The tensions ran so high that McCartney asked Martin to produce an album that was more similar to the old days. Let It Be was finished after the release of Abbey Road in 1969.
McCartney announced his departure from the band on April 10, 1970 which was one week before the release of his first solo album. Let It Be was released on May 8, 1970.
Lennon Hated McCartney's Title Track
Creative differences had created divides in the band. Originally, Lennon and McCartney wrote most of the material together. But over time, the two drifted into their own work. Lennon preferred the older style of individual songs while McCartney preferred the thematic concept album approach the band had taken with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Lennon described the recording sessions for Let It Be during an interview as, "...going through hell." He continued by saying, "We didn't really want to do it and Paul was asking us to do it and we didn't want to..."
Ultimate Classic Rock quoted Lennon in a different interview where he talked about the title track specifically. Lennon said, "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.'"
Phil Spector was brought in to complete the album. He added a clip of Lennon mockingly saying, "And now, we'd like to do 'Hark The Angels Come'" at the end of 'Dig It' which is the track that precedes 'Let It Be.' The comment appears to be a dig at the religious overtones of the song.
A film also accompanied the album as was the case with albums by The Beatles. The film, also titled Let It Be, was a documentary about the making of the album. It also features a rooftop performance that was the last concert performed by the band.
After the Break Up
All four members of The Beatles released a solo album in 1970 which suggests how bad things had gotten. By the time they had broken up, they all had material ready to go without the others.
The members all enjoyed success with their solo careers with highlights including Lennon's 'Imagine,' McCartney's 'Live and Let Die' and Harrison's 'My Sweet Lord.'
On December 8, 1980, Lennon was shot and killed. Harrison wrote 'All Those Years Ago' in Lennon's honor; Starr and McCartney both performed on the track. Harrison would later die from lung cancer in 2001.
McCartney and Starr both still record and tour as solo artists. McCartney's latest release was Egypt Station released in 2018. Starr's latest album, What's My Name, was released in 2019.
A new documentary titled The Beatles: Get Back is slated for release on September 4, 2020. The film is being directed Peter Jackson of The Lord of the Rings fame and will feature footage from the recording sessions and the rooftop concert.