Let It Be

Trivia:

• It's often believed that the song's churchy feel, along with the "Mother Mary" reference, makes "Let It Be" a song about Christianity (specifically, Catholicism). Paul has made it plain that the Mary in the song is his mother, but the song is gospel-oriented in nature, leading many to continue to associate it with the religion. John picked up on the similarities: during the sessions, he says "...and now we'd like to do 'Hark The Angels Come'," a joke which was appended to the version on the original LP. (It's been suggested that John insisted on placing the vulgar folk song "Maggie Mae" after it on the LP as a way to deflate its solemnity.) Lennon has also claimed that McCartney wanted to "wanted to write a 'Bridge Over Troubled Waters'," referring to the gospel-based Simon and Garfunkel smash, but that song was written and recorded well after work had begun on "Let It Be."
• Paul's endless retakes of this song drove the band to distraction and caused a famous row with George which is captured in the Let It Be film; when Paul instructs George on how to play the solo, the guitarist snaps, "OK, well, I don't mind. I'll play whatever you want me to play or I won't play at all if you don't want me to play. Whatever it is that'll please you, I'll do it." John also pointedly asks "Are we supposed to giggle in the solo?"
• There's some dispute over the second, more rocking guitar solo recorded on January 4, 1970, with some attributing it to Paul or even John. The evidence suggests Harrison recorded both, however.
• This is only the second (and final) Beatles single released in the UK with a picture sleeve, the other being "Strawberry Fields Forever / Penny Lane."
• Aretha Franklin's version of "Let It Be," from the album This Girl's In Love With You, was actually released two full months before the Beatles' version.
• The healing nature of this song has made it useful for charity events: in 1987, McCartney organized a group called "Ferry Aid" to perform a version of this song to benefit victims of the recent Zeebrugge Ferry disaster in London. After 9/11, Paul closed the benefit show "The Concert For New York" with a singalong of this song that featured the night's other musical guests along with NYPD and NYFD members.
• "Let It Be" was the first Beatles song released in the Soviet Union, arriving in 1972. In 2003 Paul McCartney, in preparation for a Red Square concert, gave a private performance of this song to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.
• Sesame Street did a well-known parody of this song called "Letter B."

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