The Long And Winding Road
Written by: Paul McCartney (100%) (credited as Lennon-McCartney)Recorded: January 26, 1969 (Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London, England); April 1, 1970 (Studio 1, Abbey Road Studios, London, England)
Mixed: March 10 and May 28, 1969
Length: 3:40
Takes: 18
Musicians: John Lennon: bass guitar (1964 Fender Bass VI)
Paul McCartney: lead vocals, piano (Bluthner Flugel Grand)
George Harrison: rhythm guitar (1968 Fender Rosewood Telecaster)
Ringo Starr: drums (1968 Ludwig Hollywood Maple)
Unknown overdubs: 18 violins, 4 violas, 4 cellos, harp, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 2 guitarists, choir (14 female voices)
First released: May 11, 1970 (US: Apple 2832)
Available on: (CDs in bold)
- Let It Be, (US: Apple AR 34001, UK: Apple PX1, Apple PCS 7096, Parlophone CDP 7 46447 2)
- The Beatles 1967-1970 (UK: Apple PCSP 718, US: Apple SKBO 3404, Apple CDP 0777 7 97039 2 0)
- The Beatles 1 (Apple CDP 7243 5 299702 2)
April History:
- One of Paul's most moving ballads, "The Long And Winding Road" nonetheless has evolved into a very controversial Beatles song indeed, largely due to the production Phil Spector added to the track when enlisted to resurrect the dead "Get Back/Let It Be project. The song was originally composed in 1968 at Paul's new home, High Park Farm near Campbeltown, Scotland, and reflected his sorrow at the prospect of the band breaking up. A demo of the song was recorded in September 1968 during the lengthy session that produced the album The Beatles (a/k/a "The White Album"), but it was not scheduled for inclusion on the LP.
- "Road" was revived during the rehearsals for the "Get Back" project, with the band tackling the song five times on January 7, 1969, twice on the 9th of that month, and once on the 10th. On January 26th, 27th, 29th, and 31st, it was rehearsed in the basement of Apple Studios; portions of the take on the 31st be seen and heard in the film Let It Be.
- Producer Glyn Johns and, later, Phil Spector both chose the take from January 29th as the basis for their mixes for the Beatles' LIB project. Spector, however, added a choir and orchestra on April 1, 1970, incurring the wrath of McCartney, who fumed over not being consulted; Spector's "Wall of Sound" approach was the antithesis of the Beatles' usual methods and also went against the original stripped-down ethic of the entire "Get Back" project. To this day, Beatles fans argue over whether the added production was excessive or necessary, or whether it's the song that actually influences the supposed cheesiness of the arrangement.
- McCartney sent an immediate memo to manager Allan Klein instructing the mix to be corrected, but his wishes were overruled. (Klein was the band's choice for their new management; McCartney much preferred his father-in-law, John Eastman.) Spector, for his part, claimed to have a memo from Paul approving the changes -- a memo which has never been produced. In 2003, Paul and the Beatles' various estates agreed to release Let It Be... Naked, which contained an unadorned version of "Road." However, this version uses the take from January 31st, and so can not be considered a "definitive" version.
- The road of the title was inspired by the B842, a national road which winds over thirty-one miles (or 50 km) over the West Coast of Scotland, through Kintyre to Paul's farm in Campbeltown.
- Spector brought in Ringo to add drum fills to the track on April 1st, 1970, the very last session where any work on a Beatles track was done featuring a member of the band. Therefore, this counts as the Beatles' last session.
- Paul's original take featured a second bridge that was half-spoken, half-sung; Spector removed this and substituted the famous ascending line of strings, a move so elegant it has since become a sonic trademark of the song. (It's rumored that George's guitar was erased in the final mix, but the track is there, merely buried under all the sonic excess.) John uncharacteristically plays bass on this track, a performance so bad that Spector tried to use it as an excuse for his lush orchestration.
- Paul was so outraged by Spector's unauthorized production that he cited the move as one of his six reasons for dissolving the Beatles' legal partnership, making this one of the songs that legally broke up the band!
